Laid out in an easy-to-follow format with step-by-step instructions, special tips, and material guides, this reference makes it easier than ever to remodel, renovate, or decorate a home without hurting the planet.

There is no "one-size-fits-all" plan for so-called "green" homes; rather, there are universal principles of design that can be applied to individual tastes and needs. Architect Angela Dean offers a variety of ways to incorporate green building into your home, including using healthy building materials such as straw bales and natural flooring, taking advantage of local materials and resources, reusing gray water for landscaping, and incorporating passive solar design. Her goal is to teach people how to think about building sustainable homes. Green by Design provides a thorough analysis of what it means to build green and offers advice on what to consider when designing a sustainable home. Green by Design features full-color photographs and line drawings of floor plans show different examples of successful sustainable homes. It also includes in-depth case studies of more than a dozen homes so readers planning a green home can see what worked for others. By providing people with knowledge, inspiration, and the ability to ask the right questions (and understand the answers) Green by Design puts home builders and owners on a path to creating beautiful, environmentally responsible homes that they can be proud to live in. Angela Dean, AIA, is principal architect of AMD Architecture in Salt Lake City. She specializes in environmentally responsible designs to create healthy, comfortable buildings that are in harmony with the environment

In this eloquent plea for compassion and respect for all species, journalist and gardener Nancy Lawson describes why and how to welcome wildlife to our backyards. Through engaging anecdotes and inspired advice, profiles of home gardeners throughout the country, and interviews with scientists and horticulturalists, Lawson applies the broader lessons of ecology to our own outdoor spaces. Detailed chapters address planting for wildlife by choosing native species; providing habitats that shelter baby animals, as well as birds, bees, and butterflies; creating safe zones in the garden; cohabiting with creatures often regarded as pests; letting nature be your garden designer; and encouraging natural processes and evolution in the garden. The Humane Gardener fills a unique niche in describing simple principles for both attracting wildlife and peacefully resolving conflicts with all the creatures that share our world.

Based on the proven premise that "individuals are perfectly designed to get the outcomes they get", The Power of Living By Design provokes your thoughts using a framework called the Successful Life Systems Design Model to guide you in understanding choices you’ve made in your life, either consciously or unconsciously. Integrating classic success principles from over twenty resources as alternative choices, The Power of Living By Design then provides a sequenced system to assure your future choices are aligned to efficiently work together toward your desired success. As builders follow the architect’s plans to remodel an outdated house into a beautiful home, with lessons from The Power of Living By Design, you can use the framework to identify the rooms in your life that merit remodelling and the sequenced system to create a personal blueprint for reconstruction. You become your own architect and builder of the future you yearn. For individuals that seek to understand the cause and effect of their choices and are looking for a systematic approach to changing some choices in their life, The Power of Living By Design is an integration of proven strategies and techniques to make a difference in designing a life of fulfillment.

In a time of climate change and mass extinction, how we garden matters more than ever: “An outstanding and deeply passionate book.” —Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals Plenty of books tell home gardeners and professional landscape designers how to garden sustainably, what plants to use, and what resources to explore. Yet few examine why our urban wildlife gardens matter so much—not just for ourselves, but for the larger human and animal communities. Our landscapes push aside wildlife and in turn diminish our genetically programmed love for wildness. How can we get ourselves back into balance through gardens, to speak life's language and learn from other species? Benjamin Vogt addresses why we need a new garden ethic, and why we urgently need wildness in our daily lives—lives sequestered in buildings surrounded by monocultures of lawn and concrete that significantly harm our physical and mental health. He examines the psychological issues around climate change and mass extinction as a way to understand how we are short-circuiting our response to global crises, especially by not growing native plants in our gardens. Simply put, environmentalism is not political; it's social justice for all species marginalized today and for those facing extinction tomorrow. By thinking deeply and honestly about our built landscapes, we can create a compassionate activism that connects us more profoundly to nature and to one another.

The human species has thrived because we were healthy and able to adapt to a variety of changes throughout our history. Our health today is deteriorating under the influence of accelerating change to where we may not be prepared to continue to thrive - unless we look to our past and identify lessons that may be fundamental for not only our continued survival as a species, but to live healthier and more productive lives. Living By Design identifies why we have been successful and what we must do to continue to be successful as individuals and as a species. As a practical guide it offers conclusions not ordinarily found in other health books. Many ideas presented are confrontational and meant to move the reader to question further and take action to change. While the laws of our design for health are quite simple, returning to principles of our design is challenging. A return to living by design requires discipline, but the rewards outweigh the suffering we may avoid by living otherwise.

"An essential introduction to sustainable domestic design." —Dwell magazine How to Achieve Style and Sustainability Green Interior Design is the most comprehensive guide to sustainable building, designing, and decorating on the market. This beautifully illustrated guide covers every detail of your home—from the drywall to the finial on the curtain rod—and how to find the most environmentally friendly versions of products and décor. This second edition of Green Interior Design is meant as much for the budget DIYer as it is for the luxury homebuilders looking to dip their toes into sustainability. Sprinkled among the chapters, readers will find: Digestible how-tos for quick updates Fun DIY projects Quick tips on repurposing and upcycling Helpful resources and buying guides Inspiring home tours Unconventional advice from designers (e.g., “Don’t buy anything!”) We hope readers carry this reference guide with them as they decorate apartments, furnish their first properties, and build their dream homes from the ground up. The second edition’s interactive structure allows you, the reader, to choose your own adventure: go into the weeds and get granular with purchasing decisions for your home, or take a more generalized approach to your green design project. Whichever path you choose, know that it’s more important than ever before to act sustainably. “Going green” is more than just a trend: It’s a global economic and social necessity.