Sustainable U

Idaho Green Expo

Presented by
Boise State University and VengaWorks Venture Centers

Welcome to Sustainable ‘U', a self-guided exploration of what a green home, garden and office actually look like. By walking through these exhibits, you can see for yourself how you can make small, and sometimes, not so small changes that will usually lead to saving energy, saving money, improving your health and are also good for the environment.

GREENING YOUR HOME

Greening Your Home

Live, work, and recreate consciously through innovation and integration. Sustainable U presents the “model” home for sustainable, efficient, and healthy living. Falash & Ross Construction, USGBC Idaho, Modus Architecture, Herman Miller, Idaho Power and many others bring together a life size model of a home with a view of energy efficiency and sustainability through selective construction materials, innovative lighting, heating, cooling, and state-of-the-art communications capability.

Network tools to monitor energy consumption will also be displayed to introduce the homeowner to the opportunity of easily running a sustainable home. Learn how to integrate LEED for Homes (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification into the process of designing and building your sustainable home.

GREENING YOUR OFFICE

Greening Your Office

The landscape of today's workplace is changing. VengaWorks Venture Centers and Cisco System have put together a model to demonstrate how to green the workplace. While productivity, efficiency and scalability remain key ingredients for success for dynamic businesses, sustainability is now a mandate. Commercial buildings consume 62.5% of US electricity production and office buildings are estimated to be only 40% utilized when filled with conventional private office and cube layouts.

New sustainability minded technologies, materials, design concepts and business models are emerging that dramatically reduce environmental footprint and radically improve business effectiveness. The Sustainable U, Greening your Office display will show you how today's workplace can work harder by working smarter.

GREENING YOUR GARDEN

Greening Your Garden

"Green” gardens and landscapes? Naturally! Beautiful, well-maintained lawns, landscapes and gardens are good for our cities and neighborhoods, our property values, our children, and our mental health. But those benefits don't have to come at a cost to our environmental health! Greening the garden is about creating healthy, regionally appropriate landscapes and gardens that use less water, rely on fewer pesticides, and provide beneficial habitat for a rich biodiversity of plant, animal, and microbial life! University of Idaho Extension, the University of Idaho Master Gardeners and the Boise Urban Garden School (BUGS) have teamed up to demonstrate reducing, re-using and recycling, garden style, through our interactive Greening Your Garden exhibit at the Idaho Green Expo.

This garden will connect you to principles and practices of xeriscaping, Idaho native plants, organic gardening, backyard poultry, edible landscaping, pollinator protection and more. You can also learn about safe home food preservation techniques for your garden's bounty from the University of Idaho Extension Food Safety Advisors. We'll also show you ways to reduce reliance on chemicals for fertility and pest control, and teach you all about composting: the ultimate in garden recycling! Stop and rest awhile in our beautiful, inspirational garden space, where green really is "green".

The following organizations have contributed to the displays in Sustainable 'U'.

GREENING YOUR HOME:
Falash & Ross – www.falashandross.com
Idaho Power – www.idahopower.com
Modus Architecture – www.gomodus.com
U.S.G.B.C Idaho Chapter - www.usgbcidaho.org
IB Panels – www.ibpanels.com
Johnson Brothers - www.jbros.com
Cor-A-Vent – www.cor-a-vent.com
Boise Metal Company – www.boisemetalworks.com
BMC West – www.bmcwest.com
Energy Seal – www.energyseal.net
View Point Windows – www.viewpointwindows.com
Kohler Co. – www.us.kohler.com
Energy Built – www.energybuilt.net
Renewable Energy Resources, Inc. - www.renewableworks.com
R.C. Willey - www.rcwilley.com
Insulation Depot - www.insulationdepot.com
Trane Heating and Air Conditioning - www.trane.com
Lloyd Lumber - www.lloydlumber.com
Sustainabuilt,LLC - www.sustainabuilt.com
Green Foundations Bldg. Center - www.greenfoundations.com
Builders Discount Lighting - www.builderslighting.com
Home Depot - www.homedepot.com
Traditional Electric, Inc. – 208 466-3693
Electric Wholesale Supply – 208 375-9900
Wapiti Plumbing – 208 859-8228
The Greener Cleaners – 208 859-2987

GREENING YOUR OFFICE:
VengaWorks Venture Centers - www.vengaworks.com
Cisco Systems - www.cisco.com
Office Pavilion – www.op-dundas.com

GREENING YOUR GARDEN:
University of Idaho Extension - www.extension.uidaho.edu
University of Idaho Master Gardener Volunteers - www.extension.uidaho.edu/mg
University of Idaho Food Safety Advisor Volunteers
Boise Urban Garden School (BUGS) - www.boiseurbangardenschool.org
Zamzows – www.zamzows.com
Franz Witte Nursery - www.franzwitte.com
Second Chance Building Materials Center - www.shipinc.org/store/index.html
Idaho Youth Ranch - www.youthranch.org
Backyard Living Source – www.backyardlivingsource.com
Far West Nursery - www.farwestnursery.com

Be sure to check back here to see updated information as it becomes available.

Green White House

Obamas to Plant Garden on White House Lawn

For more than a decade, food activists have rallied, cajoled, even pleaded
for a garden on the White House lawn. Now they're finally going to get it.

Be sure to check back here to see updated information as it becomes available.