Super Eco

Photo credit: candygrrrl, SXC

"You know so much about green living. Why don't you write a book?" I admit, I do hear that a lot from friends and family ... And it's very flattering, don't get me wrong ... But really, have you been to a bookstore lately? The number of green books out there is simply appalling in terms of wasted resources—oh, the paper, the shipping, the time and energy poured into these volumes that repeat the same tired saws about going green. What we need aren't more books about why we should go green. What we need are more books about the tools available to help us accomplish the doing of it.

Enter "LEED Materials: A Resource Guide to Green Building." Let's get this straight: this is not a good read. It's not supposed to be. Rather than focuses on the philosophy of building green or the reasons why it's a good thing, "LEED Materials" simply offers up page after page after page of eco-friendly building options. "Most people understand why going green is a good thing," writes author Ari Meisel, "but in the end, it's the decisions that people make, the products and materials that are applied, that make a difference."

Green building is far from being an exact science, Meisel explains, and knowing the right materials can make or break a situation. "The LEED rating system essentially works on a credit system," he explains. "You meet certain criteria developed by the U.S. Green Building Council in water-use reduction, materials reuse, energy optimization, indoor air quality and site selection and get a certain number of points for each LEED credit." Sounds easy enough—but only if you know how to put your fingers on the right materials. LEED Materials helps builders and owners do just that, listing green materials and their manufacturers along with information on what they are, where you can use them, why they are green and any special considerations involved.