How to Build An Eco-Friendly House

• Opt
  for eco-friendly materials when building your home. Only purchase
  what you need, trying to not overbuy and throwing away the materials
  that go unused. Also, try purchasing local materials if at all
  possible, that are natural and sustainable.

• Have
  solar panels installed in order to take the place of regular
  electricity. You can also look into investing in the smaller solar
  panel, which is used for a water heater.

• Make
  sure your house is well insulated in order to ensure energy
  efficiency.

• Install
  energy efficient light bulbs only throughout the house.

• Paint
  your house with eco-friendly paint, which is becoming more and more
  available these days. A great source for eco-friendly paint, which a
  lot of people have access to, is Home Depot.

• Install
  water saving devices on your sinks and showers.

• Purchase
  the Eco Friendly House Plan, which is an architect-created house
  plan that was designed from the ground on up to be environmentally
  friendly and energy efficient.

Check
out what AlterNet has to say on their website about building your own
environmentally friendly house, which may or may not come in use for
many of you out there who are thinking about building your own
environmentally house:

“There
are many ideas as to what constitutes an “eco-home,”
depending upon how pure one wants to be. But certain common
elements-such as energy efficiency, responsible materials sourcing
and minimal landscape disruption-must be in place to meet most
environmentalists’ criteria. And with technologies improving and
prices coming down, eco-homes are no longer the domain of the
wealthy, as even a modest building can incorporate green features.”

“Other
organizations also weigh-in on what constitutes an “eco-home.”
Juliet Cuming, of the Vermont-based nonprofit Earth Sweet Home
Institute, lays out several criteria that anyone can use when
planning the design and construction of an environmentally-friendly
home: Does the home plan reduce energy and resources? Does it re-use
existing resources? Are materials used recyclable or biodegradable
once no longer usable? Is the home healthy to producers and occupants
and also to the installers of the materials? Is the plan affordable
and available? Will the resulting home be durable?

“The ideal eco-home would be built
in a place where it will have as little negative impact as possible
on the plants, wildlife and humans in the area,” says Cuming.
“The home will be sited and designed to take advantage of shade
in the summer and sun in the winter.” She adds that a true
eco-home should be crafted out of materials derived from local
sources.”

jennl | My Bio & Articles

Jennifer is a freelance writer, and has written for various health and environmental blogs, which includes running her own green living blog. Currently she is studying to become a C++ Programmer.