For those who have changed their light bulbs, changed their electrical and water use habits, and added a compost bin to their series of trash and various recycling receptacles, or for anyone looking to take additional small steps to providing a more healthy and sustainable environment at home, retailers are beginning to cater. The reemergence of a new contemporary “mom and pop” home building stores with a distinctly sustainable twist and new building technologies are becoming more frequent fixtures in cities and neighborhoods throughout the US. The stores are a welcome site to those interested in taking on a small home project or looking at doing an entire remodel offering up excellent customer service for the do-it-yourself individual wanting to gain more knowledge on sustainable construction materials, or those wanting a full service green addition, from the FSC certified wood studs, right down to the finishes, appliances, and accessories.

Demand is beginning to drive the marketplace, resulting in a growing number of green products available for the architects, interior designers, and home builders. The new index of green goods along with a general saturation of greenwashing in the marketplace makes it easy for the everyday consumer to get lost in all the variety that is now available. Trained staff can help you determine whether or not a bamboo or cork flooring is more suitable for your needs, navigate the variety of clay-based paints, and help you pick out a counter top fabricated from recycled bottles or recycled fly-ash concrete. You might be surprised to find such a huge assortment of window coverings made from renewable grasses, or the wide array of 100% organic carpet available in a variety of different colors and plows, or pick-up on non-toxic deck stain for you next summer project.

The best way to find the new breed of home improvement stores is to open-up the yellow pages or search online for tags such as “eco-home” and “sustainable building.” I did a search in my local area around Berkley, California and found at least three different stores providing any number of services above and beyond the goods they carried in house. For those who live in areas still waiting to catch-on to the sustainable craze I would suggest checking out Ecolect, an online library of sustainable materials with additional resources letting you know, what makes it green, where you can find it, and where it’s currently being put to use.