Green buildings don't have to be new buildings. In fact, environmental advocates say the greenest buildings are those that don't have to be built at all.

The Museum of Visual Materials in Sioux Falls, which embraces and encourages conservation practices, is evidence.

"We're actually one of the oldest buildings, and one of the greenest buildings," museum director Jeremy Brech said.

The renovated structure is more than a century old. And within a few months, it should achieve platinum certification, the highest level of achievement available under national standards, Brech said.

Among the building's eco-friendly features are a geothermal heating and cooling system as well as a roof designed to direct rainwater to ground level gardens of native plants.

The museum also practices environmental sustainability in other ways. It bans the use of throw-away plates and cups at rental receptions in the building, for example, and invites people who ride bikes to jobs in the neighborhood to take free showers in the facility.

"Our goal is to educate the community, what they can do to be more green," Brech said.

The museum and other environmentally friendly buildings, including the Cherapa Place office building in Sioux Falls and a Brookings education building made from covered straw bales, were among a variety of topics discussed at Plain Green 08, a conference Sept. 25 and 26 at the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science.

Organizers of the inaugural Plain Green conference were pleased. About 250 people attended to discuss and learn about environmental sustainability in development and other aspects of life.

The impact of gathering of business leaders, educators, students and others might not be evident for a while, however.

"To me, the real success of this conference is going to be measured by follow-up conversations and the actions taken," said Stacey McMahan, a principal at Koch Hazard Architects and co-chairwoman of the conference. "You've got to start somewhere."

Koch Hazard and South Dakota State University were the lead sponsors of the event.

In addition to stimulating discussion on topics ranging from landscape design to green-awareness programs, the conference served as a forum for several announcements. Among them:

• New York-based Recycle Bank is teaming up with Novak Sanitary Service in Sioux Falls to offer a rewards program. Radio frequency identification tags will be placed on recycling containers, and company trucks will be equipped to weight the amount of recycled material coming from each household. Data will be transmitted to personal computer accounts. Customers will earn reward points based on how much they recycle, and they will be able to redeem the points for discounts with participating local, national and online merchants. The program will kick off Oct. 14.
• SDSU in Brookings soon will ask the Board of Regents for permission to offer a degree in architecture that will emphasize sustainable design. The goal will be to help make SDSU a national leader in environmentally friendly design, President David Chicoine said. Currently, South Dakota and Wyoming are the only states that do not offer university degrees in architecture.
• Myrth Perry and her family in Sioux Falls won the GreenMe Sioux Falls contest, which was created by Museum of Visual Materials. Howe Heating & Plumbing Inc. and other contributing businesses will give the Perrys' home an energy=efficient makeover worth thousands of dollars. Contestants had been asked to submit an application explaining why their home would be a good candidate for a green overhaul

Mayor Dave Munson said the Plain Green conference attests to Sioux Falls' conviction to go green.

"I think it's something we all have to embrace," Munson said.

"We need to be on the cutting edge4 of new technology," he said.

Matthew Moore, an artist and farmer from the sprawling Phoenix area, expressed pleasant surprise at how government in Sioux Falls has embraced the green movement in encouraging growth and development. Moore was among the speakers at the conference.

A couple of years ago, as housing and business development began to crowd his family's farming operation, Moore created a physical representation f the collision of rural and urban areas. The fourth-generation farmer and visual artist grew the likeness of 250 house floor plans, driveways and streets, at one-third scale, on cropland using sorghum and black-bearded wheat.

From above, the field looked similar to the rapidly growing subdivisions near Surprise, Ariz., that steadily have overtaken the countryside and sent land values soaring. Moore called the work "Rotations: Moore Estates,"

"It definitely wasn't a protest piece. It was me trying to dissect this reality," said Moore, 32, who is not sure how much longer he will be able to continue farming.

Meanwhile, the Phoenix area is nearing disaster because growth into desert is outstripping water resources and taxing the environment, Moore said.

Farming desert land might not be the best use of resources either, he acknowledged. He expects eventually to move to the northwestern United States and farm on a smaller, community scale.

It's great that environmental issues are being discussed in Sioux Falls before problems become more serious, Moore said.

Last April, a group of local business, civic and public leaders announced the Sioux Falls Green Project, a citywide initiative designed to change the way people think and act environmentally.

Goals of the project include raising community awareness of environmental concerns and informing people about lifestyle changes that can make a difference.

Subjects of particular interest in the project are recycling, water conservation, energy consumption and development.