Green living is no longer a kind of countercultural self-punishment in which you must stop enjoying the comfort and personal luxuries in order to give back to the environment.
In more recent years, green architecture firms, publications and building materials have crept from a small, obscure niche to the forefront of culture and design.
Environmentally conscious citizens who have yet to fully embrace the idea, or have still lukewarm feelings need not be afraid and let succumb to a greener lifestyle on all levels.
The realization that there is more available when it comes to green living than recycling is here. Now people need to start looking at home renovations and even architecture to live a greener life.
People may not realize it, but even the big home improvement chains, such as Home Depot and Lowe's, now stock green materials - for instance, certified wood harvested from renewable sources and insulation.
Also, there is several independent green building stores are opening throughout the United States.
Five years ago you would mention green building and get a lot of blank stares, but now green newsletters and publications, such as the monthly newsletter "Environmental Building News," a veritable bible for anybody leaning toward green, has promoted the idea of green architecture to reality.
That "known term" is relative, of course. What "green" means to one person is rarely what it means to another. By most, green living mixes amounts of ecological sensitivity, social responsibility and concern for your health.
Today builders and remodelers can easily put together a diverse palette of materials and techniques that fulfill the requirements for green living, not just for preservation, but also the idea of healthy living.
In many cases, green living is not just there for future advancements in ecologically living, but can be considered a necessity for health consciousness as well. In an article published in 2004 the World Health Organization to recommended upgrading formaldehyde -- a chemical found in many household products, such as glues, plywood and furniture foam - known as a credible carcinogen.
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