7 Paths to a Good Green Home

What makes a good home green? What makes a green home good? Principles and practices have evolved–some over hundreds of years and some quite recently–that form the heart of a good green home. Here are seven steps along the path to creating a better home:

The Seven Paths to a Good Green Home

1. Know Where You Are
This concept recognizes that where you live affects both the quality of your life and the quality of the environment. Whether you’re redecorating, remodeling, buying a new house, or building from scratch, understanding the unique characteristics of your particular place can help you create a greener home.

2. Size Matters
Bigger isn’t always better, when it comes to homes.

3. You Have the Power
You can take charge of the energy you use.

4. Build for Today and Tomorrow
A well-built home will have long-term benefits for you and for future generations.

5. Clean Living: Protecting Our Air and Water
You can do a lot at home to protect two of our most precious resources.

6. Build a Better Wall
You can use healthier and safer alternatives to conventional construction methods.

7. Use the Right Stuff
Practice wise use of materials to keep your home healthy and our planet thriving.

If seven principles sound like a lot to tackle, don’t lose heart. Greening your home is a process. The goal is not creating a perfect home, but creating a better home. Small steps and the right attitude can lead to big changes. Learn a little, do a little, laugh a lot, don’t beat yourself up over what you can’t get done, and take the time to plant some flowers along the path to a good home.

Adapted from Good Green Homes, by Jennifer Roberts (Gibbs Smith, Publisher, 2003). Copyright (c) 2003 by Jennifer Roberts. Reprinted by permission of Gibbs Smith, Publisher.
Adapted from Good Green Homes, by Jennifer Roberts (Gibbs Smith, Publisher, 2003).