Happy Friday, everyone.

 

I'm back in Brooklyn after a fantastic week "off" in my native Washington state. Many thanks to Hotel Murano, in Tacoma, for the kind hospitality. If you're in the Seattle/Tacoma area, check the Murano out. Portland-based Provenance Hotels has really turned this once-bland Sheraton property around with an astounding collection of international glass art, a chill South Beach-esque vibe, and plenty of green details in guest rooms like Aveda bath products, Preserve toothbrushes and organic coffee. 

 

I'm taking it easy this weekend after my West Coast travels, but if you're aching for more green home news, don't fret. I aim to please. Here are 12 newsworthy links to get you through the weekend. See you on Monday. 

 

Flavorwire tackles a subject that you don't see every day: "More Than Just a Pokerface: Lady Gaga as Architectural Cipher."

Planet Green enlightens with a list of "75 Things You Can Compost, But Thought You Couldn't."

The Los Angeles Times pays a visit to (and takes photos of) developer Tom Schey's eco-extravagant home in Venice, Calif. (pictured). Says Schey: “People get a little uncomfortable when you mix green with bling. But when you look at the bottom line, the numbers are there."

The Wall Street Journal kills (gently) with an article on natural garden pesticides. 

Michelle Kaufmann digs Matt Gagnon's zero waste, recycled "Paper Tables."

GreenBiz expounds on a buzz-worthy but not-yet-mainstream green building trend where monthly utility bills are nonexistent: zero net energy buildings. 

The Denver Post checks out a hot new residential property in town: the LEED-certified condo high-rise, Spire. 

Jetson Green highlights the first single-family, detached home in Illinois to obtain LEED certification. It's a beaut. 

The New York Times profiles prolific playwright and screenwriter John Patrick Shanley who has lived in a series of "green" apartments across New York City. 

Shelterpop gets its DIY on with "IKEA bookcases, 5 Different Ways." 

Inhabitat heads to the loo for a look at the Caroma Profile Smart Dual Flush toilet with a built-in sink and graywater recycling system. Totally neat but found, at least for now, only in Australia. 

Architectural Record gives props to landscape architects and the central role they play in green design.