Green Home

Welcome to greenhomebuilding.com where you can find a wide range of information about sustainable architecture and natural building. As an example of natural building, the image at the upper left was taken during the construction of the earthbag house that has served as the home for greenhomebuilding.com and Kelly and Rosana Hart, your hosts.

The reason for building greener homes is really quite important. We need to live more lightly on the earth, because the degradation of our environment is compromising not only our survival, but the survival of most other living beings on the planet. We can no longer ignore the impact we have on the earth's ecosystems. The way we live, the choices we make in providing for our needs, will have an enormous influence on the quality of life of those who will follow us. Now is the time to take responsibility for the consequences of our life styles!

How we build our homes, both in design and choice of materials, is one of the most significant ways that we can affect our future. Much of the concern boils down to the use of energy. How much energy is embodied in the building materials themselves, in their transportation and assembling? Then once the house is built, how much energy does it consume to keep its inhabitants comfortable? Consumption of energy has a direct influence on environmental quality, because of the inherent pollution through greenhouse gasses and other emissions. Then there is the loss of natural beauty, ecosystems and basic resources associated with the extraction of fossil fuels and building materials. The combined effect of this is staggering. Resources for studying how we interact with our environment and ways to improve this relationship can be found within the page about the Environment.

There are some very simple ways to design houses that require very little energy to keep them comfortable. The list of links on the left, under Sustainable Architecture, outline thirteen points to keep in mind when designing or remodeling a sustainable house. Using natural, non-industrial materials, as outlined in the links to the right under Natural building will improve the energy equation when building. Examining the Vernacular Architecture of other cultures can provide many ideas for beauty, energy efficiency and appropriate use of materials. An extensive gallery of Posters and Art Prints depicting architecture from around the world can help evaluate various styles and decorate you own walls. "Greenhomebuilding.com provides a way to communicate with, and learn from, a variety of experts in the many fields associated with the site. In the Ask the Experts section you are invited to ask questions and read the responses to others' questions. More in-depth consulting is also available. Education and Events will direct you to educational opportunities and listings of workshops and other news. There is a Bulletin Board where diverse notices have been posted about special opportunities. Sections about Building Codes, Financial Aspects and a Store where pertinent media can be purchased, round out this site. Most pages also have links to other informative websites that are pertinent.

There is much valuable information out there, but it is hard to find it all in one place. You now have available at your fingertips a wealth of information. Enjoy!

This is a recent radio interview with Kelly Hart, the founder of this website, talking about how he got involved with this and about sustainable architecture in general. It lasts about an hour.

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