Retrofit | Grist

The Hillside Strangler

You and me and a billion tiny spores 6
Posted 4 months, 2 weeks ago
One of the toughest tasks at the JP Green House renovation is not inside the house at all -- it's in the yard, where a stubborn invasive species refuses to yield after a year of battle.
Not all green jobs are created equal 2
Posted 4 months, 2 weeks ago
The stimulus package and the climate bill recently passed by the US House and now being considered in the Senate will create jobs while delivering a boost to our economy. A "green" stimulus will create approximately three times as many jobs as the same amount of spending in traditional energy industries. But clean energy is too diverse to consider a single industry. What are the differential jobs creation effects of different types of clean energy and are the most effective sectors getting the most money?
Sexy Retrofits

Sears Tower to get eco-overhaul — again? Plus: new name! 0
Posted 4 months, 4 weeks ago
The tallest building in North America is about to take a giant step forward in energy efficiency, water conservation, and green PR.
Sunday on Bourne Street

Getting to know the neighborhood — through its trash 0
Posted 5 months ago
What do the contents of curbside trash bins say about a place's past, its present, its future? Plenty -- you just have to know where (and how) to look.
Recycling a House

How we found 133 Bourne St., and how we almost lost it 3
Posted 5 months ago
Andrée Zaleska explains how she and Ken Ward bought the JP Green House just as the real-estate bubble was bursting, how their own bubble burst not long after, and how they got back on their feet.
Welcome to the JP Green House

In which we chronicle the creation of a groundbreaking eco-home 5
Posted 5 months ago
When the JP Green House is finished, it will be an eco-home like no other -- but there's a long way to go before that happens. Follow the adventures of Grist contributor Ken Ward and his family this summer, as they work to make their zero-carbon dream a reality.
Love in a time of cataclysm

Fighting climate chaos with a hammer and a heart 4
Posted 5 months ago
Activist Ken Ward finds that his emotional responses to the climate crisis vary wildly, from despair to hope to anger. But one feeling remains constant: his love for partner Andrée and their JP Green House undertaking. He explains -- and invites others to share their experiences.
Sexy Retrofits: Catch-Up Edition

Yeah, that’s right, I’ve been to boot camp 2
Posted 5 months, 3 weeks ago
With federal money flowing and high-profile peeps taking up the cause, cities are getting serious about trimming their waste-lines through retrofits.