The Aldo Leopold Legacy Center in Wisconsin is being touted as the “greenest building on the planet” by U.S. Green Building Council president Rick Fedrizzi. Following a rigorous assessment byLEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the building was awarded 61 points, the highest rating in the world.

With the second largest solar electric system in Wisconsin on its roof, the Centre has become the first carbon neutral building certified by LEED and a net producer of energy, with a projected output of 50,000kwh of electricity annually.

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LARKSPUR, Colo. - Sotheby's International Realty, touting green? Yup. Legendary Properties Sotheby's International Realty of Evergreen, Colo. has listed one of the most environmentally friendly luxury homes ever built in Colorado, a $4.5 million dollar home with just under 10,000 square feet. The home is sure to raise the bar for building green in the high-end market.

In a time when luxury living is scrutinized for excess energy consumption, this beautiful 9,800 square foot, five bedroom, six and one-half bath mountain home in Bear Dance just outside of Larkspur, shows that high-end real estate can have a small environmental footprint. Ken Pieper and Associates designed 995 Longbow Place to produce a utility bill costing no more than $350 a month, a paltry sum when considering that most homes this size can cost more than $2,000 for heat and electricity.

Where do trimmed fine green beans from Kenya meet up with high definition TV's from Japan? And how can their design be related in any way? Well the Europeans consider them both to be consumer products who creation from raw material to your home has required energy, waste, greenhouse gases to be created and shipped to your home. This impact is clearly measured in Europe as a 'carbon footprint' and everyone and thing creates one, now they part of a global industrial ecosystem being created.