Those are serious problems but they can be avoided by building green There are many ways to go green Stores now sell healthier low-VOC or zero-VOC paints Houses can also be built with nontoxic materials such as adobe and straw bales In general natural materials are safer to use than man-made ones often called synthetics It can be harmful to breathe paint fumes 6
Adobe homes are suitable for hot dry climates Green homes start with good planning including where to put the house When possible a house in a cold climate should be built in a sunny spot and a house in a hot climate should be built in a shady spot Using shade is a natural way to keep a house cool in the summer 7
A house gets some free heat when the Sun shines in the windows This is called passive solar design During Window placement is important when designing a home winter in the Northern Hemisphere the Sun shines mostly from the south Houses here should have big south-facing windows Overhangs above the windows keep the Sun from coming in during hot summer days The north side of the house should have small windows or none at all DID YOU KNOW Earthships are passive solar homes that are made from recycled materials like old tires Earthships can be built into the side of a hill for extra insulation The front of the building is almost all windows These homes usually have electricity powered by the Sun or the wind They are usually designed to catch rainwater that can be filtered and used in the home 8
Earth-bermed homes are buried halfway into a hillside Temperatures inside are usually stable Passive solar homes also use thermal mass to store and give off heat Rock and water both heat up in the Sun After the Sun goes down the heat slowly radiates off again Stone walls or floors provide thermal mass in rooms where the Sun hits them Some homes have tanks of water for thermal mass too Green homes are well insulated so they do not waste much energy Insulation keeps temperatures comfortable inside A tight seal keeps warm air from leaking out and cold air from getting in 9
