More and more homeowners today want houses that are healthy to live in and cause minimal damage to the environment. That's what green building is all about.

Your Green Home is written for homeowners planning a new home-whether you are working with an architect or builder, or serving as your own general contractor. Intended to improve the overall environmental performance of new houses being built, the book sets out to answer some of the big-picture questions relating to having a home designed and built-and getting what you want.

Your Green Home covers:

• Home location and its relationship to the community
• Site design
• Construction systems
• Building design to optimize energy performance
• Renewable energy systems
• Material selection
• Indoor environmental quality
• Water efficiency

Written by the founder of BuildingGreen-North America's premier green building authority-this book will prove useful not only to future homeowners, but also to designers and builders seeking to meet this demand. Building professionals well-versed in green building may find this a useful book to give to potential clients to convey the scope and principles of green building.

Alex Wilson is president of BuildingGreen, Inc. and executive editor of Environmental Building News, the oldest and most respected publication serving North America's green building industry. A green building expert since the 1970s, he has authored countless articles on the topic and several books, including Green Building Products, the Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, and Green Development: Integrating Ecology and Real Estate.

Aimed at future homeowners as well as designers and builders, this accessible text explains how to plan a new home that is both environmentally friendly and a healthful place to live. Topics covered include (for example) energy efficiency, water conservation, renewable energy, landscaping, and cost considerations. Wilson is executive editor of Environmental Building News. Distributed in the U.S. by Consortium Books Sales and Distribution. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Written for homeowners planning a new home, this text answers some of the big-picture questions relating to having a home designed and built that is healthy to live in and causes minimal damage to the environment.

Alex Wilson is president of BuildingGreen, Inc. and serves as executive editor of Environmental Building News, a monthly newsletter on environmentally responsible building design and construction, and as coeditor of the GreenSpec product directory.