"A home using green products and materials uses less energy, water, and natural resources while creating less waste."

Green products and materials are made using environmentally friendly methods and used in the same ways. Selecting green items for your homeplans can be overwhelming considering the growing amounts on the market today. However, because of the growing amount of products, building green is becoming less expensive and eventually will cost no more or less than conventional building materials.

Selections can be establishment after the designer, builder, and homeowner iron out the details of project-specific environmental and sustainable goals. Careful research is then undergone to determine the best selection of green products. Some products advertise as "green" but are not actually good for the environment or the health of the homeowner. The environmental assessment process for green building products can be broken into a checklist of simple questions.

• What does the manufacturers literature say about the product?
• What is the products composition?
• Is the product biodegradeable?
• Can it be recycled?
• Is the manufacturing process energy efficient?
• Is the manufacturing process harmful to the environment?
• Is the product local?
• Were they tested by the industry's testing program?