10 Clever and Crazy ‘Green’ Homes For Sale
Green doesn’t necessarily mean Birkenstocks, granola and a lack of style. As the sustainable movement has become more than just a passing trend, homes that are green — either by design or function — are becoming a little less stark and a little more fashion forward.
Green doesn’t necessarily mean Birkenstocks, granola and a lack of style. As the sustainable movement has become more than just a passing trend, homes that are green — either by design or function — are becoming a little less stark and a little more fashion forward.
One thing to note first off, however, is that “green” can mean a variety of things, and it’s common to find “green” elements in many homes today. While new apartments and condos have counter tops made out of recycled materials or beams constructed with reclaimed wood, the homes featured below take it a step further. Many, at a very minimum, comply with the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED standards. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a third-party verification that the building was designed and built with an aim to improve performance in: “energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.”
The final standard of green goes all the way down to the bones of the house; the size of it and how it’s situated on a plot of land. As architect Richard Taylor notes, “A truly green home is green from the inside out; the ‘green’ can’t be separated from the ‘home.’ ”
Click through the slideshow to see what a 'green' home looks like.