This difference was also evident in houshold products - from luxury hotels in Italy fully outfitted with CFLs to low-flow water fixtures and dual-flush toilets in many homes to small upright washers in even the most basic apartments, the kinds of products associated with our burgeoning US green movement today were already the norm in many parts of Europe back then.

On a recent trip overseas I happened to pick up a French architecture magazine for the flight home. I was pleasantly surprised to see that we had really caught up in the past six years - outside of being written in French, you would have been hard-pressed to distinguish this magazine from any of the leading US architecture magazines.

One article caught my eye, though, for it did point out a slight difference that needs to move across the pond. It was on a beautiful and practical prefab home, called the EvolutiV house by Olgga Architectes of Paris. The house itself is striking, made from two rectangular prefrabicated sections that can be rearranged to develop different floorplans and having exterior walls made from sections of wooden logs. The homes also come with the latest and greatest in eco-design: natural ventilation, rainwater collection, solar panels (both PV and thermal), green roof, radiant heating with an option for geothermal heating/cooling, and the typical eco-friendly materials throughout.

The most interesting piece of the story, though, is that the literature for the house and the articles written about it all refer to the home’s target energy usage: less than 48 kWh / m2 / year, which translates to about 4.4 kWh / ft2 / year. This is 70% less energy usage than the typical US home in similar climates.

It’s not the level of performance that makes this interesting, for many prefab options in the US can do as well. It’s that the media in France AND the architecture firm who designed the house feel compelled to advertise efficiency in terms of a single number that is easy to understand and can be used to compare this home to others one might choose. I’ve rarely if ever seen that in discussion of US prefab options (or other green homes) - outside of a LEED rating, we’re often left to guess exactly how eco-friendly that home is. We’d love to see this become more widespread in the US - information is power, and simple, objective numbers like this can help us separate the truly eco-friendly from innovative designs that are green in name (or advertising) only.

To see more photos of the Evolutiv house, click here to view the balance of this posting. (FYI, the EvolutiV house is about 800 square feet and is available in France for about $150,000.)

And click here to find great green prefab homes available in the US.

Read more of this story »

Which is why we decided to write about small green prefab rooms or homes - “weefabs” - so small that you actually might be able to put one in your backyard. They could serve as a “room-away-from-home” place for the inlaws, a quiet office or TV room out back, or simply a comforting, tranquil place to just hang out and relax. While not affordable compared to pre-made sheds at Home Depot, you can still secure most of these models without having to take out a new mortgage. Which is good, because at least right now most mortages harder to come by than a protest license in Beijing!

We’ve always liked Modern Shed - whether you live in a Mid-Century Modern home or a traditional Cape Cod style in New England, Modern Shed makes a model that will fit in with your design. They have many green features, and you can get several models for less than $10K. Shipping is included in the price, and they’re designed and shipped so that a relatively handy D-I-Y-er can do the install.

Read more of this story »

There are so many things you can do to make your home and life more eco-friendly that are FREE (for example recycling all you can, composting, taking shorter showers, walking to the store, using reusable grocery bags, dining by candlelight, saying no to bottled water and the list goes on and on and on…). There are also tons of things you can do that cost very little and SAVE YOU MONEY. Check out this list– spend only $100 and you will save over $500!

Read more of this story »

If you’re unfamiliar with the program, here’s a bit of background: Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Together, they established minimum standards for energy efficiency, above and beyond the federal standard. By purchasing Energy Star rated products, including clothes washers, dishwashers, refrigerators, and room AC units, Americans saved $16 billion on their utility bills in 2007 alone. Those lower utility bills translate into a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 27 million cars. Talk about a positive impact!

So when you’re ready to invest in a new appliance, you should definitely look for the Energy Star label. Many states even offer rebates on Energy Star appliances (check out the Database for State Incentives for Renewables and Energy Efficiencyfor details).

Even with Energy Star models, efficiency improvements can vary so it’s important to review all of the products available to select the best one for you. On the Energy Star site, each appliance category has its own product list that provides the details on each model’s efficiency. Here are a few standouts in each category:

Read more of this story »

The idea is that these high tech systems will minimize or eliminate the wasted energy from lights left on by accident, vampire loads from home equipment in the “off” state, thermostats set too high or low for usage patterns or climate conditions, etc - the automation systems themselves will set things right even if you forget. We’ve certainly written about how important it is to kill of these wasteful elements, but are they big enough to warrant buying one of these systems just to reduce them?

Read more of this story »

We get into quite a bit of detail below, but before you get into that here’s a very quick summary of geothermal heat pumps:

• Geothermal (or ground source) heat pumps can be incredibly efficient, delivering 3-6x as much energy for heating and cooling as you use to power the equipment;
• They are in some ways a renewable energy system, since they use the heat contained in the earth to provide heating / cooling;
• They do require extensive installation work, including excavation or drilling to install subsurface pipes; and
• They are more expensive than traditional heating/cooling equipment, but the payback period is less than five years almost everywhere in the country due to their greater efficiency.

Read more of this story »

A green condo can be a wonderful alternative for (the vast majority of) those of us who cannot afford to build a new green single-family home.  We want sustainable design, solar panels, energy-efficient appliances and so much more, but we can’t afford to build.  Viola– the green condo!

This week we cover many of the excellent green condos available in the Western United States.  There are so many to choose from it’s tough to pick just a selection to highlight here!

In the Los Angeles Area

Evo South is an exciting development in the heart of downtown LA.  It is an urban tower of steel and glass– 23 stories with 311 residences.  They are in the process of seeking LEED certification for the building.  The units feature such eco-friendly elements as Bosch Energy Star appliances, low-flow water fixtures, Nature’s Choice carpeting and more.

If you prefer the beachy side of life, Green On 19 is a cool townhouse development in Santa Monica. These townhomes are the first of their kind in Santa Monica, and there are five units in the development.  Architect Jesse Bornstein has integrated modern style, light and sustainability into his design.  The units meet Energy Star New Home standards and feature solar power, bamboo and concrete floors, LED landscape lighting, xeriscape landscaping, and more.

Read more of this story »

I live in Los Angeles and I prefer the ugly one! Please don’t get me wrong, my wife is very beautiful, but when it comes to solar power, I prefer the ugly one.

Let me explain, for the past few years there has been huge interest in Solar Electricity (photovoltaic’s, PV, or solar panels), there are lots of incentives at both a state and federal level, there are often photo opportunities for politicians, gazing towards the future over a vast array or solar panels. But there are problems with this vision: solar electricity is expensive to purchase and install; it has a long pay back period; it converts sunlight to usable energy fairly inefficiently, and because of that, you need quite a lot of roof space or land to put up enough panels to power your home.

The ugly one that I prefer is solar thermal, specifically solar hot water, a much older technology. It is also much cheaper to install, much more efficient, and has a much faster pay back. It can even be a do-it-yourself project if you are reasonably handy. As for the payback, that’s easy: you don’t have to pay for 70-100% of your hot water heating costs, and with a clever tweak, you can save 10-15,000 gallons of water annually, and reduce your water and electricity costs.

Read more of this story »

With many cities experiencing a real estate “slump”, homeowners around the country are looking for ways to stand out from the slew of homes on the market, while improving their home’s resale value. Other homeowners are planning for the future: a future of ever-rising energy prices.

Regardless of your situation, you may be asking yourself if green home improvements increase the home’s value. The answer isn’t as straight-forward as some might hope.

The old rules still apply…

Before we dive in, there are a few things to consider when thinking about making home improvements – green or not. First, remember the three rules of real estate: location, location, location. The return on your investment will depend on the value of your house and others in the neighborhood, as well as your local housing market. Other factors like the quality of the workmanship, and how soon you move after making the improvements weigh in as well.

Read more of this story »

But do you know about all the amazing green condo developments cropping up across the country? There are gorgeous, cutting-edge eco-friendly condos available or being built now in cities all around the U.S. We can’t possibly cover them all in this post, but we’ve selected a good sample. I will cover green condos in the West next week. Read on to find what might become your dream green home!

In Chicago, eco18 is an interesting development currently underway. Located in Chicago’s South Loop area, it provides access to plenty of public transportation options and also green spaces. eco18 is striving to attain a Gold Certification under the LEED program of the US Green Building Council. This is a lofty goal and we hope they make it! Their plans include a massive green roof, solar water heating, geothermal heating and cooling, rainwater reuse, energy-efficient lighting and much more. You can get a 1 bedroom/1 bath unit for around $285,000 or a 2 bedroom/2 bath unit for about $430,000. Learn more about eco18 here.

Read more of this story »

Built in Darmstadt, Germany, this structure is called Waldspirale or “Forest Spiral.” It was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, a celebrated Austrian architect and painter. Planted along the 12 floors of the rising roof are beech, maple, and lime trees. The structure even incorporates a running stream. The building comprises 105 apartments. In the tower on the Southeast corner, a restaurant and cocktail bar rises over the entire structure. Source: Wissenschaftsstadt Darmstadt.

Nestled in Pembrokeshire, in Southwest Wales, this structure is truly an eco-dream home. It was built about three years ago by a single family and their friends over the course of four months. The family estimates that it took about 1,000 to 1,500 hours of work and cost only about £ 3,000. It was constructed mostly out of logs, straw and mud, which acts as an effective insulator. According to the house’s inhabitants, the home “feels gentle. Feels to me more like being part of the (natural) world, less like a commodity in a box.” Source: Simondale.

Read more of this story »

According to the article, James and Kathleen Seligman decided to build a green second home in Three Rivers, California. The 969 sf, two-bedroom house has double-paned windows, energy-efficient appliances, clay-based wall coverings and no paint, and non-toxic cotton insulation. Additionally, the house was designed to accomodate solar panels (not sure if they were actually installed), sustainably harvested wood was used, and construction debris was recycled, as opposed to going to the landfill. Note however, they decided to go with the granite counters for stylistic purposes, rather than opt for some of the other sustainable counters on the market. But for the most part, this is a fairly impressive green home.

James and Kathleen also have their first home in Three Rivers, so this home will be lived in occassionally and rented out to tourists the rest of the time. Which brings us back to our initial inquiry. How green can a second home be? I think, imho, to determine whether a second home can be green, one must look to the first home. In this situation, the second home is an investment and many of the green features serve to lower operating costs, but as it relates to James and Kathleen, have they lessened their incremental impact on the environment at all? Not that I know of. Sure, it's better to build a green second home than a non-green second home, but in reality, the question of greenness cannot be separated from the occupants or the people. What changes do we see in the people? That's what going green is all about. Incremental change on a going forward basis.

So to answer the queston posed by the title to this post, one must look a little deeper. What is happening to the people? Any home can be a green home, but the question of whether something is or is not green also depends on the circumstances. Look at the circumstances and you decide. You tell me, how green can a second home be?

Image via Nancy Doniger.