For Immediate Release: October 15, 2008
Media Contacts: Jasmine Zick

PRESS PREVIEW: Monday, October 20, 2008 / 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm RSVP: Jasmine Zick, jzick@nbm.org, 202.272.2448, ext. 3109

Green Community: News Release

The National Building Museum’s new exhibition emphasizes the big picture of the green movement

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Green Community is the first major exhibition in the United States to explore the complex process of creating and sustaining healthy communities. Beyond bamboo floors and fluorescent light bulbs, Green Community looks at how communities large and small are changing their global impact.

On display for an entire year from October 23, 2008 through October 25, 2009, Green Community is the third in the National Building Museum's series of exhibitions that focus on sustainability in architecture, planning, and design. The first was Big & Green: Toward Sustainable Architecture in the 21st Century in 2003, followed by The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design in 2006 and 2007. During the 13 months that The Green House was on view in Washington, D.C., a record number of visitors attended the exhibition.

Green Community is divided into two sections. The first answers the question, "What kind of community is green?" The second answers, "How can we make communities green?" The first section of Green Community explores sustainable planning strategies such as cleaning up and redeveloping brownfields and grayfields, transit-oriented planning, smart use of natural resources, land conservation, and minimizing waste. Each area will be illustrated by example communities in the United States and around the world, including Greensburg, Kansas; Highlands' Garden Village, Denver, Colorado; Mendoza, Argentina; Hali'imaile Maui, Hawaii; and Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The diverse array of communities highlighted throughout the exhibition demonstrates successful and innovative examples of sustainable planning, policies, design, and technology at scales large and small.

An area in the first part of the exhibition called "Close to Home" features local examples of green projects and initiatives in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. After Green Community closes at the Museum in 2009, the exhibition will travel to other venues. The "Close to Home" section is designed to change content as the exhibition travels, providing a place for the host venue to highlight green projects in its own area.

The second part of the exhibition uses the natural elements of air, water, earth, and fire to illustrate the types of sustainable technologies used to improve the environment and the health of our communities. Today, an array of technologies and systems—both simple and sophisticated—harness wind for renewable energy, reclaim poisoned land, control urban heat islands, and responsibly manage the world's water resources. These and other innovations are explored through multimedia interactive activities and unique objects designed to teach visitors of all ages.

The presenting sponsor of Green Community is the American Planning Association.  Major funding is provided by The American Public Transportation Association; The Nathan Cummings Foundation; Discovery Communications; U.S. Department of Energy; James G. Davis Construction Corporation; RTKL Associates Inc.; The Tower Companies; U.S. Green Building Council; and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention;  with generous support from American Society of Landscape Architects; Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP; Donald A. Capoccia; Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development; National Endowment for the Arts; Perkins+Will;  Turner Construction Company; AECOM: DMJM H&N, EDAW, ERA, HSMM; Arup; the Durst Organization; EastBanc; FXFOWLE ARCHITECTS, LLP; Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC; Nixon Peabody LLP; PEPCO; SmithGroup/JJR; and STUDIOS Architecture, among others. The Sustainable Communities Lecture Series is sponsored by United Technologies Corporation. McGraw-Hill Construction is the official media partner. Sustainability initiatives at the National Building Museum are generously supported by The Home Depot Foundation.

In conjunction with the exhibition, the Museum is developing educational programs for a variety of age groups that intended to further examine sustainability and the built environment. Highlights of Green Community educational programming include a symposium addressing national issues of planning and sustainability, a Green Community Lecture Series, and the Smart Growth noon-time lecture series. The Museum will also be posting short videos of green spaces on its website with planners, designers, and architects explaining good and green city planning for the general public. For details and up-to-date information, please visit www.nbm.org. 

The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to exploring and celebrating architecture, design, engineering, construction, and planning. Chartered by Congress in 1980 and open to the public since 1985, the Museum has become a vital forum for exchanging ideas and information about the built environment through its exhibitions, education programs, and publications. The Museum is located at 401 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. Museum hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm. Admission is free. Museum Shop. Café. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org.

For more information, please contact Jasmine Zick at 202.272.2448, ext. 3109 or jzick@nbm.org.