Green building materials are composed of renewable, rather than nonrenewable resources. Green materials are environmentally responsible because impacts are considered over the life of the product. Depending upon project-specific goals, an assessment of green materials may involve an evaluation of one or more of the criteria.

Overall material / product selection criteria:

• Resource efficiency
• Indoor air quality
• Energy efficiency
• Water conservation
• Affordability

Resource Efficiency can be accomplished by utilizing materials that meet the following criteria:

• Recycled Content: Products with identifiable recycled content, including postindustrial content with a preference for postconsumer content.
• Natural, plentiful or renewable: Materials harvested from sustainably managed sources and preferably have an independent certification (e.g., certified wood) and are certified by an independent third party.
• Resource efficient manufacturing process: Products manufactured with resource-efficient processes including reducing energy consumption, minimizing waste (recycled, recyclable and or source reduced product packaging), and reducing greenhouse gases.
• Locally available: Building materials, components, and systems found locally or regionally saving energy and resources in transportation to the project site.
• Salvaged, refurbished, or remanufactured: Includes saving a material from disposal and renovating, repairing, restoring, or generally improving the appearance, performance, quality, functionality, or value of a product.
• Reusable or recyclable: Select materials that can be easily dismantled and reused or recycled at the end of their useful life.
• Recycled or recyclable product packaging: Products enclosed in recycled content or recyclable packaging.
• Durable: Materials that are longer lasting or are comparable to conventional products with long life expectancies.

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is enhanced by utilizing materials that meet the following criteria:

• Low or non-toxic: Materials that emit few or no carcinogens, reproductive toxicants, or irritants as demonstrated by the manufacturer through appropriate testing.
• Minimal chemical emissions: Products that have minimal emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Products that also maximize resource and energy efficiency while reducing chemical emissions.
• Low-VOC assembly: Materials installed with minimal VOC-producing compounds, or no-VOC mechanical attachment methods and minimal hazards.
• Moisture resistant: Products and systems that resist moisture or inhibit the growth of biological contaminants in buildings.
• Healthfully maintained: Materials, components, and systems that require only simple, non-toxic, or low-VOC methods of cleaning.
• Systems or equipment: Products that promote healthy IAQ by identifying indoor air pollutants or enhancing the air quality.

Energy Efficiency can be maximized by utilizing materials and systems that meet the following criteria:

• Materials, components, and systems that help reduce energy consumption in buildings and facilities.

Water Conservation can be obtained by utilizing materials and systems that meet the following criteria:

• Products and systems that help reduce water consumption in buildings and conserve water in landscaped areas.

Affordability can be considered when building product life-cycle costs are comparable to conventional materials or as a whole, are within a project-defined percentage of the overall budget.

Green Building Materials for your home
Many environmentally conscious home builders are crafting homes by using green building materials. Even if you’re not in the market to buy a new home, though, you can help to stop global warming and protect the environment when you replace old appliances or remodel.

My husband never quite forgave me when I gave the buyers of our last home the new front-loading washer. But it was a stickling point for them, and I wasn’t going to blow the sale over a $1,000 appliance.

So when the washer / dryer combo unit that came with our present home broke down and parts were unavailable to repair it, our home protection plan offered to replace it for free. Except the appliance they were going to give us was a replica of our existing model, which wasn’t energy efficient. A little known aspect of many home protection plans is the company will generally credit you the replacement cost and let you pay the difference for an upgrade at wholesale pricing.

This was an opportune time, I figured, to make amends with my husband and give him the front-loading washer and dryer of his dreams. After all, he does the laundry in my house. But buying green appliances isn’t the only way you can green your home. Here are a dozen other ideas

Go to any home improvement store, and you’ll find aisles reserved for green building materials. Some of these green building supplies are legitimate and others could be considered questionable, depending on which environmentalist you ask. If you are like most Americans — concerned about global warming and protecting the environment — do your homework and investigate the origin, harvesting methods and production of green materials before purchasing.

Green floors are typically made from renewable or recycled products. These non-toxic flooring materials are said to be safe for the environment and for people, and can be installed in an eco-friendly manner without harmful gas emissions.

• Cork Floors. – Cork is made from stripped tree bark, leaving the trees intact. It is warm and inviting, but cork can yellow in sunlight, scratches easily and cannot come into contact with water.
• Bamboo Flooring – Bamboo is a grass, not a wood. It renews itself every 3 to 5 years. Inexpensive bamboo is generally younger and not very durable, so ask for premium bamboo, made from adhesives that do not contain formaldehyde. Bamboo can be nailed, glued, stapled or floated, and comes in horizontal or vertical patterns. Do not install in areas that get wet.
• Recycled Carpeting – Most green carpeting is made from recycled plastic food and beverage containers. Their vibrant color options tend to last longer than nylon carpets. This shock-free static product does not emit volatile organic compounds (VOC), which are part of the typical “new carpet smell” but can irritate the lungs, and recycled carpets are stain resistant.
• Linoleum Flooring – Linoleum is a manufactured product made from natural raw materials such as linseed oil, a binding agent obtained from pine trees (without harming the trees), renewable wood products, ground limestone and jute, which is a plant fiber. Linoleum floors are stain resistant, do not absorb water and are biodegradable at the end of its useful life, generally around 40 years.
• Eco-Friendly Wood Flooring – Certain types of exotic hardwoods such as Brazilian Cherry or White Tigerwood are grown in South America. These are harvested from well-managed forests with renewable resources. Brazilian Cherry is engineered wood made from 3-ply construction using formaldehyde-free adhesives. It is generally more expensive but resilient and harder than oak.

Green Building Materials
Reclaimed or salvaged lumber can be used to build walls, as support beams or in roof construction. Many green companies specialize in obtaining building materials from older homes that are about to be torn down or dismantled. Instead of filling up landfills, previously used lumber is put back into new construction.

Environmentally conscious home owners can buy hand-hewn wood beams or rough sawn lumber such as oak, cherry, maple or pine, many of which are aged to a density and hardness that you cannot find in new lumber.

Solar Energy
Solar means sun in Latin. Solar energy uses the sun’s power, either in passive applications such as heating water in swimming pools, or directly converting it to electricity using photovoltaic cells. It works through a process called photovoltaic energy. When bits of solar energy, called photons, are absorbed by a solar cell, electricity is generated.

To provide solar power, solar companies install large, flat panels on top of roofs, and each panel contains grids of solar cells. It works best in wide, open locations that get plenty of sun. Some systems can store energy for use at night or on cloudy days.

Many utility companies, especially in California, offers rebates and credits to home owners who install solar panels. In addition, excess electricity can also roll-back the solar power owner’s electrical meter — in essence, sending electricity back to the utility company — netting home owners a credit.

Energy-Efficient Windows
Sunlight comes through windows in a visible and invisible spectrum. The light we can see spans all the visible frequencies. You can use a prism to see how white light is actually made up of a spectrum from red through blue and violet. The light humans cannot see are infrared and ultraviolet, which fade furniture and floors. Low-e is a hard glaze coating on windows that block some of the damaging rays, while reducing heat loss in the winter and keeping homes cooler in the summer.

Dual pane windows offer insulation against the elements and soundproofing qualities. After I installed dual pane windows, I no longer woke up when the sprinklers came on in the morning. Many energy-efficient windows qualify for rebates and credits.

Energy-Efficient Products
ENERGY STAR is a government-backed program that identifies energy efficient products, from compact fluorescent bulbs to computer monitors to air conditioners. ENERGY STAR says compact fluorescent light bulbs use 75% less energy and last 10 times longer than regular light bulbs. Some people don’t like them because the spiral design is ugly and they cost more than incandescent bulbs. But not all compact fluorescent light bulbs are squirrelly looking. And the initial expenditure to buy energy-efficient light bulbs is actually a lot less in the long run when compared to the life expectancy of regular light bulbs.

Consumers are also offered energy-efficient appliances such as refrigerators, microwaves, dishwashers, washers and dryers. Wisdom says buy appliances that sport the ENERGY STAR label.