LEED for Homes Made Easy

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Now let's talk green.

I spent a few years working in the Green Building movement.  I learned an amazing amount about sustainable design and how harmful home products affect a person's health, but the biggest thing I learned is how uninformed the average person is when it comes to all things green.  Going green typically equals lots of greenbacks in many people's minds, but if you choose the right products you could be putting money BACK in your pocket in the long run.

And it looks like Home Depot and the US Green Building Council knows just that.  They've stepped up and made it a whole lot easier for people to implement sustainable design elements into their homes with their new database, which lists affordable LEED eligible products.

{via}

What is LEED for Homes?

The LEED rating system is the most recognized international standard for green buildings and stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED for Homes measures green building performance across a range of categories, and products play an important role in achieving certification.

Check out the new tool and read more about LEED for Homes.

Home Depot Workshop: Martha Stewart Living Holiday Projects

Did you know that Home Depot offers FREE Do-It-Yourself workshops?  Or that they offer FREE Do-It-Herself workshops geared towards women?  Neither did I!  I recently learned about this incredible resource from my local MOM's Club and I am stoked.  I can't wait to attend EVERY SINGLE ONE of these.  I'm going to be there so often they're going to get tired of me.

The November Do-It-Herself was Martha Stewart-ified.   We learned about her new collection of paint, faux finishes and glazes, plus ways to use them to create easy holiday projects.

First Up?  Tile Coasters.  I first attempted to use the Gold Glitter glaze, but the glaze kept seeping under the stencil and looked far too messy for this semi-perfectionist.  So, I went with the Oatmeal Crackle finish and it seemed to work a little bit better.  Still a bit of seepage.  Hot tip:  You HAVE to apply a coat of MS primer/finish prior to using the crackle finish which reacts with the finish to create the crackle effect.