This seems like the ultimate oxymoron: a green mall. Malls are, after all, big ugly eye sores. Sprawling cathedrals of commerce dedicated to consumption, not places you typically associate with environmentalism. But that said, there is a green mall being built in Syracuse, N.Y.
According to the lead developer of the complex, Robert Congel, the space will be the largest complex in the world run entirely on renewable energy. It will contain some 848,000 square feet of retail, dining, and entertainment space, and might be open as early as 2008. I’m skeptical, but I guess if they are going to build a mall anyway, at least it’s nice for them to try to make it seem environmentally friendly. So pack those granola bars, don those Birkenstocks and when 2008 rolls around, go check it out.