How good would a chicken (or veggie, if that’s your style) burrito bowl taste, knowing that it’s been cooked by the power of on-site green energy?  I haven’t tried one yet, but I can only imagine … Chipotle Mexican Grill will be opening a green restaurant in Gurnee, Illinois, which restaurant features a prominent six-kilowatt wind turbine.  Although mostly a symbol for the company’s efforts to create more environmentally friendly store designs, the turbine will generate ~10% of the store’s power.  The Gurnee Chipotle will have some of the following green features:

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Mounting on the green building success of their previous stores, including the green Boulder REI we wrote about previously, REI today opens the doors to its second generation of green prototype store in Round Rock, Texas.  The Texas store is projected to consume 48% less energy than a typical store and generate a portion of its power from a solar panel installation, building integrated photovoltaics, and a solar hot water system.  After that, Round Rock will rely on Solatubes to displace a portion of articifial lighting and the purchase of green power generated from biomass digesters. 

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We’re very much intrigued by the white paper released yesterday by Michelle Kaufmann Companies.  Officially entitled "Nutrition Labels for Homes: A Way for Homebuyers to Make More Ecological, Economical Decisions," the white paper presents the case for a universal label for homes.  Note that last sentence, though.  This isn’t a label for just green homes, it’s a label for all homes.  It’s a universal label to educate people on a home’s sustainability (or unsustainability) profile.  Every home gets a label — you can imagine the power this gives buyers and green home sellers. 

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Country Living Magazine’s October issue highlights an eco-friendly, modular home constructed in just 60 days by New World Home.  The home’s design is traditional and used a 19th century home as a model.  The highly energy efficient home uses 50% less energy than the average home and their modular process allows them to use less wood in the building process. 

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I’m starting think that maybe, just maybe, the modern farmhouse could be a gateway to contemporary for many of you.  What do you think, pretty clean design, right?  The BrightBuilt Barn was designed by Kaplan Thompson Architects, factory built in components by Bensonwood (mentioned by Josh Stack in comments recently), and is being built by Gibson Design/Build as we speak.  It was designed to be net-zero and super green — the home will participate in the Living Building Challenge and, in all likelihood, qualify for LEED Platinum certification.  Geez!  So what’s in store for this 700 sf studio home:

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