Green building isn’t just big business—it’s also become big news. Maybe it’s the intense heat that’s still beating down on most of the country. Or maybe it’s just the next best real estate story now that the housing market has slowed. But around the country, and particularly in major cities, newspapers have suddenly become hot for green building stories.

The San Francisco Chronicle ran a story last weekend about Hunters Point, a section of the city, according to the paper, that’s “known for its toxic soil and polluted air.” Turns out it might soon be known for running on renewable energy. A new development in the former navy yard will contain 1600 new homes, built out of “environmentally friendly” materials and powered almost entirely by solar cells (the rest of the electricity would be hydro-generated).