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Press Contact Info:

Jill Boone
Green Dollhouse
Project Manager
auction@greendollhouse.org
650-599-1433

Ruth Peterson
Sustainable San Mateo County
650-638-2323
advocate@
sustainablesanmateo.org

Please email Jill Boone for dollhouse builder contact info.

Press Release: September 20, 2005

Contact:
Brenda Komar, Interim Marketing Manager
Coyote Point Museum
(408) 979-1999
brenda@ellipsis1.com

New Exhibit Makes Child's Play of Building "Green"

September 20, 2005 - San Mateo, CA - For years there was the pursuit to build a better mousetrap, but now an exhibit debuting in San Mateo has architects and design students building a better, greener, dollhouse.

The Green Dollhouse Exhibit, which runs from September 24 through December 3 at Coyote Point Museum, showcases a seventeen dishy doll dwellings that demonstrate green building principles such as energy efficiency, water conservation, passive solar design and more. Architects and design students throughout the nation- and as far away as Japan- entered the competition and their themed creations range from "Monopoly Manor" to "Animal House" to "The Bamboo Loft".

Michelle Martin, Acting Executive Director of Coyote Point Museum, states, "We are thrilled to host this innovative exhibit. The Museum's mission is to provide environmental education and these green dollhouses will literally bring home the concepts of conservation and energy efficiency for our visitors and members. People of all ages will delight in the fabulous designs and have fun building with "green" materials in the hands-on play area, all while learning how they can protect our environment."

Each dollhouse was judged by a distinguished panel of architects, designers and green building experts, and was required to meet two criteria; its ability to function as a working dollhouse (meaning structurally sound, aesthetically pleasing and, most importantly, fun for children to play with) and its ability to inspire children and adults to make their own homes greener. Says Jill Boone, Green Dollhouse's Project Manager, "This project has been a lot of fun and it was for a great cause. Many people are still confused by green building. This exhibit brings the concept to a level that everyone can understand and provides simple ideas on how to make homes healthier and more eco-friendly."

The Green Dollhouse Project is a collaborative effort of several organizations and individuals including Sustainable San Mateo County, The County of San Mateo RecycleWorks program, Sunset Magazine, Interiors and Sources, the San Francisco Design Center, Coyote Point Museum, Jennifer Roberts -author of Good Green Homes, and Eric Rolfing -architect with Topos Architects. The exhibit and project has been funded by financial and in-kind donations from a long list of supporters, available on the Green Dollhouse website. For more information about The Coyote Point Museum exhibit, including location, hours and special workshops, events and activities, please visit www.coyoteptmuseum.org. For information on the Green Dollhouse Project, the partners and sponsors, and to download photographs, please visit www.greendollhouse.org.

Coyote Point Museum is recognized as one of the country's foremost environmental education institutions. Located in the Coyote Point Recreation area in San Mateo, California, the Museum gives visitors an opportunity to learn first-hand about ecology, natural history and habitat preservation. The Museum offers rotating exhibits, an Environmental Hall that explores our local ecology, outdoor Wildlife Habitats, a 4000-square foot walk-through Aviary that provides naturalistic settings with over two-dozen birds and the opportunity to view over 150 live, non-releasable animals native to the San Francisco Bay Area. The 3-acre Museum grounds also include a Butterfly Garden, Hummingbird Garden and Nature's Marketplace, which features plants used by California's Native Americans.