Big Dig House; Tougher LEED standards; Scion iQ coming soon; Magic Cube; More solar arrays on public lands

Big Dig House reuses materials from the Big Dig in Boston. The structural system for this 3,400sf house is comprised of steel and concrete discarded from Boston’s Big Dig, utilizing over 600,000 lbs of salvaged materials from elevated portions of the now dismantled I-93 highway. As a former resident of Boston, I can tell you that this project created quite a mess and I am glad someone got some use out it!

Newer LEED Standards will require better energy use reporting. All construction projects seeking LEED certification must use a new version of the green building standard. One of the biggest changes will be with energy use reporting, and building owners must now annually submit data about how much energy (and water) they use or get re-certified every two years.

Scion iQ Coming By Early 2011. Toyota is preparing its tiny iQ 3+1 city car for North America and will badge it as a Scion. The car could arrive late in 2010 as an 2011 model, or in early 2011 as a 2012. I love this tiny car and think it will do well here in the US as drivers downsize and look for better MPG.

Magic Cube solar-powered clock-lamp-radio. I wouldn’t mind having one of these clever little clocks in my bedroom. It is a solar-powered clock, lamp and radio, which not only can save energy but also reduce clutter by combining 3 items into one. Hope they start selling them!

New Measures to Aid Solar on Public Lands. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said that 670,000 acres of lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management would be studied to determine whether they could support large solar power arrays. Mr. Salazar says he expects there to be 13 commercial-scale solar projects under construction on public lands. Now this is some welcome news for sure!