You’ve all heard the tired mantras about changing your lightbulbs and recycling at home in order to save the planet – are you yawning yet? Many consumers think that going green is a gesture of self-sacrifice that often comes at great expense and inconvenience – but nothing could be further from the truth. What many don’t realize is that going green is not really about doing something good “for the planet” but is instead about improving your own quality of life through making your environment safer and healthier. And one of the easiest places to start leading a greener and healthier life is in the home.

No one better epitomizes smart, healthy and stylish green living than Ecofabulous founder and cradle-to-cradle green designer Zem Joaquin. This eco jetsetter and green girl about town is well known for her phenomenal green parties, her insightful analysis of green products over on her site Ecofabulous, and her ability to make eco-friendly lifestyle choices feel glamorous and fun. We recently sat down with Zem to find out more about her gorgeous green home in the beautiful hills of Marin County, CA, and get her personal tips and tricks on how to make your home cleaner, greener and healthier through the power of smart design. Read on to find out about Zem’s secret tips for a green home, including – believe it or not – foot pedals on sinks!

Read the rest of 5 Tips to Make Your Home Safe, Green & Healthy from Zem Joaquin

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Read the rest of 5 Tips to Green Your Home From Organic Architect Eric Corey Freed

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While conjuring up comfort in the home seems like a basic principle, it’s a far more complex process for architect & remodeling guru Sarah Susanka, who believes that comfort can significantly influence the sustainability of your personal abode. With her mantra of “build better, not bigger,” Susanka promotes quality over quantity when remodeling a home. Through transforming your living space into a more beautiful and comfortable environment, Susanka says that any home’s occupants will automatically take better care of their space in a more sustainable way. We sat down with Susanka to get the low-down on how to do more with less when revamping your space.

Read the rest of 5 Tips for a Green Home Remodel from Eco Architect Sarah Susanka

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Post tags: 5 Tips, eco home, green architecture, Green Building, green design, Green for your Home, green home, green remodeling, green your home, greenbuilding, Greenbuilding for dummies, HomeExpertSeries, Marvin Windows, MarvinWindows, not so big life, not so big remodeling, Sarah Susanka, Susanka, sustainable design, Sustainable remodeling, the green architect, the not so big life

Cutting back on your energy usage is one of the best ways to bring down your electricity bill. But did you know that making simple changes to not just your wattage consumption but the way your home retains and expels air can dramatically transform the way you experience your spaces and use electricity? Joining us this week to share 5 Tips on how we can better green our homes is green visionary and sustainable pioneer David Johnston who focuses on easy changes you can make with your appliances, air exchange, insulation and even windows that will pave the way to dramatic savings. Undoubtedly an expert on all things energy, David shares his over 30 years of experience and gives us a snapshot of some of the best ways we can reduce our energy consumption by up to 50%!

Read the rest of 5 Tips to Cut Your Electricity Bill With Energy Efficiency Expert David Johnston

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This year’s record breaking summer high temperatures and general worrisome warming trend don’t necessarily mean that the coming winter will be a walk in the park. Before the cold weather strikes, get your home buttoned up and ready for it with our expert hands-on game plan, which will not only make your home more comfortable and energy efficient, but save you some money while you’re at it. From big changes that will knock hundreds of dollars off your energy bill to smaller ones that need just a bit of elbow grease and a few materials from your local hardware store, we’ll show you what you need to get the job done! So no matter if you rent or own your house, check out these 7 handy tips that we promise will make a real difference in keeping you warm and your energy bill manageable this winter.

Read the rest of 7 Winter Home Improvement Tips to Save You Money and Energy In the Cold Season

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Over the last few weeks our exclusive Green Home Expert editorial series has brought you a bounty of tips on how to green your home with advice from the greatest green minds in architecture, interior design, and home energy. While the last four installments of the Green Home Expert Series have focused on bigger picture alterations you can make to green your home, our last article will focus on one of the most important elements to maintaining a green home: windows! Windows aren’t just a portal to the outside world — they can improve the comfort of your home, the interior light and ambiance, the ventilation, and above all, they can dramatically increase your energy savings. Joining us this week is Marvin Windows Expert, Christine Marvin, who is among the fourth generation to work for the family-owned and sustainably operated made-to-order window and door company. Christine provides us with a wealth of knowledge, giving us her top 5 considerations for transforming our homes with new windows.

Read the rest of How to Green Your Home With Windows From Marvin Windows Expert Christine Marvin

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Our spectacular Green Home Expert Series has enlisted the help of five of the world’s top green experts in the fields of architecture, interiors, and energy to help you turn your home into a sustainable sanctuary – from your basement floor to the top of your roof. But for those of you who may have missed an installment or two, here’s your chance to catch up on the entire series! Hit the jump to check out ways to turn your pad into a stylish green haven from Ecofabulous founder Zem Joaquin, how to green your home with windows from Marvin Windows expert Christine Marvin, sustainable architectural advice from Organic Architect Eric Corey Freed, five eco renovation tips from green home remodeler Sarah Susanka, and a bevy of electricity curbing initiatives from energy efficiency expert David Johnston!

Read the rest of Green Home Expert Round-Up: All Our Top Experts’ Tips on How to Green Your Home!

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Post tags: 5 Tips, cut you energy bill, David Johnston, eco home, energy saving home upgrades, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green energy for the home, Green for your Home, green home, green homes, green remodeling, green your home, greenbuilding, Greenbuilding for dummies, HomeExpertSeries, Marvin Windows, saving energy, What’s working

TUNE IN FOR OUR NEW GREEN HOME EXPERT SERIES!

Many of us are in the midst of looking for ways to make our homes greener and more energy efficient, but where do we begin? What are the smartest changes we can make in transforming our homes from energy-hungry monsters to lean, green, energy-efficient machines? This month we’ll be kicking off a brand new editorial series where we’ll be enlisting the help of 5 different green design experts ready to share their top 5 tips on how anyone can green their home and save money and the environment while doing it! From sustainable building renovations, to interior alterations, to measures you can take to improve your energy consumption, jump ahead to see some of the stellar names we’ve got on tap to help you go green this year!

Read the rest of Inhabitat’s Green Home Expert Series Launches Next Week!

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