Who Let the Dogs Out (Into the Eco-Movement)?

Green architecture has gone to the dogs. When Stephanie Rubin, a landscape designer by trade, turned the five-square-foot prototype of her organic, self-sustaining, living roof concept into a home for her chocolate-brown mutt, she hit on an eco-conscious dog owner’s dream. The lush canopy not only serves as a good insulator but also collects rainwater, which the plants and soil filter and bamboo pipes deliver straight into the dog’s water bowl. Handmade with nontoxic materials—red cedar, zero-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints and glues, and beeswax waterproofing—the pictured “red barn” Greenrrroof Animal Home is available online through Rubin’s company, Sustainable Pet Design, for $1,000 to $3,000. Too much green for a doghouse? Think of it as art: The Metro Gallery in Los Angeles sells them too.