Green Daily

My grandmother once told me a story about the 1964 World's Fair in New York. She said -- and I'm not quite sure this is true, but it's still a good story -- that there was a fellow there demonstrating the power of a microwave. (Yes -- that Chinese food-reheating, popcorn-popping kitchen device that would belong to the culinary future.)

This man's job was to lay on top of the microwave to show just how safe it was to irradiate food, and how one could do that without, presumably, irradiating his bottom.

What triggered my memory of this were a few teasers on the website for West Coast Green, a Silicon Valley conference coming up in September that focuses on green building innovation and design. To be featured there:

• A bike that creates clean water!
• The world's most energy efficient computer
• A green roof garden...stroll by and pet the roof (and you don't even have to worry about falling off)

Is the green of tomorrow the science fiction of today? And how many other people besides myself want to drink out of their bikes within the next decade?

There's still time to register for this event, at which Al Gore, David Suzuki (PBS), and Sarah Susanka (author of "Not-So-Big House" series) will be the keynote speakers.