Kermit was lying when he said, “It isn’t easy being green.”
The Home Builders, Remodelers and Green Ideas Showcase is coming to the Albuquerque Convention Center this weekend to prove it.
Rick Shoudt, owner of Special Events Marketing, is the producer of the expo and co-founder of International Green Ideas.
“The expo is a consumer trade show,” Shoudt said. “Our goal is to generate traffic and show what is available for our consumers. We want to hopefully create some leads for future business and stimulate the green economy.”
This company will show a wide range of eco-friendly products and services, from organic cosmetics to solar energy, he said.
Shoudt said the expo includes panel discussions and speakers. Chris Paine is the featured speaker who created the documentary, “Who killed the electric car?” This documentary investigates the recall of GM’s electric car. Paine is also part of the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Panel along side Olga Lavrova, a professor at UNM.
“The panel discussion will discuss all the different fuel alternatives — bio-diesel, natural gas, electricity, propane and more,” Shoudt said. “UNM has a solar race car, like an Indy 500 car. It competes in the Race Across America every other year. It is an electric waste car that Dr. Olga Lavrova maintains. It will be on display at the show as well.”
This is the second expo for Green Ideas. The first one was in October 2008. Shoudt said green living has many facets beyond recycling and riding your bike.
“We hope that the audience will learn about what’s available in the market for green living,” Shoudt said. “These products can lead in conservation, insulation and elimination of waste. There are a lot of products and services that can help people live a sustainable lifestyle.”
William Perkins, an adjunct associate professor in the landscape architecture department, and Roger Schluntz, the dean in the architecture department, teach and promote sustainability through their curriculum.
“We’ve been teaching sustainability all along. I like to call it ‘sound’ design principles,” Perkins said. “We’ve been teaching it for many years. Green living is being environmentally responsible and mindful of the limited resources. It is clear that people need to have personal responsibility when it comes to sustainability, but we also need to commit as community members. College students are no different.”
Schluntz said that “green” architecture includes mindful selection of materials, methodology, size and location, awareness of energy consumption, carbon neutrality and comfort.
“A recent change to go with sustainability is downsizing, which is also something that came with the economy,” Schluntz said. “Ways to incorporate sustainability in architecture include orientation, day lighting, insulation and natural ventilation. Here at the school of architecture, we are going to have a hallway that incorporates natural day lighting.”
The curriculum at the School of Architecture has been revised to incorporate sustainability more in depth.
“Sustainability is more important now because when we reach closer to the world’s capacity, there will be more stress on the environment and ourselves,” Perkins said. “It is important that we are more aware of how we use our resources.”
Shoudt said the expo will also inform people about the federal tax credits that are available to buildings that have energy efficient products.
“We want to give people the knowledge of green living,” he said. ”So this showcase is for educational purposes as well as hopeful leads for businesses. One of our goals is to stimulate our economy while educating the public.”
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Shoudt said college students need to set an example for everyone else by embracing sustainable practices.
“College students can get involved with green living by conserving and recycling,” he said. “Students can unplug their electronics at night, ride their bikes and take the bus. Also, recycling is a big thing. We should recycle paper, plastic, cardboard, glass, anything.”
The showcase will also have 15 workshops over the weekend from the New Mexico Solar Education Association.
“Global warming is real and is a serious threat to all of humanity. We need to reduce carbon emissions,” Shoudt said. “We send tens of billions of dollars to countries overseas for foreign oil. We have taken some steps toward reducing carbon emissions, but we need to step up the pace. We should reduce our dependency on foreign oil. We need to get more involved and produce more advocacy with the federal government. Our showcase is trying to provide incentives for individuals and companies to use renewable energy.”
*The Home Builders, Remodelers and Green Ideas Showcase
Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission: $8 for adults, $5 for juniors (13-17), seniors and active-duty military *
