28 • Glass Art TM • May/June 2016 http://www.GlassArtMagazine.com
“In four hours, Dave helped me move all of my hot shop to his
property. It was meant to be. He’s interested in glass also for the
potential energy we could run into other systems. Exhaust heat can
be used for watering the mushroom farm and inoculating the straw
we’re going to use. We’re talking about how to use radiant heat water
for storage and household uses. Even a tilapia or shrimp farm or a
brewery could be possible, so the paradigm has shifted from just
running a glass furnace to using it as a heat plant.
“We’re only using 30 percent of the energy when we’re firing
this furnace. Seventy percent is going up the stack and into the
atmosphere. As we implement each phase, we want to make the
information accessible to other people so they can also make use
of extra heat and reap the same savings.”
Relying upon Mireault’s tremendous amount of practical ex-
perience in HVAC, in addition to his knowledge of incinerators,
combustion systems, steam power, and plumbing it all, made this
collaboration a dream match for Schmid. Both men were inspired
by conversations held at the 2015 GAS conference in San Jose,
California, where they met and spoke to BioGlass members and
going-green glass gurus, Charlie Correll and Hugh Jenkins.
One glassblower’s waste is becoming the mushroom farm’s
resource. Mireault grows up to 3,000 pounds per month of certified
organic pearl oyster mushrooms. In his colder climate, offsetting
the energy cost presents a challenge. He also needs 160- to 180-de-
gree water to pasteurize and store, in climate controlled rooms, the
organic straw he uses as a growing medium.
Says Mireault: “To heat the water currently, there are coils in our
exhaust flow. If the glassblowing furnace is as efficient as possible,
everything after an exhaust of 1,800 degrees or less is waste to the
glassblower but more than enough for just domestic hot water. We
also use that excess for pasteurization and space heating. We’ve
taken a by-product and created a revenue stream with it.”
Smaller Footprint, Greater Conscience
How do we manage the cost of burning fossil fuels? How is the
use of this energy source affecting future generations? Glass art-
ists will globally mismanage the flame if they don’t consider their
carbon footprint.
Schmid shared: “I feel guilty having a carbon footprint the size
of Texas when I work with glass. If I start making steps toward eco-
efficiency on my own then share that information with the greater
glass community, I’ll sleep better at night.”
Edward T. Schmid
Glass Mountain Press/Studios
2499 Mt. Baker Highway
Bellingham, Washington 98229
[email protected]
http://www.glassmtn.com
http://www.facebook.com/Glass-Mountain-Studios-106096356388565/
© Copyright 2016 by Glass Art.
All rights reserved.Visit http://www.gofundme.com/a4aeyc9w to
make a donation to help Schmid continue
his research and writing. Another way to
support the project is to buy glass from
the Glass Mountain Studios website and
on ETSY.Ed Schmid, Amethyst Helix, blown,
cut, and polished sandblasted glass
sculpture, 16" x 5" x 5", 2010.Ed Schmid and Dave Mireault
proudly display a cluster of some
recently harvested oyster mushrooms,
November 2015.