Folks the media storm that started with the venerable Bill Gates and tired Jerry Seinfeld has just taken a new direction with the "I’m a PC" ads for Microsoft.  Check them out below, we have all three new videos embedded in this article.  As you watch, though, don’t get distracted by the likes of Eva Longoria, Tony Parker, Deepak Chopra, Bernard Harris, Geoff Green, or even Pharrell, as tough as it is, because there’s a green architect in the mix:  Edouard Francois.

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Shannon Quimby, as far as I can tell, is the first to successfully reuse 100% of an old dilapidated home in a new home construction project.  The REX House, or Reuse Everything eXperiment, is located at 2030 SE Rex Street in Portland, Oregon and Shannon has been documenting the entire process since December 2007.  What she’s doing is quite difficult, especially if/when you’re deconstructing a house that has toxic materials, lead, asbestos, and other damaged parts.  But that’s the goal of the project: to share with everyone how to recycle and keep landfills from overflowing with useable construction materials. 

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University of California, San Diego is in the process of installing Solar Trees by Envision Solar on the roofs of two of its parking garages.  The Solar Trees are designed to provide clean energy for the campus, shade for vehicle parking, and future infrastructure for electrical vehicles.  Each Solar Tree at UCSD will generate more than 17,000 hours of clean energy per year, which is enough to power more than four single-family homes.  In aggregate, with two parking garages topped with Solar Trees, you can imagine the power they’re generating. 

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We’re proud media sponsors of West Coast Green and I know some of you would like to attend.  The event is fast approaching on September 25-27th at the San Jose Convention Center and we just received word from WCG that a little more volunteer help is needed!   In exchange for working a 6-hour shift, volunteers receive a full conference pass (a $575 value) and West Coast Green tshirt.  Volunteers provide crucial support enabling the success of the conference.   You’ll be able to check out over 400 exhibitors of the latest innovative building materials, hear from the 150 leaders and visionaries in green building, and experience the West Coast Green Harbinger Showhouse designed by SG-Blocks. 

To volunteer, please fill out the form at http://westcoastgreen.com/register/volunteer-register.php. 

Dwell and Google Sketchup came together to hold a Design Your Dwelling contest and the grand prize winner has been chosen.  Drew Wilgus, resident of North Carolina and intern at The Roberts Group + Fanning Howey, took top honors for his green home concept.  According to Christopher Bright on the Dwell Blog, the Wilgus design "stood out for its sustainable elements, integration into the local landscape, keen material use, and striking aesthetic."

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