CD of green built case studies

The Rocky Mountain Institute offers an excellent CD with over 200 case studies of green buildings from around the world.

Architects Call for Fifty Percent Reduction by 2010 of Fossil Fuel Used to Construct and Operate Buildings

The American Institute of Architects issued a press release endorsing sustainable design:

Washington, D.C., December 19, 2005 — Through its Board of Directors, The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has adopted position statements to promote sustainable design and resource conservation to achieve a minimum reduction of fifty percent of the current consumption level of fossil fuels used to construct and operate buildings by the year 2010. In order to accomplish this goal, the AIA will collaborate with other national and international organizations, the scientific research community, and the public health community. As part of this initiative, the AIA will also develop and promote the integration of sustainability into the curriculum for the education of architects and architecture students, so that this core principle becomes a guiding mindset for current and future architects.

World's largest solar-powered residential community

This Army project illustrates the use of solar electricity generation in a climate similar to the Riviera Maya:

United Solar Ovonic will provide solar panels to power 3,000 new homes as part of a U.S. Army family housing project in Hawaii. The company signed an agreement on Monday to provide 7 megawatts of thin-film solar modules to Actus Lend Lease for the project on Oahu, which will be the world's largest solar-powered residential community. According to United Solar Ovonic, the grid-connected solar power systems will reduce dependence on fossil fuels by 30 percent for the entire complex of 7,894 new and renovated Army homes. Actus Lend Lease announced in May that it had earned the Army contract for the project, which involves upgrading the housing and community services at seven different Army bases on the island. See the press release from United Solar Ovonic and Actus Lend Lease.

A military base on Oahu currently features the largest federal solar power array in Hawaii. PowerLight Corporation installed a 309-kilowatt installation at Pearl Harbor in September and helped dedicate it in mid-October. The solar power system is expected to save the U.S. Navy about $40,000 per year. See the PowerLight press release.