Mark Lauckner says,” When I first started blowing glass I was haunted by the realization that enormous amounts of energy are required in order to produce even the smallest blown glass vessels. 
I was interested in recycling glass. My focus was on making glass while considering ecology. 
I couldn’t see the point in recycling glass if the energy inputs required to do so were so large.”"In 1997 I started designing and building my own glass melting furnaces. By 1999, I had designed and built a furnace which uses approx. one tenth the energy consumed by traditional glass furnaces. I produced an instructional video of the design and building of this furnace and made it available to other glass artists. It became instantly popular. 
Since then, I have re-designed almost every piece of equipment used in a glassblowing studio to make them super energy efficient. These electric designs use no combustion, therefore produce no carbon emissions. These furnace designs are now in use in over 17 countries worldwide by glass studios and glass recycling ventures.
“On the home front, I process approx 12,000 pounds of scrap window glass annually and recycled over 140,000 pounds since I began operation in 1996! “
“I have my operation and large gallery showroom on Mayne Island, BC. I offer tours, workshops, demonstrations, and talks for school groups in an effort to promote the concept that glass art can be made while considering ecology.” 
You can find much more of Mark’s excellent and intelligently produced glass at Side Street Studio.
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