Brick by Brick: A Guide to Basic Green Building

(Page 4 of 4)

July/August 2007
By Miriam Landman 
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■ Size matters. Choose a house that doesn’t exceed your family’s space needs. A smaller house requires fewer resources to build and furnish and less energy to heat, cool and light.

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■ Sensitive siting. If you’re building on undeveloped land, site your home on a flat, open area to prevent the need for extensive grading work and tree removal. This helps minimize soil erosion, dust, air pollution and habitat disruption. One exception to this rule may be if you plan to build your home into a berm or hillside to increase passive solar activity.

■ Passive design. Orient the structure to take advantage of free natural resources such as sunlight, breezes and trees. Make the length of your house run east-west, and build plenty of windows on the southern façade to maximize light and to warm the structure in winter. To control summer heat, provide shadings for west- and south-facing windows during hot afternoon hours. Likewise, place windows so they open to prevailing breezes that ventilate the house. Work with existing trees on your lot; they control erosion and provide shade and privacy.

3 Simple Steps to Get You Started

1. List the environmental issues you’re most passionate about.
Do you want to focus your efforts on energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, water conservation, indoor air quality, waste reduction, sustainable forestry or other goals? Having your hot-button issues in mind will help you prioritize various green building strategies.

2. Identify a few practical, affordable green strategies that address your goals.
Many relatively simple, readily available green options—such as replacing old appliances with energy-efficient ones or beefing up your home’s insulation—provide a lot of bang for your buck.

3. Research how to implement your selected strategies. 
Start by consulting the resource listings that begin on page 78. (More are available at www.NaturalHomeMagazine.com.)  

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