Burning Ambitions - Common Fire Housing Co-op Keeps it Green
Chronogram, 10/2006

"A paint-splattered desk sits in the center of a hay-strewn field of new grass. An early-September breeze slips through the far treeline, leaving a wake of gently trembling leaves like soft applause in an amphitheater. As though obliging his audience, Tom Caplan emerges from the house, laptop, water bottle, and throw pillows in hand. Propping the pillows on either side of the computer screen to block the midday sun, he begins typing. "He's writing a play," Kavitha Rao says, her eyes cast down to the yard where Caplan sits..."

 

What Goes into a Green, LEED-Certified, Platinum-Rated, PVC-Free Housing Co-op? Upstate House, 7/2006 "We're on our way to having one of the greenest buildings in the United States," says Jeff Golden, cofounder, with his partner, Kavitha Rao, of Common Fire Foundation, an organization devoted to improving the world. When the couple set out to build a cooperative housing project near Tivoli, in northern Dutchess County, their intention was to be kind to the environment while providing a home with a nurturing atmosphere for people doing important social or environmental work in the area..."

Co- op Harvests a 'Green' Award - Common Fire residence wins 2nd place for being gentle to Mother Earth Albany Times Union, 5/11/2007 "Tucked in the rolling farm country of northern Dutchess County, down a gravel road, sits a house. From the outside, the second-greenest building in the entire country, construction-wise, doesn't look all that unusual..."

 

Conservation values practiced daily at Tivoli co-op Poughkeepsie Journal, 3/2/2008 Video companion to article: "One of the things that we like to point out whenever we start a tour is the size of the building..."   House building on 'green' ideals Poughkeepsie Journal, 11/11/2005 "A unique home under construction in the Town of Red Hook will be the "greenest" building in New York..."

Shining a Light Upstate House, 12/2005 “On a gray day in late October, I attended a "Celebration of Sustainable Solutions" at the building site of the Common Fire Foundation housing cooperative in Red Hook. Visiting what will be upon completion "the greenest building in the Northeast," over 200 students, local residents, homeowners, building enthusiasts, and technicians turned out to see the building's cutting-edge green technology under way and to hear author, activist, and speaker Julia Butterfly Hill, whose words served to inspire us all...”

A Slice of Red Hook Turns Green
AboutTown, Fall/2005

“When AboutTown first heard that an idealistic peace-promoting group was building a co-housing development in Tivoli, we at first wondered whether the ghost of Dorothy Day or Jean Delabigarre had wandered home to the riverfront community...”

Common Fire: A House Warming
ijamming, 10/19/2006

"Think Global, Act Local: In America, it’s not just a catchphrase, it’s a necessity. Given that the Bush Administration won’t pave the way on any environmental issues that might actually help the planet, it’s left up to individuals in and amongst their own communities to set standards and lead by example..."

A Community on Fire
Matter Network, 10/23/2008

“Jeff Golden has a problem. He wants things to make sense.

"In a world as confusing, complicated and troubling as ours can be, it’s a pretty irrational desire. The guy can’t help it, though, and because he’s a do-er as well as a dreamer, he has created a project that takes an innovative and sensible approach to helping things make sense..."

Green Daytripping in New York City's Backyard
Worldchanging, 11/16/2007

“For Columbus Day weekend, I was hoping to go on an overnight trip to somewhere local and affordable -- to avoid airports and minimize driving. More importantly, I was not only looking for a retreat from urban living but, as a long-time environmentalist a bit beleaguered by the recent trendiness of my cause, to be re-inspired about the environmental movement. I found my solution in Tivoli, New York with a visit to an uncommon place called Common Fire...”

'Green' Co-op Takes the LEED
Register-Star, 4/15/2007

“Area house greenest building in the eastern US, second in the country...”

Home Sweet Eco-Friendly Home
Hudson Catskill Newspapers, 10/16/2006

“Many residents of Columbia County and Northern Dutchess County may not realize it, but one of the most environmentally-friendly houses in the United States is almost done being constructed right in our backyard...”

Common Fire - From Concept to Reality
Hudson Valley Business Journal, 5/28/2007

“It's a normal-looking house in a field-setting at the end of a very long, winding driveway in Tivoli, yet this building received Platinum Certification, the highest possible certification from the US Green Building Council...”

Building Green in Dutchess County
Millbrook Matters, 7-8/2005

“New York City's skyline will be changing over the next few years as the second tallest building in the city is completed sometime in 2008...”