San Francisco celebrates its (green) architecture in September

San Francisco is in the midst of its "Architecture and the City" festival, the fourth annual month-long architectural event showcasing buildings, tours, films, workshops, etc. http://www.aiasf.org/Programs/Public_Programs/Architecture_and_the_City.... And yes, there's plenty of green building activities including tours of commercial green buildings, lectures on solar power for home owners, LEED seminars etc.

I attended a reception by the Green Home Center whose mission is to "help homeowners make green living a healthy and beautiful way of life." http://www.thegreenhomecenter.net/index.php?page=About. What makes this place especially unique is that it is located on a busy commercial street with lots of foot traffic. It opened in April 2007 and sits alongside all the restaurants and the coffee shops, making green home design materials accessible and visible to any pedestrian walking by - from kitchen counter-tops made from recycled glass and concrete to solar energy panels.

San Francisco's Department of the Environment is very much involved with the festival, sponsoring many of the green programs offered. And each year the festival seems to have more and more emphasis on everything green which supports Mayor Newsom's desire to make San Francisco the greenest city in America.