...that you both want to live in and don't want to live in at the same time, but are innovative and environmentally friendly. And of course, crazy and awesome.

http://www.divinecaroline.com/article/22355/47311-ten-i
nnovative-green-homes

My favorite would have to be the O2 Treehouse (although it's really more of a glorified tent, and you probably couldn't really live in it unless you can be VERY minimal). Still, I always love the ideas that come from Green architecture.

Wow these are sweet! I especially like the house made out of earth bags with a greenhouse.
And the treehouse looks fun if you aren't scared of falling out.
It would nice if people incorporated some of these ideas into mainstream houses, I guess perhaps they are beginning too.

Wow these are sweet! I especially like the house made out of earth bags with a greenhouse.
And the treehouse looks fun if you aren't scared of falling out.
It would nice if people incorporated some of these ideas into mainstream houses, I guess perhaps they are beginning too.

A friend recently brought to my attention that Oberlin College has started a house called the SEED house, which is a living option for students dedicated to environmental sustainability. Here is the New York Times article about the house, including a short video about it:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/26/education/26green.htm
l?_r=1&emc=eta1&oref=slogin

What I love most about the SEED house is the fact that they try to practice environmental sustainability "in ways that the average homeowner can emulate," as one student says in the video. Most of the SEED house's practices can be imitated without making any renovations to one's house. Also, the students do a lot of outreach and education. As one student says, "If the actions of the house end with us, we consider that a failure." The students in the SEED house do an extraordinary job of blending realism and idealism.

Don't forget to check out the "SEED House Energy Saving Cheap Fixes List" link in the left margin of the article!

I love this! I think it is so important to start implementing these ideas in the academic setting. It is cool to see this rising on different campuses (a friend of mine lived in a house like this at Drew University).

I see this trend starting even in the elementary schools as well. The kids I work with come home with "How to Minimize your Carbon Footprint" every week....encouraging kids to carpool/bike/walk to school, use reusable containers instead of plastic bags for school lunch, etc. So awesome!

I found a website that has some of the same useful tools/ideas for each of us to implement in our own home:

www.lowimpactliving.com