What Are the Latest Global Trends in Green Design?

Sarah Van Arsdale - When we started doing the research for this article on international trends in Green design, we kept coming across one website: Inhabitat, one of our favorite design websites. Inhabitat doesn't bill itself as a strictly Green design site, but rather as a "weblog devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and home design toward a smarter and more sustainable future."

We weren't surprised that we kept stumbling upon Inhabitat in our search, as we often turn to them when we're looking for new ideas in Green design. Founded by Jill Fehrenbacher, a freelance designer, Green design consultant, and architecture student, Inhabitat now has fourteen editors in New York and Los Angeles, and a full staff of design writers.

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Should We Get a Home Energy Audit?

Question

Winter's coming, the weather's getting colder, and already we're feeling drafts coming from around our windowsills and outer doors. My neighbor suggested we get a home energy audit. What do you think? (Armon from Urbana, IL)

Answer 

Thanks for your question, Armon. We went to our friends at casaGURU, Canada's home remodeling experts, and this video talks about home energy audits with Kai Milliard of Green Communities Canada and offers some tips for working with a home energy advisor. If you have a home energy audit, make sure it's conducted by a licensed and reputable firm; check out local contractors online at a service like Angie's List or CasaGURU. A good audit could help you save money in the short and long run. Also look into the Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency and any energy rebates and incentives offered by your community and state. An energy audit can often be a great first step towards making your home greener and more energy (and cost) efficient. Here's a helpful video from Planet Green.com on how an energy audit works in a home.