"I'm optimistic about the future," says Nabih Tahan, an architect who's building one of the first passive houses in the U.S. in Berkeley, California.

Berkelium (Bk), Dubnium (Db), and Hassium (Hs) were named after Berkeley, CA, Dubna, Russia and the German state of Hessen, respectively, where these man-made elements were created.

So you can imagine the reaction when a recent USA Today investigation of air quality around the nation's schools singled out those in the smugly green village of Berkeley, Calif.