...more Information for Green Building Assistance

Green Product Directories

Among all the truly green products comes the risk of "greenwashing;" that is, products that are advertised as green without truly offering environmental or health benefits. The directories below will help you sort through the claims and find the products that best meet your needs. But please note: Inclusion or exclusion of any product in these directories does not represent endorsement by the U.S. Green Building Council.

  • GreenSpec Directory: The online GreenSpec® Directory lists product descriptions for over 2,100 environmentally preferable products. Products are chosen to be listed by BuildingGreen editors. They do not charge for listings or sell ads.
  • Green Building Pages: Green Building Pages is an online sustainable design and decision-making tool for building industry professionals and environmentally and socially responsible consumers.
  • Green2Green: Green2Green.org features comprehensive information regarding green building products, materials and practices. The site offers side-by-side comparisons of products using a variety of environmental, technical and economic criteria.
  • Oikos: Oikos is a World Wide Web site devoted to serving professionals whose work promotes sustainable design and construction.
  • The Green Guide: National Geographic's Green Guide offers staff-written reviews of a host of products, ranging from appliances, home furnishings and home improvement products to personal care and pet supplies.
  • Good To Be Green: Good To Be Green is a directory of green building products, sustainable building materials and green building service providers. Products must: be made out of recycled materials; ensure a low environmental impact during the construction, operation and/or demolition of the building; conserve natural resources like energy, wood and water; and improve air quality.

Incentives

Beyond the health and environmental benefits of living in a green home, many local and state governments, utility companies and other entities across the country offer rebates, tax breaks and other incentives for adding eco-friendly elements to your life. Following are just a few of the many resources to help you find those incentives in your area.

  • Find local incentives for building LEED buildings, including homes, at this searchable database.
  • Through the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the U.S. government offers several tax breaks and incentives for efficiency upgrades to homes.
  • DSIRE, the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, connects you to local, state, federal and utility incentives available for switching to renewable or efficient energy use. It is a nonprofit project funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through the North Carolina Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council.
  • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency links to many of the sources of funding for green building that are available nationally and at the state and local levels for homeowners, industry, government organizations and nonprofits in the form of grants, tax credits, loans and other sources.
  • The U.S. government’s ENERGY STAR® site connects consumers, home builders and others to federal tax credits for using energy-efficient products.

Links

More information on greening your home and your lifestyle.

153 Ways to Go Green

Bankrate.com helps you get started right away in any of these eight areas broken out three ways: quick fixes, short-term fixes and fixes to consider over the long haul.

Personal Emissions Calculator

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has developed tools to help individuals (and households) reduce greenhouse gas emissions and take action. Businesses and organizations interested in educating their employees and members about what they can do at home to help protect our climate can also use these tools.

Consumer Consequences

American Public Media's™ interactive game designed to illustrate the impact of our lifestyles on the Earth. Consumer Consequences will ask you a series of questions about your lifestyle, and as you play, it will show you how many "Earths" of natural resources it would take to sustain all 6.6 billion humans… if everyone lived like you.

Alliance for Climate Protection

The Alliance for Climate Protection, with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore as its Board chairman, has as its mission to persuade the American people — and people elsewhere in the world — of the importance and urgency of adopting and implementing effective and comprehensive solutions for the climate crisis. It offers tips on living a greener life, profiles people who have led the way in fighting climate change, provides resources and information, and asks you to take a seven-point pledge to help protect the environment.

Healthy Child Healthy World

Healthy Child Healthy World is dedicated to protecting the health and well being of children from harmful environmental exposures. We educate parents, support protective policies, and engage communities to make responsible decisions, simple everyday choices, and well-informed lifestyle improvements to create healthy environments where children and families can flourish.

Build Green Schools

From the U.S. Green Building Council, Build Green Schools is a great tool for learning about the environmental, health, financial and educational benefits of green schools and for finding ways to get involved in your community.