green-roofs / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

Choosing between vented and unvented roofs: a homeowner's and pro's guide A lot goes in to choosing a roof design. There is energy efficiency to consider, durability, ease of maintenance, and curb appeal. The roof you choose can make or break the aesthetic appeal of your home, so a roof design you enjoy looking at is a...

Commercial green roof case study AB Canada Nestled in the Oldman River valley in Lethbridge Alberta, the green roof on the Helen Schuler Nature Centre (HSNC) has been attracting local and international attention from visitors and living roof enthusiasts since its completion in 2013. On the roof of the building, a 200m2...

Urban heat island effect and how to mitigate it Have you ever noticed how much hotter it feels in the city on a sweltering summer day compared to the surrounding countryside? This phenomenon is known as the urban heat island effect, and it has significant impacts on human health, energy consumption, and the environment...

Being in the core of a city can be one of the greenest places to live. Transportation, services, and utilities are already there, not to mention usually the house itself. Despite all the advantages of the countryside, living outside of cities can have a negative impact on the environment. You can make your lifestyle in...

Are foam insulation panels a green choice? The short story is, maybe. And the long story is, well.... When we launched Ecohome about a decade ago, our mission was to create a green building website where homeowners and builders could learn how to make informed design and product choices and build sustainable, energy-ef...

For those that aren't made for the bustling lifestlyle of cities, small towns can be a dream come true. The nature of small towns is one of community and accessible downtown cores. Essential services like grocery stores, banks and post offices are usually grouped closely together, as are schools, so children can often ...

Housing is an enormous source of carbon emissions, so it is also a place where we have tremendous room for improvement. This building guide will walk you through the steps than can help you minimize your personal emissions as much as possible, whether you are building, buying or renting. Keep in mind, this is not a sac...

Natural building insulation materials In order to combat the climate change impact of the built environment, natural insulation materials such as hemp insulation, cellulose, wood fiber and grass insulation help us meet emission targets because they act as carbon storage. We are living in a time when the embodied energy...

The cleaner burning process (than diesel fuel) and price has made heating and cooking with natural gas quite popular in the last couple of decades. However, popularity put a pretty heavy dent in supply, so much so that alternative sources are being explored to meet demand. There are some potentially greener sources of ...

DIY green roof installation The following DIY green roof video shows the steps needed to ensure your green roof will not leak. Watch more Green Building Guide videos from Ecohome on YouTube here   The most common building material used for roofing in North America is asphalt shingles, and because of their poor durabil...

Working with charitable housing groups like Habitat for Humanity, the CaGBC will administer free registrations and certifications under the internationally-recognized Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification program, which addresses homes as well as a broad range of other buildi...