Green Home Guide

Energy-efficient houses on street in Daybreak, Utah
WHAT IS A GREEN HOME?
 
Start here to learn just what makes a home “green” and what differentiates it from a conventional home.
Healthy home in nature
WHAT IS A HEALTHY HOME?

Eco friendly houses are not just good for the environment, they’re good for your health. Read this section of the guide to find out why.
Blue LEED house in Northampton, Massachusetts
BENEFITS OF A GREEN HOME

What’s in it for you to go green? And specifically how does a sustainable home benefit the environment. Check this section to find out.
Bamboo forest
GREEN BUILDING MATERIALS
Want to know exactly what materials and equipment green homes are made of? Read this section of the guide to find out why.
Building with earth
NATURAL BUILDING METHODS 
If you want to use natural materials for a building project, there are some that are quick and easy to use while others are more labour-intensive. Read about 10 of the most popular ones here.
Wind turbine on hill
HOME RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS 
Eco friendly houses are systems that are made of mini systems, a big one being the renewable energy systems that power them. Learn about them here.
red eco house
CERTIFICATIONS/RATING SYSTEMS
With the growth of the green building industry, a whole whack of certifications and rating systems have popped up to guide consumers to making the right decisions. Before shopping around for a green home get to know these systems.

To change the Earth’s story we first need to change our story. And there’s no better starting point than right at home. People realize how much of an impact the built environment has on the natural environment and how much better it is to live in an eco friendly house instead of a conventional house.

Aside from obvious benefits to the environment, going green also makes for the healthier choice. And the costs don’t even need to be much higher than the standard choice.

Homes are a system, not a product, which means understanding them takes a lot more knowledge if you want to truly know what they’re all about and which works best for you.

The Gnome has put together this Green Home Guide as a starting point to understanding what eco-friendly houses are all about. Build the foundations of your green home knowledge here, then proceed building up the walls and interior by exploring specific articles in the other sections of the site.

If you need details specifically on buying or selling a a green home look to the other two guides we’ve published: Green Home Buyer’s Guide and Green Home Seller’s Guide.


image 1: PHOTO DEAN; image 2: PHOTOTOURING; image 3: Phil LaCombe; image 4: JOI; image 5: hans s (Creative Commons BY-ND); image 6: SAMUEL MANN; image 7: JEREMY LEVINE DESIGN

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Kiva Bottero is the publisher and one of the writers behind Green Home Gnome. After spending years gaining experience with DIY green building projects he started up the Gnome to help others learn how to make their homes and lives more sustainable.

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