An unlikely green building pioneer: Thomas Edison?

It might be hard for some people to swallow this ironic bit of historic green trivia: The man who invented the incandescent light bulb—the same man who essentially launched us into this whole fossil-fuel-reliant mess—might also have been a green building/alternative energy pioneer. That's right; Thomas Edison was all about solar energy.

According to a recent article published in the New York Times Magazine, Edison might have predicted the end of oil as well as the awesome potential of the sun as an endless source of energy.

When he wasn't building the grid that we're all trying so desperately to detach ourselves from, he was drawing plans for small communities powered by nothing more than windmills and rechargeable batteries. He actually built an off-the-grid home in New Jersey that was, of course, later hooked right back onto the grid.

And our favorite new quote?

"I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy." — Thomas Edison, shortly before he passed away.

It's a short, frustrating and intriguing article—and you can read the whole thing here.

via EcoGeek

image sxc.hu, Davide Guglielmo