By way of background, LED lighting (LED for "light-emitting diode") is the future of electric lighting.

I'm just back from Chicago, where I was attending the Greenbuild Conference of the U.S. Green Building Council. Despite the weak economy, some 27,000 architects, builders, developers, and manufacturers gathered for this 9th annual conference.

While EnGuard building insulation is new, Vita Nonwovens is not.

Update (2013): EnGuard is no longer on the market following the manufacturer's decision to discontinue the product line.

Some of the best things about Greenbuild—and there are many—are the educational programs. Covering topics from energy labeling and building innovation to removing embodied carbon from the water supply—there really is something for everyone. The opening plenary which took place this morning, featured General Colin Powell and the closing Plenary on Friday will feature the Honorable Shaun Donovan and Paul Hawken.

Alex Wilson, the founder of our company and our current executive editor (i.e., my boss), is being named the 2010 Hanley Award winner in a special event here at Greenbuild 2010 tomorrow. In recognition of this achievement, and to better understand how this innovative, always-curious visionary looks at the world, I recently asked him 10 questions. Here's the conversation.

Air pollution over Denver. Most of this pollution is from fossil fuel combustion. Photo: Warren Gretz, National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Click on image to enlarge.

Number-one on my top-10 list of green building priorities is to reduce our consumption of energy.

Southwall's pioneering suspended low-e Heat Mirror film can now be used with structural glazing systems in large commercial buildings. Graphic: Southwall Technologies. Click on image to enlarge.
Drought map, updated weekly, from the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska. Click on image to enlarge.

Number 2 on my list of the top-10 green building priorities is to reduce water use.

The rating system begins with a new "Integrated Process" category

Use low- or zero-VOC paints and finishes, such as this zero-VOC Natura paint, to help maintain a healthy indoor environment. Photo: Benjamin Moore. Click on image to enlarge.

Number 3 on my list of the top-10 green building priorities is to ensure that the houses we build or renovate are healthy.

The first installation of Ornilux glass was in 2006 on the facade of an indoor swimming pool building in Plauen, Germany. Photo: Arnold Glas. Click on image to enlarge.

The weather is turning cold here in southern Vermont. A friend just got chased off the Long Trail (which she was hiking from the Massachusetts to the Canadian borders) by 18 inches of snow on Killington. While the leaves are still turning here in the Connecticut River valley, it's time to start huddling up by the fire and thinking cozy thoughts.