Our friends at re-nest have posted a very useful life cycle assessor. Looking at it, you realize that there’s a lot to think about when acquiring a new item. When you purchase a widget, it’s helpful to think about it all the way from the raw materials to its disposal. And there are other questions to consider too! Re-nest lists an extensive list, including:

• Are employees treated fairly?
• What is the typical lifespan?
• Is it recyclable?

Do you think this is a realistic tool? Or do you ask these questions for larger purchases, or maybe only for certain categories, such as electronics?

Image courtesy of re-nest.

Two recent articles from Twin Cities-based news site MinnPost have focused on the future of the urban landscape — on the suburban one, too.

The first viewpoint comes from Richard Florida, author of the book “The Great Reset: How New Ways of Living and Working Drive Post-Crash Prosperity.” In a nutshell, he believes that when the economy recovers, it “will demand cleaner, more efficient ways of living, traveling, working and arranging our communities if we hope to climb out of our hole and catch the next wave of prosperity.”

Smaller homes and better, more efficient public transportation seem to be two of his main viewpoints. And this idea of transforming the way we live is important and valid and may come to pass.

But MinnPost also featured the viewpoint of author Joel Kotkin (“The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050″). His view is that the new green urbanism is a bit of a pipe dream. Partly this has to do with psychology: a large number of Americans will always prefer single family suburban homes to multi-family urban living.

But isn’t the problem of urban sprawl something cities are racing to fix? Kotkin believes that cities will decline in importance. Jobs and services will keep moving outwards to where people live, hopefully cutting down on time spent in the car.

What do you think? Which vision will take hold after the recovery? Will you find yourself living in urban mixed-used developments or suburban homes with picket fences? Or will some third building trend drive the recovery? Do you think stages of life affect people’s housing choices?

There’s been a lot of ink spilled lately about alternative energy on a macroeconomic scale. But what about ways you can use these new forms personally?

It seems like every other cornfield now has been given over to wind energy. No doubt these massive structures can provide great benefit to companies and cities. If you wanted to experiment however, it was a little difficult. But now there are some options.

Looking similar, though on a smaller scale than the average wind turbine, the Proven Energy 2.5 kW 300 V Wind Turbine Grid Tie can be used for personal energy usage. As Luxury Housing Trends points out, it’s not cheap, but the company’s promise of their product powering a three-bedroom house (minus heat) might make it worthwhile over the long run.

For an wind energy option that provides less power but is small enough to go on the roof of your house, check out our recent profile of the WindTronics wind turbine, which was on display at this year’s International Builders Show.

Also via Luxury Housing Trends, we have a new option for solar power. It’s an easy, low-maintenance kit. According to the site, the Sunforce 39626 160-Watt High-Efficiency Polycrystalline Solar Power Kit has “weatherproof solar cells…made with an aluminum frame and tempered glass coverings to ensure that they’re durable enough to withstand the elements. This kit comes with two 80-watt polycrystalline solar panels, a 200-watt power inverts, a 30-amp digital charge controller, a voltage tester and a wiring kit with mount accessories included.”

Have you thought of using wind energy, solar power or other forms of alternative energy in your home?

Photo courtesy of nualabugeye on Flickr

Happy belated Independence Day, readers! We hope you had a safe and happy weekend. No doubt, for many of you this included being out on the water. What would you think of living there…permanently?

MSN Real Estate has an interesting slideshow about these floating homes. From the Arctic to India, houseboats are everywhere, which is not surprising considering that most of the world’s surface is water. And they can be extremely green homes.

For an in-depth look about what it is actually like to live on a houseboat, please take a look at this slideshow — lot of work, but also a lot of beauty.

Happy boating!

Photos courtesy of MSN Real Estate

As “going green” becomes more popular, it’s opponents have also become more vocal. One frequent criticism levied is that going green is just too expensive. And in this economic climate, who has the luxury of spending more money just to feel good about helping the earth? Jennifer over at Growing A Green Family offers an excellent rebuttal. She points point out that going green is actually not an expensive proposition, and it’s mostly all in the attitude.

• It’s not about what you buy. If you choose to go green through consumption, it will always be more expensive.
• Learn to budget! When you know what things really cost, you can make wiser green choices.
• Avoid greenwashing and educate yourself about what is truly green and not.
• Decide what is important to you. Growing A Green Family offers up the example of people claiming they can’t afford organic food, but then go on a costly vacation. Life is all about choices, and if living a green lifestyle is important to you, it can be done, though perhaps not without some sacrifice.

Please check out the post for more information. And tell us in the comments–what’s important to you when it comes to green living?

Photo courtesy of thinkpanama on Flickr

With Earth Day having recently passed by, we wanted to share some of the latest green news from around the Web with you.

• Ecosalon runs through five of the latest and greatest green building materials and household ideas (check out our post about straw houses, one of the building materials mentioned).
• DIY Life takes you through your entire house room by room to see where you can save energy and be more environmentally friendly.
• According to USA Today, the longtime Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval is introducing a green seal to help consumers know which green products have been rigorously tested.
• Re-Nest’s energy saving ideas are simple and practical.
• There are many apps for energy saving! Inhabitat takes you through some of the best.

Image courtesy of circulating on Flickr.

“Off the grid.” The phrase brings to mind quite a few things. For some people, it brings to mind survivalists living in mountain cabins. For others, it’s a way to lessen their impact on the earth.

Here’s a real-life example of an “off the grid” house” (Inhabitat via World Architecture News).

Known as the Cliff House, this Ontario house by Altius Architecture is designed to blend in with the landscape. It’s built into a cliff overlooking a lake and self-sufficiency was the goal from the beginning.

Stone, wood and large expanses of windows make the Cliff House beautiful. But this house has more than just a pretty face. To make it off the grid and sustainable, the house also features:

• A “green” roof to control temperature and runoff
• The house was built to take advantage of solar power
• Contra-flow masonry heaters the provide powerful supplemental heat
• Tube solar collectors heat the house’s water
• Photovoltaic panels and battery banks give the house electricity

It’s an altogether impressive package! What can you do to go “off the grid”?

Photos courtesy of Altius Architecture.

A refrigerator can be a focal point in the kitchen, as well as serving the very important purpose of keeping food fresh and cool. Unfortunately, fridges can also be big energy users. Unless you plan to build an icehouse to store your perishables, it may be time to think about a more energy-efficient fridge.

To start with, look for the ENERGY STAR label. This label indicates that a product meets energy guidelines set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Energy.

Over on Re-Nest, 10 fridges’ ENERGY STAR ratings are listed. Check it out–it’s a good place to start when considering replacing your refrigerator. What other attributes are important to you for looks and performance?

Image courtesy of Re-Nest.

Marvin is known for its custom work, which came in very handy on an extremely old house.

Constructed in 1769, this colonial home in Severna Park, MD was originally a comfortable farm house, but after 200 years, most of the original windows had rotted, warped and loosened. Like most windows of the colonial period, the windows lacked weather stripping and were made with standard float glass, wavy with imperfections.

The plans called for replacement of all the windows with new windows that replicated the original style and delivered maximum energy efficiency.

Marvin was the only manufacturer that could meet all the architect’s requirements and also provide Authentic Divided Lites and jamb liners to fit the restoration and maintain the colonial character of the home.  The project called for 30 custom-size wood windows, including Double Hung and Casemaster windows, and a Bow and a Bay window. Each window was produced to precise specifications to ensure a great fit and maximum energy efficiency.

This beauty of a home still looks great after two centuries. With its new improvements, it continues to be livable and cofortable for many years to come.

Happy New Year! As you are attempting to carry out your New Year’s resolutions, don’t forget to make a few for your home. It deserves a little TLC and there’s never a better time to start than the new year! Shelterpop offers some great ideas. Here are a few of their hints:

• Green your house. Get an energy audit and adjust your thermostat. You’ll help the planet and save on energy costs. We have a few additional tips from home improvement expert Lou Manfredini on getting your home green.
• Clean it up! Clutter is annoying and unsightly. Getting your home truly cleared out will keep it company-ready.
• Go paperless. It will help make you green and clutter-free.
• Regularly bring in flowers to beautify your newly green, clean home.

Visit Shelterpop for more!