Green homes?

Question

For my senior project, i am researching green homes.

the specific question is "what are green homes, and what do they benefit?"

does anyone have any information that would help me out?

Answer 1

I want a house that .......

Makes its own heat & A/C

Makes its own electricity

Makes its own water

Makes its own food

Imagine this house made from stuff diverted from the landfill.

Imagine this being built almost anywhere on the planet.

Answer 2

My husband and I will be building a "green" home.  We will be building with straw bale construction.

For about the ultimate in green homes, you need to Google the words "EarthShip Homes."

EarthShips are usually made with rammed earth, in recycled tires.  You can have a rammed earth/tire house that is not always an EarthShip.

EarthShip houses try to produce all that the people who live in them need.  That means water, food, heat and energy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthship

EarthShips are pretty cool too, because they are quiet tornado/hurricane resistant.  Because of the way the EarthShip works, they do best in desert areas.

~Garnet

Homesteading/Farming over 20 years

Answer 3

Green homes are home that are enviromently friendly. They can benfit by releasing least carbon dioxide into the air then regular homes.

Answer 4

A green home:

- uses less energy

- uses less water

- is made from materials that have less of an adverse impact on the environment from the time they are extracted all the way through production, transportation, construction and use

- uses recycled materials

- maximizes natural daylight and natural ventilation

- has better indoor air quality because it uses less toxic materials and finishes that don't offgas dangerous chemicals into the air you breathe

Answer 5

Look up the US green building council and LEED. They certify buildings on different levels of their ecological footprint and how sustainable they are.

LEED is the national authority on how green a building is

Answer 6

National Home Builders Association is also a good source.  They will be announcing the national standard for green building this year.

They are working with green building councils across the country to prepare a set of standards which will be used by builders across the country.