Tag: greening-of-southie

July 3, 2009

Bring on the Green (Review of The Greening of Southie)

In July, The Greening of Southie, a documentary that tells the story of designing, building and selling the first LEED Gold residential building in Boston, will be showing at Symphony Space, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Screenings will be July 5, 12, and 19. After seeing the movie at our November 2008 screening, GreenHomeNYC volunteer Devita Davison offers these thoughts — Not so long ago, the only thing green about South Boston was its infamous St. Patrick’s Day parade, Shamrocks, leprechauns, green beer and all things green associated with its proud Irish-American population. Now with the addition of the Macallen Building, Southie is home to the city’s first condos built as “luxury green.” In Macallen, “luxury green” means double-glazed insulated windows, bamboo floors, and natural fiber carpet. Filtered fresh air is ducted into every unit. Bosch appliances, Dornbracht fixtures, and Lutron dimming switches provide energy efficiency. There is no use of chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) gases, considered an ozone-depleting agent, commonly used in HVAC systems. And by choosing nontoxic paints, coatings, adhesives and sealants, volatile organic compounds are eliminated or minimized. Then there is the green roof, a sloped, miniature habitat of plants that cool the building in summer and insulate it in winter, reducing the urban heat island effect. But while we hear a lot about these beacons of sustainable living, we know little about the people who build them—ironworkers, carpenters, and masons who pour the foundation and tar the roof. (more…)

June 23, 2009

“The Greening of Southie” at Symphony Space

In July, The Greening of Southie, a documentary that tells the story of designing, building and selling the first LEED Gold residential building in Boston, will be showing at Symphony Space, on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Screenings will be July 5, 12, and 19. If you missed seeing it at our November 2008 forum, or if you’re inspired to take your friends and family along with you, here’s your chance! Also check out the New Yorker piece on the Earth Day screenings of The Greening of Southie at Locals 40 and 361 in Astoria, a project that GreenHomeNYC had the privilege of supporting. Read more about Wicked Delicate, the production company run by Curt Ellis and Ian Cheney on their website, wickedelicate.com.