I was watching a show on Discovery Channel the other night called, "Building for the Future." One of the segments focused on 1 Bryant Park, the building I have written about before in New York City, that utilizes a lot of sustainable elements. For one, the building harnesses rainwater to be used on site and will have very large windows to minimize the use of artificial light. It will also have a revolutionary air cleaning system, that will make the air the best in New York. Apparently, this system somehow also counteracts some of the bad outside air in New York, although I missed the explanation of exactly how it works. The architect of the building was really interesting, as he noted how we simply cannot keep building skyscrapers as we always have, since the use of resources is not sustainable. Another really important point, was when the show indicated how traditional skyscrapers release more greenhouse gases than factories and vehicles combined, in the U.S. It's hard to think of New York City as one big carbon dioxide producing hotspot and yet, that seems to be exactly what it is. The show made me reflect on how we not only need to change the way we live when we are home but also, the way we work and the buildings in which we work. It seems easy to compartmentalize energy saving and more conversationist efforts to our home life--e.g. recycling--and then ignore these values during the work week. It's nice to see that there are architects who believe in not only beautiful building design but also, making our skyline a symbol of what is sustainable.