Inman

New Web site helps homeowners go green

GreenHomeGuide, a community-based guide to environmentally sound home remodeling for Northern California homeowners, will debut on the Internet Aug. 23 at GreenHomeGuide.com.

The Web site will provide a forum and resource for green building professionals and homeowners to meet, inspire and advise one another on how to create healthier homes and healthier lives while supporting local businesses. The GreenHomeGuide’s launch will feature Northern California products and services; it will expand later to include other U.S. cities.

Homeowners can find green remodeling guidance for the kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and nursery, plus profiles of local building professionals and homeowners, product reviews and rankings, and a monthly “Perspectives” column offering inspiration for homeowners to switch to green building.

“GreenHomeGuide demystifies green building and motivates homeowners to adopt a green lifestyle,” said Willem Maas, publisher of GreenHomeGuide. “People can now easily discuss and share information about green building projects, products, and services to help them make their homes healthier, more beautiful and more environmentally friendly.”

Consumers describe their own green building experiences and share photos and recommended reading in the Guide’s “My Green Home” section. The first “My Green Home” profile will feature Yvon Chouinard, founder of outdoor clothing company Patagonia.

Building professionals showcase their green services and products via a basic or enhanced listing in the Guide’s directory.

Green-building experts rate products, including furniture, paints and stains, flooring, stone and tile, and countertops, for ecological, healthful, durable and resource-efficient attributes using a five-star ranking system. Consumers comment on product quality, aesthetics, price and ease of use.

David Gottfried, founder of the U.S. Green Building Council and author of “Greed to Green,” is the founding member of the Guide’s Advisory Board. He will write the first “Perspectives” column. Architects Anthony Bernheim and Sim Van der Ryn, and Jennifer Roberts, author of “Good Green Homes,” are slated to write upcoming “Perspectives” columns.

GreenHomeGuide has been developed with the active involvement of the local green building community. The Guide’s Technical Advisory Council (TAC) is a group of prominent green building experts who share their expertise with GreenHomeGuide’s management and audience of homeowners and professionals.

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