Homeandgarden: Houses grow greener

It's easy to look at the homes of yesteryear and sigh, "They just don't build them the way they used to." Right, and often there's reason to give thanks for that. The homes of yesteryear lacked insulation, efficient windows and, often, central heat, not to mention air conditioning. Appliances were energy-guzzlers. Lead paint and asbestos siding posed health hazards. Homes relied on lumber as a primary building material, which made huge demands on forests for raw materials.

In many respects homes today are better built, more energy efficient and less dependent on some natural resources, as this schematic shows, based on information supplied by the National Association of Home Builders. There are still trade-offs: We use less lumber but more petroleum products. Air conditioning makes our homes more comfortable, but it makes huge energy demands. Tighter, snugger houses create problems with indoor air quality. Some manufacturing processes, such as carpet weaving, are heavily reliant on water. As we build our houses, we are still dependent, first and foremost, on the finite resources of this fragile earth, our island home.

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