You hear about this matter everywhere.Green conscious architecture and design is here to stay.

Making your home a greener place is a commitment – to yourself, your family, your community and the world. But more than that, it is a learning process. As exciting new technologies, products and scientific breakthroughs constantly emerge, staying educated on the how's – as well as the whys – of maintaining a green home is the best way to ensure your efforts are as effective and beneficial as possible.

USGBC and the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Foundation have partnered to create the first nationwide green residential remodeling guidelines for existing homes. The guidelines, comprised of best practices using a “whole-house” approach, will be supplemented by learning programs and print and electronic resources for building professionals and homeowners as part of the REGREEN program.

The 2007 McGraw-Hill Construction SmartMarket Report on Attitudes & Preferences for Remodeling and Buying Green Homes shows a growing market for green homebuilding and green renovation, even amid a downturn in the housing market at large.The variety of reasons people buy green homes is huge. The top four reasons given by the participants in the McGraw-Hill study are operational cost savings (90 percent), environmental concerns (84 percent), occupant health (82 percent) and potential higher resale value (73 percent).

Green renovation is also steadily growing in popularity. Nearly 40 percent of home remodeling is being done green, the study reports. The most-used green products for home remodeling projects are new or replacement windows (47 percent), HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) systems (44 percent) and new window equipment or hardware (32 percent).