If you want to help save the Earth from your home, you’re going to need some help. Online resources abound to help you buy eco-friendly products, cut energy usage and decorate with a focus on green trends.
Here are 10 of our favorite places for finding eco info:
greenhomeguide.com: This website for the U.S. Green Building Council (the organization that certifies LEED -- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design -- buildings and homes) offers advice from professionals on subjects as varied as energy-efficient lighting and nursery décor. The council’s site at www.usgbc.org provides information about guidelines for those seeking to invest the energy and money to achieve LEED certification for their residences.
greenseal.org: Head here to see whether the cleaning supplies, paints and even hand soaps you’re using have passed numerous criteria related to environmental impact.
www.mnn.com/your-home: The Atlanta-based environmental news site’s focus on homes includes stories, blogs and videos on remodeling and design trends, furniture (such as a recent story on seven examples of living furniture) and gardening green.
www.ecorazzi.com/category/cars-houses: Ecorazzi, chosen as a top green website from Time magazine, dishes celebrity gossip and entertainment news with an eco slant. For example, if you want to know which actress is digging up the tennis court on her New Zealand estate to bring in more native trees as part of her new 17,000-square-foot garden (hint: she’s a warrior princess), you’ll find it on Ecorazzi.
www.treehugger.com: The design/architecture section of this site, affiliated with the Discovery Co., offers a variety of videos and stories spotlighting what people are doing internationally to live a greener lifestyle. One recent story was on mini-fridges for small kitchens. The site -- also a Time top site -- has a take-action section on how to go green and a green buying guide.
www.verdehomeinc.com/greenguide.php: A green terminology guide joins the sustainable products shown on the website for Verde Home, an Atlanta home furnishings store specializing in ecologically sensitive interior style. There are definitions for often-used words and terms such as "recycle," "renewable," "VOC," "passive solar" and "upcycle."
www.epa.gov/greenhomes/: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s website allows you to click on a room of the home for suggestions on how to reduce energy use, bring in sustainable products, reduce waste and conserve water. It also has a top green home terms list and recommendations on how to select a home and community that preserve the environment and could improve your quality of life.
www.energystar.gov: The government’s Energy Star website is a key resource for products that can help you save energy and have met the requirements of the program. It also has information about tax credits and rebates for buying Energy Star products.
www.fscus.org: The U.S. website for the Forest Stewardship Council, which guarantees that wood comes from a certified well-managed forest that lessens the impact on water supply and wildlife, includes a retailer database for building materials, furniture, paper and other items such as toys.
blog.nariatlanta.org/green-projects-services: On a more local level, this blog from the Atlanta Chapter of the National Association of the Remodeling Industry offers advice from local experts and info on green design and landscape trends.
