Good Green Homes

"A recent poll revealed that an astounding 96% of consumers are willing to pay more for green features in a home, and 91% feel that energy-efficient features in a new home were extremely or very important." If you are planning to redecorate or remodel, Good Green Homes offers ideas, real-world advice and lots of inspiration. Jennifer Roberts is a freelance writer who specializes in sustainable building, energy efficiency and corporate social responsibility. She helps people make choices that encourage positive change in their living environments. She answers the following questions: How does having a "green" home actually save money? How can someone who rents their home make significant changes? What are some ways to protect and improve the quality of air inside our homes? What are "rapidly renewable sources?" How can you afford a green home on a limited budget? Jennifer is also a merchandising manager for the Marina Green stores and joys introducing consumers to the joys of stylish clothes made from organically grown cotton, healthy paints, energy-efficient light bulbs, tableware made from recycled materials and environmentally friendly alternatives to everyday household products. Featured Homes Include: A Delightful Cottage An Ecofriendly addition to a historic home A Trio of Healthy and Green City Homes An Artist's studio on a Wooded Island A Vacation Retreat in the Wine Country A Neighborhood of Homes A Remodeled Victorian Flat It is rather shocking to learn that the air inside our homes can be five times more polluted than the air outside. One look at your energy bill might convince you to read this book. These homes don't really look all that different, but there are features like skylights to save electricity or there is a home that is naturally cooled, heated and lit. Some homes have solar water-heating systems for the summer and a unique solar power system blended right in with a backyard trellis to generate electricity from the sun. The section on air quality was of interest to me because I am always moving my Austin air filter about the house. The "Wine Country Retreat" looked like a house I could live in because it even has a tower. Well, the pools also looked rather inviting. ~The Rebecca Review

This book is a gift to the Earth and to so many of the people who inhabit it! Good Green Homes is educational and practical in an amazingly palatable way...that is to say, it is most enjoyable reading; and at the end one is so much wiser than when one began. It is a visual feast. The concept of environmentally sensitive choices in every aspect of the home is brought to the whole spectrum of the population, from new construction to renters to "what can I do with what I've got." This book is beautiful, user friendly and, above all, inspirational. I kept saying, "I can do that! I can take that action. I can make a difference, and I want to!" Bravo!

I loved this book! I am planning to remodel my arts and crafts bungalow, and I want the remodel to be as green as possible. I read Ms. Roberts' book from cover to cover and found it to be more than helpful. It was informative, fun to read and the pictures are beautiful. I highly recommend it.

Whether you're building a home, remodeling a home or just want to do your part in making your apartment a little greener, you should pick up this book. Aside from being drop-dead gorgeous to look at, you will find it full of really simple but effective ways to make your home greener. Jennifer Roberts has transformed formerly arcane green building principles into solutions and ideas that almost anyone can incorprate into their homes. Her message is that everyone can take small steps toward greener homes. If everyone took one small step, imagine how much cleaner and greener our world would be. Reading this book should be your first small step.

First, this book is beautiful!! Second, it really does what it says -- it shows remarkably beautiful, remarkably 'normal' looking houses that incorporate earth-friendly materials, techniques and technologies.It is great fun to sift through for ideas about that next remodel and that someday dream home.I hope that building professionals read it, too -- it dispells a lot of myths about what one must sacrifice in order to have an environmentally-friendly home.This book is a great combination of lovely to look at and a fascinating reference to read. I plan to have mine out for a while, for myself and (while I've never been one for coffee table books) for any friends who come over!