Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, you know that building green has been all the rage.  Going green is great; I’m all for it; the Stapleton subdivision is one of Denver’s most popular and shining examples of sustainable construction.  Environmental stewardship is the thing to do, and following the three Rs in everyday life is getting easier and more accessible every day, especially here in Boulder.  So it follows that green home building is a common topic of conversation; I just happened to have no idea what it really meant.

As it turns out, building green can mean different things, and there are even some controversies about what are really environmentally green building practices, and what are simply trendy perceptions.   Take, for example, flooring. I was recently speaking to a flooring expert who mentioned the ever-rising requests for bamboo.  You may have heard that bamboo flooring is considered “green” because it’s a renewable resource because it matures in five years instead of thirty. (There’s also cork flooring, which can be harvested without harming the plant.)  But I learned that there’s a distinction with alternative flooring that I hadn’t considered. Some bamboo is shipped from other countries, which means that fossil fuels play a big part in its transport.  Sometimes bamboo is treated with eco-unfriendly chemicals during processing. And because some owners want to keep expensive flooring protected as long as possible, that may mean finishing bamboo with a compound with high VOC levels.

It seems that the moral of the story is: Don’t stop using your good sense just because a product or practice makes green claims.  Continue to use the kind of common sense it takes to get along in every other facet of home ownership.

Other practices believed to encourage the greening of our neighborhoods and communities include:

• Keeping courtyards and driveways permeable, so that rainwater continues to penetrate into the ground and recharge the aquifer rather than run off into the street.
• Planting xeriscaped landscapes, using native plants grouped according to water usage.
• Using natural fibers for window treatments, upholstery and rugs: wool, cotton and linen, rather than synthetic fibers that may give off harmful gases.
• Spraying on expanding-foam insulation, installed on the underside of roof sheathing in the attic.
• Installing dual-pane, impact-resistant windows that provide good insulation and are resistant to debris during storms.
• Using insulated concrete–rigid foam blocks reinforced with steel are filled with poured concrete. Provides high insulation value and wind resistance.
• Sealing duct work with mastic, a concrete-based paste painted over joints to prevent air leakage.
• Installing air conditioning systems with a SEER (seasonal energy efficiency rating) of 15, exceeding the code minimum of 12.
• Using compact fluorescent lighting. Uses less energy, generates less heat, lasts longer than incandescents.
• Choosing Energy Star appliances: refrigerator, dishwasher, range, oven, microwave, top-loading washer and dryer and ceiling fans. Certified to exceed federal standards for energy efficiency by at least 20 percent.
• Choosing dual-flush toilets that uses 0.8 gallon flushes for liquid or light waste, 1.6 gallons for solid waste. Kohler says its dual-flush toilet can save up to 2,000 gallons of water per year.