Green building resources

There is an ever growing list of information providers for homeowners, contractors and builders seeking information about green or sustainable building. The following is such a list. While some sites may be more oriented toward a contractor, builder or homeowner all three groups will find something of interest in each of these websites, magazines or books.

Websites

Ecocity Cleveland www.ecocitycleveland.org: This organization has been the principal driving force behind most of our Northeast Ohio efforts to create a better environment for all. Green building was an early concern and the Cleveland Green Building Coalition is one of the first "children" spun off from this remarkable organization.
Cleveland Green Building Coalition www.clevelandgbc.org: Cleveland is fortunate to have an organization that is spearheading the green building movement. Workshops, consultation help and a continuing picture of green building potential in our Northeast Ohio area. If you want to know what is happening in green building in this area, tune into this website.
Environmental Building News www.buildinggreen.com: Probably the best and most comprehensive site for persons interested in learning about green building and then doing it. Be sure to see the information about the resources they have available besides their newsletter. If you are seriously considering building a green home, subscribe to their on-line service. It will save you tons of time, especially when searching for building materials that provide green options.
Environmental Health Watch www.ehw.org: This Cleveland based organization has been effectively helping all of Northeast Ohio develop healthier indoor and outdoor environments. It has loads of leads for help in creating healthier homes which is a major goal of green building.
Green Energy Ohio (GEO) www.GreenEnergyOhio.org: For years this organization has been a leader in Ohio in the development of alternate energy sources (geothermal, photovoltaic, solar, wind power, etc).
Guide To Resource Efficient Building Elements www.crbt.org: This is a thoughtful guide to building materials that are alternatives to wood products that has been produced by the NCAT Center for Resourceful Building Technology
Building Science Corporation www.buildingscience.com: A good residential structure is a product of good building science. This website has lots of good information to help make sure your home is not only a green or sustainable one, but is consistent with good building science as well.
Built Green Colorado Checklist http://builtgreen.org/shared/checklist.htm: This is one of the most useful lists of components that should be included in a green or sustainable home that you will find.
Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development www.sustainable.doe.gov: A U.S. Dept. of Energy website with loads of good website references to help you. Sustainability is about community!! Be sure to see the section on this website titled: Smart Communities Network. If your home has experienced severe flooding or moisture damage, see: Operation Fresh Start which highlights greenbuilding practices you can incorporate into your rebuilding process.
Energy Star Homes Program www.energystar.gov: This is the EPA/Dept. of Energy website that defines what an Energy Star home includes and helps builders learn how to build homes to this standard. There is also information on energy efficiency standards for almost everything that uses energy in your home, including appliances.
Energy Efficient Mortgage www.natresnet.org: There are a growing number of energy-efficient mortgage products that provide financial help to build energy-efficient homes.
Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) www.pathnet.org: Loads of information on new technologies for use in homes.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory http://www.lbl.gov: One of the national labs sponsored by the Dept. of Energy.
National Center for Healthy Housing www.centerforhealthyhousing.org: This is one of best sites available to help look at the big picture of health issues in residential living spaces. They are also providing training for public health and building professionals who are concerned with indoor environments. Be sure to look for their seven steps to a healthy house which you will find in their training program materials which are available online.
National Renewable Energy Labs www.nrel.gov: This national lab of DOE is for development of renewable energy technologies.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory www.ornl.gov: Another national lab with lots of good information on energy efficiency measures.
Energy and Environmental Building Association www.eeba.org: An organization for builders and contractors that focuses on building of high performance homes. Homeowners can learn about this kind of builder and what they can do for you.
Sustainable Building Sourcebook www.greenbuilder.com: A useful resource book from the home of the first green building efforts, Austin, Texas.
Resources for Environmental Design http://oikos.com: Lots of information to help you thoughtfully help you find materials for your project.
United States Green Building Council www.usgbc.org: This organization has created a standard called LEED that guides the building of large commercial buildings, but it will soon also launch a residential LEED standard. You can download it from their site.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov: A sustainable/green home is a healthy home. This site can provide a wealth of information about how to do this and how to correct problems that may exist. Be sure to look for such sections as "Addressing Indoor Environmental Concerns During Remodeling". You click on rooms in a house and you get good information about all the things you can do to make that living space healthier.
Home Energy Magazine www.homeenergy.org: Probably the most useful magazine regarding effective home performance that is available. It is a bit technical, but solid and thoughtful descriptions of hands-on experience are shared.
Solplan Review Box 86627, North Vancouver, BC V7L 4L2 (604)689-1841: This remarkable little monthly journal covers the Canadian home building scene which is often ten years ahead of our efforts. Each month there is a thoughtful review of all the best thinking of our builder friends up north.
Journal of Light Construction www.jlconline.com: While this magazine is not completely focused on green or sustainable building,it is concerned with quality residential building and has lots of good information about building materials and systems and how to do and use them more effectively.
Fine Homebuilding www.finehomebuilding.com: This is an upscale building magazine, that often has good information that is directly related to green building concerns.
Smart Homeowner Magazine www.SmartHomeOwnermag.com: This magazine that appears bi-monthly provides "innovative solutions for creating efficient, healthy and ecofriendly homes".

Books

The body of knowledge relating to green building is exploding so fast that books have a hard time keeping up. Here are a few books you should consider if you are seriously considering building a green or sustainable house.

Builder’s Guide To Cold Climates, by Joe Lstiburek.: This book has shaped a whole new generation of builder’s who are doing it differently and better from an energy-efficiency, durability and environmental perspective. Joe, the principal in Building Science Corp. has brought the science of building into a very useable handbook. It is being regularly updated as new data and experiences are recorded. These books can be purchased from the Energy and Environmental Building Assoc. or EEBA: www.eeba.org
The Not So Big House, by Susan Susanka, Taunton Press.: A huge house and green building are really an oxymoron. If greenbuilding includes using less of the earth’s resources to build our homes, it does not mean we cannot build very useful and attractive homes. This book helps stimulate your green imagination from a design perspective. Also see some of her other books which have a similar theme.
Healthy House Building, by John Bower: Attempting to build a house that is healthy for its residents will almost always lead you to build a green or sustainable house. In this book, John takes you step by step through the building of a healthy house.
Green Building Guidelines,: This book is a product of the Sustainable Building Industries Council. It is a very user-friendly comprehensive piece, prepared by a number of the most thoughtful and respected persons in green building. It can be ordered via Oikos, the Green Building Source, www.oikos.com
The Philosophy of Sustainable Design, by Jason F. McLennan: If you have an interest in digging deeper into the reasons why sustainable design is an imperative for our time and the deep roots that undergird its development, you will find this a satisfying book. The author outlines basic principles that underlie all sustainable/green design.





	There is an ever growing list of information providers for homeowners, contractors and builders seeking information about green or sustainable building. The following is such a list. While some sites may be more oriented toward a contractor, builder or homeowner all three groups will find something of interest in each of these websites, magazines or books. Websites Ecocity Cleveland www.ecocitycleveland.org This organization has been the principal driving force behind most of our Northeast Ohio efforts to create a better environment for all. Green building was an early concern and the Cleveland Green Building Coalition is one of the first "children" spun off from this remarkable organization. Cleveland Green Building Coalition www.clevelandgbc.org Cleveland is fortunate to have an organization that is spearheading the green building movement. Workshops, consultation help and a continuing picture of green building potential in our Northeast Ohio area. If you want to know what is happening in green building in this area, tune into this website. Environmental Building News www.buildinggreen.com Probably the best and most comprehensive site for persons interested in learning about green building and then doing it. Be sure to see the information about the resources they have available besides their newsletter. If you are seriously considering building a green home, subscribe to their on-line service. It will save you tons of time, especially when searching for building materials that provide green options. Environmental Health Watch www.ehw.org This Cleveland based organization has been effectively helping all of Northeast Ohio develop healthier indoor and outdoor environments. It has loads of leads for help in creating healthier homes which is a major goal of green building. Green Energy Ohio (GEO) www.GreenEnergyOhio.org For years this organization has been a leader in Ohio in the development of alternate energy sources (geothermal, photovoltaic, solar, wind power, etc). Guide To Resource Efficient Building Elements www.crbt.org This is a thoughtful guide to building materials that are alternatives to wood products that has been produced by the NCAT Center for Resourceful Building Technology Building Science Corporation www.buildingscience.com A good residential structure is a product of good building science. This website has lots of good information to help make sure your home is not only a green or sustainable one, but is consistent with good building science as well. Built Green Colorado Checklist http://builtgreen.org/shared/checklist.htm This is one of the most useful lists of components that should be included in a green or sustainable home that you will find. Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development www.sustainable.doe.gov A U.S. Dept. of Energy website with loads of good website references to help you. Sustainability is about community!! Be sure to see the section on this website titled: Smart Communities Network. If your home has experienced severe flooding or moisture damage, see: Operation Fresh Start which highlights greenbuilding practices you can incorporate into your rebuilding process. Energy Star Homes Program www.energystar.gov This is the EPA/Dept. of Energy website that defines what an Energy Star home includes and helps builders learn how to build homes to this standard. There is also information on energy efficiency standards for almost everything that uses energy in your home, including appliances. Energy Efficient Mortgage www.natresnet.org There are a growing number of energy-efficient mortgage products that provide financial help to build energy-efficient homes. Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) www.pathnet.org Loads of information on new technologies for use in homes. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory http://www.lbl.gov One of the national labs sponsored by the Dept. of Energy. National Center for Healthy Housing www.centerforhealthyhousing.org This is one of best sites available to help look at the big picture of health issues in residential living spaces. They are also providing training for public health and building professionals who are concerned with indoor environments. Be sure to look for their seven steps to a healthy house which you will find in their training program materials which are available online. National Renewable Energy Labs www.nrel.gov This national lab of DOE is for development of renewable energy technologies. Oak Ridge National Laboratory www.ornl.gov Another national lab with lots of good information on energy efficiency measures. Energy and Environmental Building Association www.eeba.org An organization for builders and contractors that focuses on building of high performance homes. Homeowners can learn about this kind of builder and what they can do for you. Sustainable Building Sourcebook www.greenbuilder.com A useful resource book from the home of the first green building efforts, Austin, Texas. Resources for Environmental Design http://oikos.com Lots of information to help you thoughtfully help you find materials for your project. United States Green Building Council www.usgbc.org This organization has created a standard called LEED that guides the building of large commercial buildings, but it will soon also launch a residential LEED standard. You can download it from their site. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov A sustainable/green home is a healthy home. This site can provide a wealth of information about how to do this and how to correct problems that may exist. Be sure to look for such sections as "Addressing Indoor Environmental Concerns During Remodeling". You click on rooms in a house and you get good information about all the things you can do to make that living space healthier. Magazines/Journals Home Energy Magazine www.homeenergy.org Probably the most useful magazine regarding effective home performance that is available. It is a bit technical, but solid and thoughtful descriptions of hands-on experience are shared. Solplan Review Box 86627, North Vancouver, BC V7L 4L2 (604)689-1841 This remarkable little monthly journal covers the Canadian home building scene which is often ten years ahead of our efforts. Each month there is a thoughtful review of all the best thinking of our builder friends up north. Journal of Light Construction www.jlconline.com While this magazine is not completely focused on green or sustainable building,it is concerned with quality residential building and has lots of good information about building materials and systems and how to do and use them more effectively. Fine Homebuilding www.finehomebuilding.com This is an upscale building magazine, that often has good information that is directly related to green building concerns. Smart Homeowner Magazine www.SmartHomeOwnermag.com This magazine that appears bi-monthly provides "innovative solutions for creating efficient, healthy and ecofriendly homes". Books The body of knowledge relating to green building is exploding so fast that books have a hard time keeping up. Here are a few books you should consider if you are seriously considering building a green or sustainable house. Builder’s Guide To Cold Climates, by Joe Lstiburek. This book has shaped a whole new generation of builder’s who are doing it differently and better from an energy-efficiency, durability and environmental perspective. Joe, the principal in Building Science Corp. has brought the science of building into a very useable handbook. It is being regularly updated as new data and experiences are recorded. These books can be purchased from the Energy and Environmental Building Assoc. or EEBA: www.eeba.org The Not So Big House, by Susan Susanka, Taunton Press. A huge house and green building are really an oxymoron. If greenbuilding includes using less of the earth’s resources to build our homes, it does not mean we cannot build very useful and attractive homes. This book helps stimulate your green imagination from a design perspective. Also see some of her other books which have a similar theme. Healthy House Building, by John Bower Attempting to build a house that is healthy for its residents will almost always lead you to build a green or sustainable house. In this book, John takes you step by step through the building of a healthy house. Green Building Guidelines, This book is a product of the Sustainable Building Industries Council. It is a very user-friendly comprehensive piece, prepared by a number of the most thoughtful and respected persons in green building. It can be ordered via Oikos, the Green Building Source, www.oikos.com The Philosophy of Sustainable Design, by Jason F. McLennan If you have an interest in digging deeper into the reasons why sustainable design is an imperative for our time and the deep roots that undergird its development, you will find this a satisfying book. The author outlines basic principles that underlie all sustainable/green design.

Websites

Magazines/Journals

Books