The Cuyahoga River in Cleveland, Ohio first caught fire in 1868. It has burned several times between then and its last two burnings, which happened in 1952 and then again in 1969. Starting in the 1800's, the steel mill industry and other manufacturers dumped waste into the Cuyahoga River. By the mid 50's, it was so thick with brown sludge that your hand would be covered in waste if you dipped it into the water.

Light Expanded Clay Aggregate (LECA) masonry block, which was used in the construction of the Landskrona Townhouse, is a low embodied energy material, is relatively inexpensive, is lightwieght, has a high insulation R-value, and is made by heating the materials to 1200 degrees Celsius in a rotary kiln. The origins of LECA and other aggregates such as Gravelite, Perlite, and Rocklite can be traced back to the invention of Haydite (invented for the construction of the USS Selma) in 1917 in Kansas City, Missouri. In Europe, LECA block was first used in Denmark, Germany, Holland, and the U.K.

Ive Haugeland and Tyler Manchuck, of Shades of Green Landscape Architecture in Sausalito, Calif., spend many hours researching, debating the pros and cons of different products, asking questions, and working with sustainable manufacturers to provide landscapes that are not a posh-type green project, but rather areas that truly benefit the environment. Shades of Green used a newly completed residence in Sausalito as an experimental project in which to introduce new, sustainable grass seed. "The no-mow lawn uses a blend of fescue. It takes way less water and you only need to cut it once a year," says Haugeland.

It is truly beautiful to be able to see alternative energies at work, such as the graceful, large white blades of a wind turbine. In the world at large, China has completed its first offshore wind farm; blog posts are popping up about how to build your own wind turbine; and electrical companies are pulling their hair out trying to figure out how to increase transmission lines in order to transfer wind power from the turbines to the needed locations. Steven Sears, a guest blog writer, describes his discovery of a new coastal wind farm off the New Jersey coast.

Passive solar is a green concept after my own heart because its principles reduce energy consumption without adding additional cost to a project. Of course, if a building is not originally designed to capture the sun's heat by day, store it, and release it at night, then active technologies must be used to help offset our consumption of natural resources. Thankfully, photovoltaic solar panels are much more effective and, frankly, more useable than they were even 10 years ago.

"To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug." Helen Keller. One of the most popular themes at the Central Ohio Home & Garden Show is how to reform a backyard into an oasis of respite. Civilizations throughout time have recognized that when a human is close to nature, he feels a kind of serenity, which offers a calming counterpoint to the busy affairs and rushed schedules of the day.

Corporate social responsibility is a revived buzz concept. Businesses are taking an inward look at how their actions are affecting their world at large; i.e. the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders, and all other members of the public sphere. Google is becoming one of those businesses who is a leader in forming their company based on socially responsible principles. The other thing about Google is that we can often look to them to come up with the most cutting edge technologies; in some ways they always seem to be one step ahead of the curve. Do you agree?

In 1962, Milton Friedman published the book Capitalism and Freedom in which he states that corporations do not need to worry about "social responsibility" because they end up using other people's money to do what those other people could do themselves. I think we have come to understand, after years of mulling over his opinions, that it doesn't really make sense to spend our earth's resources heedlessly. We can design products of the future that make a wiser use of recycled materials and materials that have a lower embodied energy, etc. Once again I ask, do you agree?

Vancouver models much of its urban planning on the principle of eco-density, a term developed largely by City Councillor Suzanne Anton. There was no better place for us to interview Suzanne than at the Coopers Pointe on the waterfront looking across toward the Olympic Village. While in Vancouver, we wanted not only to cover the Olympic architecture but to grasp the essence of a city which is reputed for its very low ecological footprint per capita. It is no coincidence, I believe, that William Rees and Mathis Wackernagel developed the concept of an ecological footprint at The University of British Columbia.

The Opening Ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics evoked a sense of awe in Carla D'Errico, freelance writer of travel and architecture, who gives her response to the ceremony in an interview below. In short, the artistic directors David Atkins and Ignatius Jones deserve the highest esteem for their spectacular video arts show. In addition, while the Olympic torch may seem to be of little consequence when it comes to sustainability, the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Torch that kicked off the ceremonies on Friday night is actually a remarkable example of green ingenuity.

One week from now, a talented crew from Buildipedia will be in Vancouver on site at the 2010 Winter Olympics. We hope to grasp through a video and an article the architecture of the games and of the beautiful British Columbian city so graciously holding the international sporting events this year.

Architectural design is always an important part of Olympic venues, yet those who are not fortunate enough to personally attend the events often do not fully get to see the remarkable architecture. Not only that, Vancouver boasts that the 2010 Olympics events are the greenest Olympics yet.

Many people will be watching the games, wishing they could be there to see them in person. We hope that we will be able to offer our audience a glimpse into the exciting environment surrounding the events. Any and every person who talks about Vancouver cannot stop talking about how much they love the beauty of the city.

We need your input: Why do you love Vancouver? Do you know anyone who will be at the Olympics who would like to contribute to our upcoming video and article? What do you want to see us film? Anyone you want to see interviewed, if we may be so lucky to grab them for an hour or so?

Barbara McHatton speaks about her experiences avoiding what we are now calling the Greenwashing affect. We want to knowledgeably see past skewed claims to find those products that are legitimately green.

Confused about what makes a green building product “green”?

So am I.

With all of the labels out there touting “green” and “environmentally friendly” products, it’s no wonder we’re so mystified. If a product is manufactured using recycled materials, it’s considered green—if it saves energy, it’s considered green—if it is manufactured using non-toxic materials, it’s considered green.

Green-focused schools are popping up across the country, from New York City to California. The Green School in Brooklyn, who call themselves the sustainaBULLS, states the following goals for their green educational core values:

• Sustainable Self - Individuals in the school community are given the opportunity to develop their individual interests. Importance is placed on individual growth and physical and emotional health of all students.
• Sustainable Relationships - Meaningful relationships among students, parents, teachers, school administration and key members of the community are developed through advisory, community work, internships and peer education.
• Sustainable Community - All members of the school work to develop a learning community that promotes academic excellence, democratic decision making and individual responsibility.
• Sustainable Society - Students have the opportunity to explore careers that promote a healthy society through internships and apprenticeships.