Book Roundup Wednesday: Green Home Guides

Every Wednesday, we review a selection of new and upcoming books addressing a specific aspect of environmentalism. Today we're recommending books about green building or remodeling.

Your Eco-Friendly Home: Buying, Building, or Remodeling Green (by Sid Davis, $18, AMACOM Books, 2008): This practical guide covers a wide range of topics from xeriscaping to applying for an Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM). Clear, understandable language brings readers up to speed on green real estate concepts that could otherwise be tricky for beginners.

Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies (by Eric Corey Freed, $22, Wiley Publishing, 2008): Writing for the popular "For Dummies" series of how-to guides, author Eric Corey Freed delivers the expected friendly, upbeat tone while packing the pages with tips and suggestions. Readers will find a brief history of the environmental movement, resources for finding green materials, the lowdown on energy-efficient appliances, and common myths about green building.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Building and Remodeling (by John Barrows and Lisa Iannucci, $20, Alpha, 2009): This well-organized book covers green-building basics, provides specific information about each component of a green structure, and addresses energy, water, air, and landscaping. The writing is informative and accessible. Green-themed comics at the beginning of each section add a dash of humor.

Prefab Green (by Michelle Kaufmann and Catherine Remick, $30, Gibbs Smith, 2009) Michelle Kaufmann, the architect who turned the modern green prefab home into a hip commodity, shares her vision of sustainable design. Beautiful color photographs offer plenty of architectural eye candy.

--Della Watson