This Brooklin, Maine home, designed by architect Adam Kalkin, may not be brand new to the green scene (it was built in 2003), but its unique design still looks so fresh today that I had to write about it.  The beautiful home stretches the boundaries of modern design and is truly a work of art.  It was created by stacking a dozen orange "reclaimed" shipping containers in a T-shape while replacing some of the steel pannels with large windows looking out over the rocky peninsula to Blue Hill Bay. 

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The Cromley Lofts in Alexandria, Virginia have earned a Gold level certification making them the first condos in Virginia to become LEED certified.  These 8 beautiful units are located in The Old Town area of Alexandria in a vintage warehouse building circa 1910 — a fitting example of the environmental benefits of adaptive reuse. 

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Although Tonbo Meadow is situated on just 3 acres in Wilmington, North Carolina, this community has some big ideas.  With only 10 house lots, Tonbo has a lot to offer, including a one-acre preserved meadow, community recycling, composting, community gardens, drought tolerant landscaping, rainwater reclamation, rain gardens, a stormwater wetland, and tree protection / relocation plans. 

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The founders of Noble Home, based in West Somerville, Massachusetts, saw first-hand the manner with which homes were being constructed in the United States  — big, cheap, toxic, and out of the price range of many families.  So, they set out to create a new way.  Their home kits are versatile, easy to put together, sustainable, affordable, and healthy.  They offer elements such as greenhouses, root cellars, water collection, solar, wind, and even human-powered energy! 

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Emily Kroll, CEO and founder of upholstered furniture company EKLA HOME, has furniture design and environmentalism in her blood.  The granddaughter of a furniture designer on one side, and an architectural and scrap metal recycler on the other, Kroll says she is "passionate about changing the way the furniture business works in the United States."  She plans to do this by eliminating toxins, limiting waste and using sustainable materials.  And EKLA certainly has a very impressive list of sustainable practices, perhaps one of the most impressive on the green furniture market today. 

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