Every day, it seems, there is breaking news on the latest green building initiatives and products that help reduce the energy use of buildings. And with statistics like this—buildings consume more electricity and are responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than any other man-made source on Earth—it's easy to understand the benefits of building green.

These problems won't be solved any time soon. Future generations will need to take up the cause of sustainable, green buildings, as well. That's why we want to encourage today's students to think outside the box ( although some boxes can be very green ).

So we thought we'd put together some of the coolest (no pun intended) green products and building techniques we've found. And then challenge you to submit your own. What is your Big Green Idea? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.

Ultra-Thin Super Insulation with Aerogel It's one of the lightest solids known to man (mostly because it is also 99% air). It's breathable, but won't absorb water. It's unbelievably thin (thicknesses of less than half an inch) and fantastically strong. But better yet, it is a superb insulator. In fact, you can put a blow torch on one side of the material, and it will not ignite a match on the other.

The World's First Pollution-Fighting Skyscraper Coated with a thin layer of nano-coating of titanium dioxide, this skyscraper design would use sunlight and chemical reactions to clean the air with the only by products being oxygen and water.

Bottle-Filling Water Cooler from Elkay Some green building ideas are simple. For example, this water cooler allows users to not only grab a thirst-quenching drink, but also fill their reusable water bottles at the same time.

Boon Edam’s Power-Generating Revolving Door The use of revolving door in buildings is not new. They are a great way to keep foot traffic flowing while conserving the heat or cool inside the building. But now the revolving door has been taken to a new level. These revolving doors use human energy to generate electricity. Although these doors are only used to power the lights inside the unit, we still think this is a great idea.