Green Home Improvement
Build it green and save in long-term costs and environmental impact. For innovative, environmentally friendlier, less toxic building materials, paints, and supplies, try the following online retailers.
| Green Home | |
| Environmental Home Center | |
| Eco-$mart | |
| Building for Health Materials Center | |
| Phoenix Organics | |
| Oikos searchable database of green building products |
Why it’s important
So you’re hooked on cable channel home improvement shows and can’t wait to build that deck, knock down that interior wall, or turn your kitchen into a chef’s wonderland. You aren’t alone. According to an industry trade group, Americans spent about $224 billion on home remodeling and repair in 2004, and were expected to spend even more this year. No doubt, the desire to keep pace with TV-land Joneses drives much of the frenzy and an awful lot of it is probably overkill. (“Do you see that? Our bathroom could fit in their linen closet. I’m calling the contractor tomorrow.”) But if you’re overdue and finally ready to part with your circa 1975 avocado-green refrigerator, you should know that there are some important choices to make.
According to David Johnson and Kim Master, co-authors of Green Remodeling: Changing the World One Room at a Time (New Society Publishers), buildings are responsible for 40 percent of worldwide energy flow and material use. Green remodeling is not only more energy-efficient and resource-conserving, it is healthier for occupants and, in the long run, more affordable to create, operate and maintain. Johnson adds, “If just a fraction of [the money spent on remodeling] was focused on greener construction, we could restore a significant portion of the world’s ecosystems while immediately creating a healthier indoor environment for our families.”
Learn more
- Bill McKibben's personal green home building story
- Energy-efficient and planet-friendly remodling tips for every budget
- More tips from the Sierra Club
- Home energy audit - CMC Energy Services can perform a “Home Energy Tune-Up” to help you save money and energy in your home.
- Greenhomebuilding.com - website devoted to sustainable architecture and natural building
- Environmental Home Center - advice on going green on a budget
- Green Home Remodel guides - downloadable guides from the City of Seattle
- Green Building: Builders, Consumers and Realtor' Primer - downloadable from Building Environmental Science and Technology
Green Remodeling Guides
- Green Remodeling: Changing the World One Room at a Time
- Green Building Products: The GreenSpec Guide to Residential Building Materials
- Household Guide to Building Green (pdf 1mb)
Salvaged building materials
- Community Forklift (Washington, DC area)
- Build it Green NYC (New York City)
Repair contractors
Learn more about the Conscious Consumer Marketplace.
If you would like for your company to be listed in the Conscious Consumer Marketplace, please email Carolyn Danckaert or call 301.891.3683 ext. 125.