Sierra Club Green Home

How to make your home a healthy place
Smog in urban areas often makes the news. But truth be told, air quality is often much worse inside our homes than outside. That’s because tens of thousands of chemicals, some synthetic and some found in nature, are used to make products commonly found in buildings. Many of these chemicals are benign, some are highly toxic, and most fall in that wide gray area in between.
When it comes to indoor air contamination, the biggest culprit in our homes is VOCs, a large class of chemicals that can evaporate, or offgas, from stuff that’s all around us, like particle board, carpet, paint, cleaning products, and materials treated with stain-resistant and wrinkle-resistant chemicals.

Many green organizations cheered with joy about the potential “change” that newly inaugurated president, Barack Obama, had promised the country. Environmentalists for years have hoped for a day when their issues and voices would be heard and acted upon.

Upon first entering the White House, President Obama expressed to Barbara Walters his intention to set an example for Americans on how to live more eco-friendly: “Each of us have a role to play in not being wasteful when it comes to energy…Part of what I want to do is to show the American people it’s not that hard.”

“Cash for Clunkers” act two might be called “Funds for Fridges.” The continuation to America’s ever-popular “Cash for Clunkers” program (which yielded 690,114 cars) will soon jump start a new “Cash for Appliances” program that’s coming to a utility near you.

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and Nevada’s two largest gambling companies (Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., and MGM Mirage) along with local leaders have come together in the hopes of making…

Are you ready for green robes made of organic fibers and the “popemobile” equipped with hybrid technology and huge recycled glass windows for your Pope-viewing pleasure?

On July 6th, Seattle residents had their voices heard as the city council voted on Mayor Greg Nickel’s proposal to ban foam containers and impose a fee on plastic and paper bags at supermarkets. Starting immediately, all foam products will be banned, but grocery stores would be allowed to make a change to plastic products if they have not found a biodegradable replacement, according to The Seattle Times.

In celebration of their tenth anniversary, NASA’s Earth Observatory released a series of satellite images documenting nearly a decade of worldwide climate change. In just ten years, the evidence of environmental and human impact on the world is dramatic. From deforestation to urbanization to evaporation of lakes and seas, places around the world are rapidly changing, which then begs the question: What will become of these places in the future?

Close your eyes and conjure up an image of what you think the most eco-friendly home in the country would look like. Do you imagine a foliage-covered bio-dome surrounded by photovoltaic solar arrays? Or an off-the-grid cob and straw hut nestled in the woods? Or do you think of a 1915 craftsman-style bungalow in the heart of Oakland, CA? One of these options seems like it couldn’t possibly be true, right? What does an old house have to do with being environmentally friendly? But when it’s the home of the founder of the US Green Building Council (USGBC), you probably wouldn’t expect anything less than the greenest home in America.

About 230 real estate professionals took part in the National Association of Realtor’s(NAR) first class for the new GREEN designation at the 2008 Realtor Conference & Expo.