Visitors walk the grounds of the SmartHome exhibit at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry on May 22, 2008. The goal of the Chicago exhibit, which runs through January, is to show visitors that saving energy and conserving resources are within reach of everyone whether it's an entire house or a single feature.
A shower stall constructed from bathroom tiles made from recycled wine bottles is part of the SmartHome exhibit at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. From its recycled plastic deck to its solar-paneled roof, everything in and about the 2,500-square-foot home on exhibit has been designed to show the public how easy it can be to incorporate environmental sustainability into their own abodes.
Anne Rashford, project manager of Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry's SmartHome exhibit is seen outside the laundry room of the exhibit May 22, 2008, where there is a reservoir under the floor that collects rain water to use in the garden.
A tank for collecting rain water is seen outside the SmartHome exhibit on the grounds of Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.
Anne Rashford, project manager of Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry's SmartHome exhibit is seen inside the exhibit May 22, 2008, where a monitor displays the energy and water usage of the home. The modular home uses less than half the energy and a third of the water of traditional homes.
A sprawling rooftop garden with a drainage system for watering and a solar-paneled roof are seen May 22, 2008, at the SmartHome exhibit on the grounds of Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry.
The exterior of the SmartHome exhibit on the grounds of Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry is seen May 22, 2008. This year, green building is expected to represent 6 percent of the residential construction industry, according to a survey conducted by McGraw-Hill Construction Research & Analytics for the U.S. Green Building Council. That's up from just 2 percent in 2005.
A young visitor to the SmartHome exhibit at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry uses the bicycle system on May 22, 2008, that needs to be pedaled for 30 minutes to power video games. Visitors receive a resource guide that tells about the function of each feature, how they're assembled and where they can be purchased. The bicycle system, for example, was homemade from parts bought on an electronics Web site.