This month’s featured Green Home is an Energy Star-rated, LEED Gold-certified single-family home in Orleans, Massachusetts, with a minimal footprint, exceptional energy-saving features, and thoughtfully designed outdoor living spaces.

The cozy and beloved summer cottage near Cape Cod had been in the English family for two generations. Built in 1958, the little cottage served as a centralized gathering spot for family and friends, even those coming from abroad. Although other homes came and went throughout the years, the little cottage in Orleans was the place that most family members considered home. The location was perfect for relaxing, bird watching, and enjoying the beauty of the outdoors… and it was absolutely perfect for Teresa and Dan English’s full-time residence upon retirement.

A Bainbridge Island home represents a marriage of modern aesthetics and sustainability.

When Ed and Joanne Ellis decided to build their dream home on Yeomalt Bluff on Bainbridge Island, Washington, their wish list was threefold: they wanted to create a luxurious yet comfortable space, achieve a high level of sustainability, and help to educate the community on the feasibility of building green without sacrificing beauty.

Green building practices have come on the scene so fast that many implications – and unintended consequences – are just now coming to light. How can you protect yourself, legally speaking, in these new situations?

Environmentally conscious building practices are typically associated with positive outcomes, such as improved energy efficiency, reduced material waste, financial savings as a result of tax incentives, and improved builder reputation. In addition to these benefits, research indicates that certified green buildings cost less to operate; command higher occupancy rates; contribute to a healthier, safer environment; and can possibly enhance employee recruitment and productivity.

A rooftop observation deck spans three hotel towers and creates a dramatic element in the Singapore skyline.

The SkyPark is an architectural masterpiece that rests atop the three 55-story hotel towers of the Marina Bay Sands mixed-use resort in Singapore. Recognized as one of the world’s largest public cantilevers, the SkyPark defies gravity as it extends 213' beyond the towers and boasts incredible panoramic views of the Singapore skyline, the South China Sea, and Marina Bay.

A mountain home is gracefully sited to work with the topography and with the needs of its neighbors.

Located downslope from a steep ridgeline in the Blue Ridge Mountains, this month’s featured green home was selected because of its respectful and diligent site placement, conscientious construction process, energy- saving features, water conservation features, and use of regional materials.

From July 27, 2012 through September 9, 2012, millions of visitors are expected to converge in London, England, for the XXX Olympic Summer and Paralympic Games. Since receiving the winning bid in July of 2005, the London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) have been hard at work preparing for the influx of activity that will occur on the 2.5 km2 Olympic site in East London.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, more than half of small businesses within the United States are home-based. In addition, the practice of telecommuting is on the rise, even within traditional corporations. The 2010 American Time Use Survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that more than 22 million Americans now work from home for at least part of the day, and industry experts are predicting that this statistic will increase significantly within the next five years. With more and more Americans utilizing space within the home for business purposes, it’s no surprise that the home office is quickly becoming an area of focus for interior designers and DIY'ers.

As the most utilized and action-packed room in the home, the kitchen has long been a focus of forward-thinking product engineers and manufacturers. The latest appliance innovations on the market include induction cooktops that can boil water in a mere minute, LED-lit refrigerators with specialized temperature bins, and dishwashers that can silently steam clean an entire dinner party’s worth of dishes.

The Hoover Dam Bypass is being described as a remarkable, magnificent, impressive, spectacular, and monumental engineering feat. Completed in October 2010, this $240 million civil engineering project took nearly a decade of intensive planning and preparation, required coordinated efforts among a six-agency management consortium, and consisted of a three-prong emphasis on design, safety, and economic considerations.

Throughout the United States, thousands of students are spending the majority of the day in unhealthy and aging portable classrooms. Not only is their presence required, students are expected to thrive and flourish educationally in such environments. “The aging infrastructure of K–12 schools throughout the nation is a serious problem that is presenting unacceptable health and safety risks for our children,” says Marshall G. Zotara, co-founder and senior managing partner of Cause and Effect Evolutions. “In school districts throughout the country, budget deficits are making it very difficult to fund replacements.” Enter the Green Schoolhouse Series and their commitment to replace dangerous portable classrooms with LEED Platinum designed structures.