In the grid, off the grid.

A 35-square-block section of Portland, Oregon, may become the country's most sustainable urban neighborhood. While building mid-rise towers for office and retail and creating 8 million square feet of floor space, the Lloyd Crossing development will also reduce net energy and water consumption "to levels nearly equivalent to a patch of native Northwest forest," writes Metropolis. The seven steps the plan calls for:
1. Carve out bioswales to collect street runoff.
2. Treat wastewater in the neighborhood and reuse gray water.
3. Build according to stringent LEED silver standards.
4. Deploy photovoltaics to supplement power.
5. Turn to wind turbines for energy.
6. Store and share heat in an underground thermal loop.
7. Design new buildings to leverage natural forces. (i.e. windows to maximize solar gain, etc.)

(Via Treehugger.)

And: Where does oil money go? USAToday looks into where your ~$3/gallon at the pump goes, from luxury hotels in Dubai to food programs for Venezuela's poor.

(Thanks, Dad.)