Sierra Club Green Home

Are you a builder, architect, or green provider looking for a sense of community in the sustainable design world? Now there is a new way to exchange knowledge, share ideas, and collaborate on projects. (Image courtesy of Green Hippo Hut)

Those of us who live in cold climates understand that insulation plays an important role in keeping our homes warm and comfortable. However, air leakage into an attic is often much harder to diagnose and consequently overlooked as a major concern. Both R-value and air sealing are equally important in creating a solid thermal boundary between the interior of your home and harsh exterior conditions.

Editor’s Note: October is National Energy Awareness Month. Take a look at your home’s energy use and how you can take advantage of incentives for efficiency.

Federal tax credits for upgrading your home with energy efficient items, from windows and doors to insulation and heating systems, are going away at the end of this year. Read about the future of these incentives and what you can do to get some money back on purchases you make now to increase your home’s energy efficiency and save money on your energy bills in the future. (Photo courtesy of Simonton Windows)

Solar panels and small wind turbines generate energy for the home—and excess energy can be sold back to the grid. Geothermal pumps also heat and cool the home, harnessing the earth’s temperature deep beneath the foundation. Here’s how to get started with these residential renewables. (Photo by Jon Callas on Flickr)

VANCOUVER, BC — There’s an alley renaissance going on around the world. Vancouver, British Columbia, the city that has served as a North American icon for creating liveable inner cities—is having its own “laneway” renaissance (as alleys are known here). (Photo by Lanefab, courtesy of Sightline Daily)

Definitely not your uncle’s Winnebago! And being green with envy isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when talking about environmental-friendly mobile homes. Luxury or comfort aren’t the words that come to mind either, but words like cramped, or small, or automotive usually don’t instill satisfaction inside the hearts of potential residents who’re use to a home that can’t get up and drive off!

Times are tough, there’s no doubt about it. We’re facing multiple crises, from a warming planet to dwindling fossil fuel reserves to a stumbling economy. Reducing energy consumption won’t make all these problems disappear, but it can make a difference. To fire you up, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite energy-saving tips, starting with ones that won’t cost you a penny.

In our efforts to move towards a more sustainable society, how do we affect the day-to-day habits of individuals to make a difference? Invoke the “double A” principle – increased awareness leads to increased action.

SAN FRANCISCO — Cargo containers—those giant, steel, rectangular boxes most often seen hitching a ride on a train, truck, or ship—hold a myriad of industrial goods. But now the shipping container itself is a home. Cargotecture is a modular home that is portable, off the grid, and made of recycled materials. HyBrid Architecture | Assembly designs sustainable living spaces in cargo containers and coined the term “cargotecture” to describe these novel new structures.

Are your home energy bills out of hand? Does your house feel drafty even when you crank up the heat? Have you been dragging your feet on giving your home an energy-efficiency tune-up because you don’t know where to start? Watch this home energy audit video and then click to read how a home energy audit could start you on the path to having a green home.