O.K. a lot of people have heard of what the term "Green" refers to thanks to people like Al Gore, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Leonardo DiCaprio. Seriously, if you didn't hear of that word, what would you think of?

When I think of Green, I think of... Money

Someone being Green - meaning they don't really know what they are doing

 Someone being Green - meaning they feel sick

So, how in the world did we come up with the term Green? According to Wikpedia..."The Green movement is a political movement which advocates goals common to Green parties, including environmentalism, sustainability, nonviolence, and social justice concerns. Supporters of the Green movement, called Greens, adhere to Green ideology and share many ideas with the ecology, conservation, environmental, feminist, and peace movements."

Definition of "Green" as it relates to Homes (www.greenbuiltmichigan.org)

• Starts with the Careful Design, Construction and Operation of the Home
• It deals with the Reuse of Removal of the Built Environment
• Concentrates on the Environmental, Energy-Efficient, and Sustainability Factors of Home Building

At this point, someone might say, "Tammy, why should I care. I'm not a tree-hugger. Yes, I would love to save money on my energy bills but is all this stuff really worth the extra cost?"

The Most Common Misconception - "It costs too much!"

No, I'm not going to lie to you. It will cost you a little bit more to provide you with the extra added comfort that you desire. However, the cost in utility bills is worth the cost. Here's my personal example and why I really started investigating "Green" Homes.

I was getting ready to list of house in December of 2005 and asked the sellers for their utility bills for the year. Their gas bill for November was $80.00, my bill was $150.00 for the same month and their home had more square footage than mine. Honestly, that alone was enough for me to investigate further into this "GREEN" thing. Yes, they had the energy-star appliances and it was a newer home whereas mine was older. Point is, my bill was almost double for one month alone. Their utility bills for the year were minimal in comparison to mine. Something to really think about especially when our utility bills are supposed to increase this year!

Stay tuned for "Why is a Green House important?"