You can have your green house and live in it too, now, without waiting to buy a new 'green' home.

Green Builder Media, publishers of the Green Builder magazine, recently surveyed more than 250 residential builders and more than half of them reported buyers willing to pay a premium of between 11 to 25 percent more for green-built homes.

That's good news, given concerns over global warming.

A "green" home, built with sustainable and conservation-minded materials, designs and technology, uses less energy, water, and natural resources; creates less waste; and is healthier and more comfortable for the occupants than homes built otherwise.

Less energy needed, means less dependence on fossil fuels. Burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming which leads to potentially disastrous climatic change, according to the vast majority of scientists.

A recent CBS poll revealed 70 percent of American adults think global warming is an environmental problem having a serious impact.

However, buying a new green home isn't your only option.

You can build green elements into your existing home, save on operating costs and there's a good chance you can enjoy tax benefits, thanks to the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Basic weatherizing and energy-saving techniques, should be second nature for home owners by now. Programmable thermostats, plugging air leaks, insulation, using fluorescent light bulbs and Energy Star appliances, water conservation and maintaining heating and cooling systems are all green approaches to life at home.

But the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System, created in 1993 by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) offers a host of other steps you can take to make an even larger dent at home on global warming.

LEED offers nationally accepted benchmarks for designing, constructing and operating buildings, including homes, with a whole-building approach to sustainability in five key areas -- sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.

It also offers information on home improvements with the same attention to green detail, including:

• Using wood alternatives or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified wood products from managed forests. Using rapidly renewable products such as linoleum, bamboo, recycled-content tile or nonvolatile organic compounds (VOC) carpet. Using other low-VOC products including paints and cleaning products.

• Greening your yard by planting trees to provide shade and wind protection for hour home. This can save money on heating and cooling while providing value-enhancing views around your home.

• Using native plantings which have adapted to the local soils and climate and are, as such, more likely to thrive with minimal care, fertilizer, pesticides and irrigation.

• Shopping locally for green products to reduce carbon emissions associated with transporting the products.

Published: February 8, 2007

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A journalist for 35-years, Broderick Perkins parlayed an old-school daily newspaper career into a digital news service offering editorial content and consulting services. Perkins' San Jose, CA-based DeadlineNews Group includes the flagship news site, DeadlineNews.Com, offering real estate, personal finance and consumer journalism, and a backshop, the Deadline Newsroom.