Your Guide To Green

They used to say it was a pipe dream.
Now its on the cover of Time Magazine, Vanity Fair, Newsweek, USA Today, BizAz, and all over the Internet. It has garnered its own dedicated eight-page section in the New York Times, and its even covered in The Economist and Fortune.

The green era is here.

The baby boomer generation that launched the environmental movement has grown up to become the developer, homeowner, business owner, agency head and politician of today. And green living is on the agenda.

Though they're leading the charge, boomers are just one segment of a public increasingly focused on health, longevity, comfort and giving back to the world. They want their buildings and landscapes to be better places to live. And work. And play. They are savvy about indoor air quality and toxic lawn chemicals, especially if they have chemical sensitivities, asthma, migraines and allergies.

We hold in our hands a special opportunity to turn environmental lemons into lemonade, literally and figuratively.

The rising cost of fresh produce, due to the new energy crisis, can be offset by growing edible landscapes, almost year-round, at home. The hot summer sun can generate solar power through rooftop and backyard panels. Drought and water quality problems can be eased through rainwater harvesting, gray water irrigation, conservation measures and avoiding the lawn chemicals that end up in aquifers. Construction materials with toxic out-gassing can be replaced by natural versions that have minimal environmental and health impacts.

Green lifestyle choices are becoming more popular -  and more affordable.

Christian Nys, owner of Planet Harmony Homes and co-founder of the Pierson Street EcoHood in Phoenix, Arizona, says his total output for a $4,700 solar hot water system, including solar panels, was $983 after incentives and rebates. He'll quickly make up the cost in energy savings.

Nys is part of a growing wave of Valley residents and business owners who are going green as they discover incentives, see prices for green products drop, find builders more willing to adapt, and realize they don't have to sacrifice comfort and aesthetics.

"But its not all about the cost," says Nys. "Its about the bigger picture. People of conscience need to start creating models for the shift from consumerism and materialism to deeper values of health, community and family."

He adds, "For me, family values includes looking out for my children's health and environment."