Ecosense for Living

Green Buildings

Green Buildings profiles homes, a school and even the third busiest sports and concert venue in the nation to illustrate how energy efficient buildings reduce our carbon footprint in remarkable ways. Atlanta's Phillips Arena was retrofitted with energy efficient systems and it now uses 21% less electricity than other arenas of similar size and the energy the facility saves in one year could power 111 private homes. This episode also profiles Arabia Mountain High School which focuses on environmental learning throughout its curricula using Promethean boards (to reduce paper and enhance learning), outdoor classrooms, and even energy- and water-efficient rest rooms. Green Buildings compares modular, new, completely green homes to modified older homes with energy efficient systems and opens by touring the Solar Decathlon in Washington, DC for a glimpse of the cutting edge green building designs being developed across the globe. Sponsored by the Department of Energy, the Decathlon is a competition showcasing design and designers, many of them college students, from Germany to California.