The New Ecological Home: a Complete Guide to Green Building Options.

THE NEW ECOLOGICAL HOME: A Complete Guide to Green Building Options DANIEL D. CHIRAS

Every house that's built puts a drain on the environment. AS Chiras reports, 60 percent of all timber cut in the United States each year goes toward building homes. Each of the 1.2 million homes requires an average of 1,300 board feet of lumber, and each construction site generates 3 to 7 tons of waste. Once a house is built, it generally begins to burn fossil fuels for heating, cooling, and power. Chiras proposes that builders and homeowners can do many things to ease the environmental impact of houses and, while doing so, save money. Beginning chapters of this book offer scores of reasons why environmentally responsible, or green, building techniques are prudent for both new homes and remodeling jobs. Then, Chiras offers details about various types of energy, efficient design, passive solar heating and cooling, environmental landscaping, and nontoxic and natural building materials. Specific products are highlighted and discussed as Chiras explains, for instance, how waterless toilets work and what types of solar panels are available. He also profiles people who are putting these technologies to the test. The author notes that thousands of green building ideas are appropriate for all types of climates. Chiras ends the volume with a lengthy resource section. Chelsea Green, 2004, 325 p., b&w photos/illus., paperback, $35.00.