Z Homes, Life Saving Scorpion Venom and Twilight

Megan Sukys
11/21/2008

Issaquah's Z Home development is using old methods, like installing more insulation, to build sustainable homes for the future. We talk to project manager Brad Liljequist. Then, when it comes to cancer, Dr. Jim Olson has found life saving potential in the venom of a Deathstalker scorpion.

At 2:05 p.m. – The Z Home Project

The Pacific Northwest will soon be home to new construction townhomes with a net zero impact on the environment. Net zero means the amount of energy used and carbon created by the building is offset by the amount of renewable energy the building creates. The project, called Z Home, will be the first of its kind in the United States, and it's being built in Issaquah. Project Manager Brad Liljequist has been working on green building in Issaquah for close to a decade. But it was a recent trip to England that gave him innovative approaches for designing and building.

At 2:20 p.m. – Scorpion Venom in Cancer Research

One of the cutting edge breakthroughs in cancer research involves the use of scorpion venom. The deadly toxin holds great promise for more precise detection of brain cancer cells. Dr. Jim Olson of Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Children's Hospital says scorpion venom provides new hope for his own cancer patients. His research is also inspired by the picture of a little boy that he carries in his wallet. Dr. Olson speaks with Dave Beck.

At 2:40 p.m. – Robert Horton Movie Reviews

Robert Horton reviews Hollywood blockbusters and art house rarities every Friday on "Sound Focus." He joins us with a look at films screening in our region this weekend.

At 2:50 p.m. – Searching for Farming's Future

"Searching For Farming's Future in its Past" is part of a series produced by Rachel Leventhal about the impact individuals can make on their world. Jonathan and Nina White own the Bobolink Dairy in Vernon, New Jersey, where they make artisanal cheese and wood–fired bread. They are de–industrializing farming before our planet runs out of food — or trying to. The Whites have proven that sustainable farming can be profitable, but is sustainable farming truly sustainable? "Searching for Farming's Future" was presented on the Natural Resource Defense Council's OnEarth Magazine podcast.

At 2:56 p.m. – Vets Golf

At the edge of Fort Lewis, there's a golf course like none other. The greens and fairways look conventional. The golfers are not. In any given foursome, you might find one veteran who stormed the beaches at Normandy in World War Two. He'll play alongside a survivor of the Korean War. The guy next to him with the bad back escaped a helicopter crash in Vietnam. An Iraq War vet missing a leg rounds out the foursome. That last fellow is one of the hundreds of Northwest soldiers needing long term therapy for wounds received in Iraq or Afghanistan. Golf turns out to be part of the healing process. The American Lake Veterans Golf Course used to be operated by the Veterans Administration. Now it’s run entirely by volunteers. Correspondent Tom Banse put together this profile.