A trend that has taken hold across the USA in the past few years is evolving to a new level. What has been a patchwork of green buildings in many cities is expanding to whole communities, whole neighborhoods. Portland, well known as an urban-design innovator, particularly for its transit-oriented developments, is leading the way again.
The green ethic — energy-efficient, water-stingy buildings full of features that stress the natural over the chemical, the recycled over the new and the renewable over the finite — is firmly mainstream [source].
Green technologies is a consious choice that we have to perserve with. I am glad to see that finally green buildings are coming into their own and becoming more mainstream and achieving defacto standards as opposed to experimental. The Green Building 101 is a good place to start if you want to know more.