Depleting potable water supplies due to over-development, global warming, and industrial and agricultural pollution are leading to water shortages.  In addition, wasted water in NYC flows into the already overtaxed sewer system.  This article describes the many measures you can implement to conserve water when renovating your brownstone, and smaller scale, high impact changes that can be made without major renovations. 

Learn how to evaluate different kinds of heating systems (hot water, forced air) and the latest energy efficient heating technologies.

Save green while being green.  Learn about local, state, federal and utility incentive programs for making energy saving changes to your home.  

There are many shades of green.  Learn the different considerations that can go into evaluating a product's "greenness" and its environmental and health impact.

We can no longer take for granted plentiful sourcs of clean, safe drinking water.  Water conservation has become a planetary necessity and, with the latest technologies we can reap energy saving benefits while we conserve water.

Construction debris accounts for 24% of the waste disposed of in our nation's landfills, and disposing of your debris and excess materials at the city dump can also be costly.  Learn how to "Reduce" by demolishing less and reusing and restoring what you've got, and "Reuse and Recycle" by disposing of your "waste" in a manner that maximizes the amount of material that will be recycled or reused by others.  Refer to our directory of local salvage yards and charities that will take your stuff.

Make the air inside your home cleaner than the air outside.  Identify the sources of indoor air pollution in the home, learn how to design your renovation project to eliminate them, and how to abate existing sources. 

Discover a simple, universal analsyis that you can apply to all your renovation decisions for guidance on how to carry out a green renovation. 

"Green" building is becoming mainstream. Faced with escalating energy costs, increased awareness of the depletion of our natural resources, and the ill-effects of poor indoor air quality, a movement is growing among building industry professionals and homeowners to approach residential construction with a primary view toward energy conservation, alternative energy generation, and the employment of sustainable, non-toxic materials. This is the first Article of a multi-Article series summarizing the various quidelines currently in the marketplace and analyzing how they can be applied in the context of the renovation of a brownstone or other urban townhouse.