When you think of living green, you may consider the major impact on the environment made by our gas guzzling SUVs and sports cars. However, did you know that the majority of the issue with our environment comes from our houses and offices?

According to the McKinsey report, “Curbing Global Energy Demand: The Energy Productivity Opportunity”, our homes are the consumers of up 25 percent of the world’s energy and are therefore responsible for 19 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Keeping in mind that this number relates only to the homes we live in; not the massive office buildings that line city streets, the number is alarming as it stands. With these numbers of energy consumption, you can see why green housing is an idea whose time has come.

The reason we use so much energy inside of the home is widely because of all of our ‘necessary’ appliances. It is the rare home where you may not find a television or a computer, and very few homes are without the all essential microwave. But the biggest issue inside of the home is the heating and cooling that is needed. In fact, it is our heating and cooling systems that utilize up to sixty percent of our energy resources at home. Green housing does not necessarily cut the need for heating and cooling, but certain aspects of the green housing idea do cut back on the reliance of energy sapping systems.

To make a difference in your world is to be a part of the solution and not a part of the problem. Green housing is becoming increasingly popular because more and more people want to help solve the problems that have come with the advances in society. To live green doesn’t necessarily mean that you must go all solar panels and cut out the use of all appliances; but there are significant changes that you can make to help cut down on energy consumption.

Just what is green housing all about? Let’s take a look. Green housing can be comprised of a compilation of different aspects pertaining to building a home. Many families are opting to build homes using certified wood that has been harvested from sustainably managed sources. Green housing materials could also be products that have been manufactured with resource-efficient processes such as reduced energy consumption, minimized waste (recycled, recyclable and/or source reduced product packaging), and reduction of greenhouse gases.

The need for green housing and green building materials is clear. The availability of this sort of living may not be accessible to everyone at this point in time; but those who have begun to pave the way for better buildings have created an easier path for future improvements to the way we build and the way we impact the earth.

Until you can develop your own plan for a home constructed to utilize less energy, such as a round house, you can make small changes in the home you currently live in. Any move towards energy efficiency is a good one, even if it is one small step. One small step leads to many.

A green home design combines environmental decisions and resource efficiency into each step of building and development of an entire home to lower environmental impact. For a home to be considered ‘green’ it must focus on energy and water efficiency in the design, building and operation of the home. A green home design has to take into account the kind of impact the home has on the environment.

1. Build a home that is just the right size.

There is not necessary for a home to be any larger than what a family needs. Smaller designs use fewer materials, are easier on the environment and less expensive. It also costs much less to heat and cool a smaller house.

2. Use solar energy for heating water and electricity.

Both photovoltaic panels and solar water heating panels can be used for these. This is renewable energy that is effective, saves money and is better for greenhouse gas emissions and pollution.

3. Design a roof that will collect rain water to be used around the home.

It is very easy to design a roof that gutters the runoff to a central location to be collected. This water can be used for irrigation, washing clothes and flushing toilets.

4. Consider the type of building materials used in the design of the home.

Find local sources for materials and choose materials that are natural and gone through less industrial processing. The more natural the material, the less toxic it will be.

5. Use sunlight to provide light into the home.

Money can be saved if skylights, windows and light tunnels are used to provide lig

Laura J. Montes is committed to informing home builders and renovators about the latest green techniques and solutions. To explore this topic in more depth, visit the US’ Green Building council’s green home guide and visit some practical case studies on the subject of green home building. Thank you for informing yourself about sustainable residential design.