The skyscraper is the original Hummer. When a major corporation (or Donald T) wants to prove importance and wealth it takes to the skyline to “peacock” its greatness by erecting a giant building.

During a trip to Estonia—which has light all the time, incidentally—I got to see up close what was considered the biggest building in the world in the year 1530. By today’s standards it doesn’t even measure up to your college dorm room –a not that impressive hall at age 18.

Point is, as the world expands so does its aesthetic. An old building from 16th C. is almost like a Mercury Sable from the 1980s –seemed cutting edge at the time, sank faster than the year’s TV ratings. (I’m convinced that in 2500, people will write essays like this about the Empire State Building, only they’ll do it through mental code.)

As new trends grace the cultural zeitgeist they are inevitably going to change the look of the world. Thanks to the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Larry David’s ex-, it is considered cooler to appear environmentally aware and favor a Prius over a Hummer. (I guess you could say Larry helped to “curb” our perception.) It’s not about being flashy because now it’s about being thoughtful.

And it seems the green trend is seeping into architecture as well. Perhaps the building with the slick architecture and big ol’ green stamp will soon trump (pun here) the skyscraper.

Green hasn’t only become the new black, it is in fact the new EVERYTHING. …And why not? Just like the Hummer, Skyscrapers have negative effects on the environment by altering the surrounding atmosphere they occupy. The aforementioned EmpStaBuil (its abbrev in the White Pages) will always be a beacon of pride for New York, but it will represent trends of what was, not what is.

What was once grand is now antiquated. The building in Estonia – a prideful church, then a Russian holdover, now a historic church–was thought cutting edge and so were the idea of skyscrapers. The former will always have a huge place in the evolution of architecture, efficient for the times as a space that allowed more people to climb inside. However, compared to the green building of today every old skyscraper is a real Hummer.

In 2005, state of Washington took the national lead by enacting exciting green building legislation. As time goes on more and more states and cities follow suit. This is far from a national trend that we invented: whole countries take environmental responsibility via architecture by building green.

Environmentally-conscious buildings save energy and water and better utilize all our resources—not to mention some of those designs are crazy sleek and modern. I guess the creators behind the Jetsons cartoon had it right when they drew a world that is colorful, full of zest, quicker, cleaner and—boy oh boy—shall we say conscientious…

So in the end, cartoonists are our politically correct visionaries!