For Immediate Release: August 10, 2006
Media Contacts: Emma Filar, Marketing & Communications Associate
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A Green Fall: News Release
Lectures, Family Activities, an Expo and more complement The Green House exhibition
WASHINGTON, D.C.—In response to the growing appetite for green living, the National Building Museum is expanding its menu of green offerings with practical "how-to" sessions for homeowners, architects, interior designers, and planners, and fun introductions to green principles for young people. This fall, the Museum is building on the current exhibition The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design and its comprehensive website with a wide selection of green programming. General interest and technical lectures; family activities and festivals; a one-day home renovation expo called Greenovation; and more will promote "going green" and help satisfy the growing demand for information on how to make environmentally-conscious lifestyle and design choices.
From September through November of 2006, the Museum's calendar of events includes lectures on incorporating sustainable principles into home and building projects by architects and experts such as Paolo Soleri, Lori Ryker, Ralph Knowles, Dennis Creech, Dean Hill, and others. Topics include new experimentations in sustainable urban planning, architecture, and design; off-the-grid strategies (where homes run on renewable energy sources independent of a conventional utility grid); how to draw on natural resources without depleting them; strategies for improving building energy consumption for small commercial buildings; and more.
On Saturday, November 18, a free, day-long green home renovation expo called Greenovation: An Expo for the Home will equip consumers with everything they need to know about tackling home improvement projects with the environment in mind. Nationally-recognized experts will lead workshops on topics like dream green kitchens, creating a healthy home, sustainable landscaping, and saving money by going green; experts will answer green renovation and remodeling questions; sample green products will be on display; and detailed take-home information on green home renovation will be available.
For families, programs like "Was Kermit Wrong: Is it Easy to Be Green?," where visitors can learn about energy-efficient homes and make a model house with a green roof, introduce green principles to young people. The Museum's signature family event, the Festival of the Building Arts (October 7th), will feature green-themed hands-on activities, demonstrations by experts, alternative building materials such as cob and straw bale, and a Go Green Passport.
Also for young people, from October 2006 through early June 2007, visiting school groups in grades four through nine can register for Museum programs like Green by Design and Be A Green Builder. In addition, the Museum's fall semester of the Design Apprenticeship Program (for middle and high school students) will be challenging students to conceive and construct projects demonstrating sustainable principles using environmentally-friendly materials.
The green fall season complements the exhibition The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design (through June 24, 2007), itself an introduction to the materials, design options, and lifestyle choices that help conserve the Earth's resources, promote health and well being, and save money in the home. More than 25,000 people visited The Green House during its first two months on view. Newsweek deemed it a "must see" and Interior Design magazine said the exhibition "detangles the mysteries of sustainable living with aplomb."
The Green House exhibition is presented by The Home Depot Foundation with generous support from the ASID Foundation of the American Society of Interior Designers, Bosch home appliances, Portland Cement Association, Benjamin Moore® Paints, EPA/Energy Star, The Nathan Cummings Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Band Inc., Global Green, James G. Davis Construction Corporation, The American Institute of Architects, National Association of Home Builders, Smith & Fong Plyboo®, U.S. Green Building Council, 3form Inc., Andersen Corporation, Brighton Cabinetry, Inc., Goldman Sachs, Hardwood Manufacturers Association, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC, MBCI, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®, Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, and The Tower Companies. Dwell is the exclusive media partner.
Green programming is made possible in part by partnerships and support from Lafarge, the National Endowment for the Arts, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, the Smart Growth Network, the Associated General Contractors of America, the Fannie Mae Foundation, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, The Clark Charitable Foundation, The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, Miller & Long Concrete Construction, James G. Davis Construction Corporation, McGraw-Hill Companies, among others.
The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to advancing the quality of the built environment by educating people about its impact on their lives. Through its exhibitions, educational programs, online content, and publications, the Museum has become a vital forum for the exchange of ideas and information about the world we build for ourselves. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org. Connect with us on Twitter: @BuildingMuseum and Facebook.
