Organizations and manufacturers have been researching green building materials for years now, inundating the market with a wide spread of green products for sustainably inclined developers and builders. Recently developed products go beyond the reduction of emissions and waste to the elimination of pollutants from the atmosphere. New smog-fighting technologies and products are still in testing, but some will be available for purchase by 2012. With their introduction to the marketplace, however, comes a myriad of questions.

Many puns have been applied to toilet replacement and installation, but in reality replacing or installing a toilet is a pretty simple home improvement project for a do-it-yourselfer. The workings of a toilet are contained within the fixture itself, so the installation comes down to making a couple of plumbing connections, one for the water supply and one for the waste drain. Join our host, Jeff Wilson, for a video guide through the process of installing a toilet.

In the desert outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Ettinger residence springs from a natural outcropping of boulders. Its owners wanted a private home that would function as a gallery for their extensive collection of Native American art and that would also provide space for hosting philanthropic events.

In 2008, the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) launched its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Homes program with the intent of capitalizing on the momentum of other LEED programs and revolutionizing the way homes are built. Since the inception of LEED for Homes, more than 10,000 LEED homes have been certified, providing builders a way to differentiate the products that they offer. It has also given home builders the opportunity to provide homes with higher marketability. Making the transition from traditional home building to green home building can be a daunting task: the following tools will facilitate the building of a LEED-certified home.

Libraries, in essence, are outdated. Why crack open a dusty old tome when you can just “Google it?” In order to stay relevant, some libraries are shifting toward a new model, simultaneously serving as technology hubs and community centers. The new Anacostia Library in Washington, D.C., designed by the Freelon Group along with Associate Architect R. McGhee & Associates, exhibits the qualities of a 21st century library. Its eco-friendly design welcomes the neighborhood and doubles as an educational tool for children.

In real estate, old adages don’t exactly apply -- looks do matter and what’s on the outside definitely counts. Whether you are getting your home market-ready or planning to stay awhile (and perhaps secretly coveting that “Yard of the Month” accolade), an exterior home makeover is only a weekend, and a minimal investment, away.

In 2008, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) began renovation of its Terminal 2M (SFO T2). While airport expansions and renovation have become commonplace, global design and planning firm Gensler aspired to nothing less than a paradigm shift with this 640,000 sq. ft. project.

Traditional farming requires huge inputs to sustain it, from water to potentially hazardous pesticides to fertilizers. After food is grown by conventional agricultural methods, it must be stored, refrigerated, and transported to the urban centers where it will be consumed, making traditional farming highly pollution-producing. Vertical Urban Agriculture has the potential to solve this problem and could lead to urban and environmental renewal on a fantastic scale for India’s cities.

Installing countertops is easy if you know what problems to avoid: unlevel surfaces, out-of-square walls, unfavorable corner conditions, and built-in equipment.

Countertops not only provide the main work surfaces in a kitchen, but they also offer an opportunity to add a splash of color and materiality to the space. With the nearly limitless design options for countertops, choosing the material and color is often the most difficult part of installing new kitchen countertops. Depending on the type of material, fabricating a kitchen countertop can be a challenge for a do-it-yourselfer, but installing the countertop is a project almost any do-it-yourselfer can handle. Join our host, Jeff Wilson, as he completes the kitchen and offers tips on installing a recycled glass countertop.

Because the Solar Decathlon competition stipulates that homes’ interiors measure less than 1,000 sq. ft., many teams choose young or retired couples as their target market. However, Team Massachusetts, which is comprised of students from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, created a home fit for a family of three. They articulated spaces with flexibility in mind in order to meet occupants’ changing needs throughout their lives: the 4D Home is three-dimensional over time.