This article is a contribution to Honda’s “Racing Against Time” thought leadership series.*

Recently, I was approached by Honda to tackle the topic of “peak oil” in relation to the normal conversation on Jetson Green.  This site is devoted to green building innovation, and you may be thinking the subject of peak oil — specifically, the idea that oil is a finite resource — is a little tangential.

But it’s not.  In fact, oil is used to make all sorts of products and to power residential and commercial buildings.  Honda’s invitation has given me an opportunity to brainstorm on the subject and, after some contemplation, I believe there are six ways the building, design, and construction industry can eliminate the use of oil entirely.

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You don't have to read Nieman Journalism Lab to know the publishing world is in shambles.  Particularly in the shelter magazine category, where available titles shrink from one month to the next, there hasn't been much going on.  But in the past few months, I've noticed some new activity — perhaps this is an inflection point.  In any event, if you're looking for fresh green design inspiration, here are three new titles to keep in mind. 

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Perhaps you've seen one of a few micro-inverter-type solar products on the market and wondered whether you could install a solar system at home.  Unless you're an electrician, that may or may not be a good idea, but these products (some available now and others coming to market) make it a whole lot easier to get started generating solar energy at home.  Check these five:

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As the magazine does every year, Sustainable Industries has just published its list of the Top 10 Green Building Products of 2010.  Selections are chosen by an esteemed panel of judges — Michelle Kaufmann, Barry Giles, Kris Kimble, and Liz Dunn — based on design aesthetic, environmental performance, compatibility with LEED, and value, scalability/market impact, and innovativeness.  This year, the judges took interest in products that reuse resources or reduce energy.  Here are the top ten:

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Popular Science just published an interesting roundup of green communities in an article now titled, "Nine of the World's Most Promising Carbon-Neutral Communities."  You'll recognize several of these communities as we've mentioned them previously.  What's important is the notion that reducing an environmental impact can be ultra effective when done on a large scale.

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