For the Solar Decathlon enthusiasts and early planners, here’s a heads up that Solar Decathlon 2013 will be held at Orange County Great Park in Irvine, California, according to the Department of Energy.  In August 2011, we mentioned that the DOE was shopping around for a new location.  Turns out the new location is the site of the former Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, which Irvine will convert into sustainable parkland for family recreation.  Teams will install their homes on the paved runway.

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Greenbuild 2011 marked the first international Greenbuild Conference and Expo, driving the importance of a global solution to sustainability.  It was also, quietly, the 10th annual Greenbuild, where was that celebration?  While the mood was upbeat, we were also alongside over 23,000 leaders of the green building industry, or as Thomas Freidman put it in his opening plenary (31:00 in), the dumb ones who keep on fighting for a green revolution!

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*This is a sponsored article in association with Plastics Make It Possible.

While in Washington D.C., I was able to participate in a tour of several Solar Decathlon homes with the American Chemistry Council, in conjunction with Plastics Make It Possible.  The tour was led by HGTV’s Brooks Utley, who is currently filming Home Made Simple for the OWN Network, and they shared how durable, lightweight, and flexible plastics can be used to make our homes more energy efficient and stylish.  Below is a list of three ways plastic was being used at the Solar Decathlon:

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Nearly 93,000 voted and it’s official: Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina took The People’s Choice Award at the Solar Decathlon 2011.  The award is high praise for a great team and incredibly thoughtful Solar Homestead entry.  Now that the competition is over, the home will packed and shipped back to Boone where it will be used on campus.

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After all the scores have been gathered and added, the Department of Energy today announced that the overall winner of Solar Decathlon 2011 is Maryland for WaterShed.  Team Purdue finished in second place with INhome, and Team New Zealand finished in third place with First Light.

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Before announcing the winner of the Solar Decathlon, the Department of Energy announced the results of the last juried contest for Market Appeal.  Middlebury College landed first place for Self-Reliance, while Maryland followed in second place with WaterShed and New Zealand in third place with First Light.

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