While in California two weeks ago, I visited the headquarters of Xicato, one of the most exciting companies in the burgeoning LED (light-emitting diode) lighting industry. CEO Menko DeRoos explained the company's modular approach to LED lighting and demonstrated the exceptional light quality that is achieved with their system.

Number 6 in my list of the top-10 green building priorities is to ensure that the home is durably built or renovated, and to reuse existing buildings when possible rather than building new.

The U.S. throws away a lot of carpet. According to the Product Stewardship Institute, approximately 2.7 million tons (5.4 billion pounds) of carpet enter the waste stream each year in the U.S., roughly 1.2% of all municipal solid waste.

Number 7 on my list of the top-10 green building priorities is to protect and restore the site.

I've been at the West Coast Green conference in San Francisco the past three days and have spend a good portion of that time checking out the trade show. One of the highlights is a loose-fill wool insulation from Oregon Shepherd.

Number-eight in my list of the top-10 green building priorities is to use "green" or low-environmental-impact products and materials.

Those who are new to green building may be surprised that material selection isn't right at the top of my priority list. Many people assume that what makes a home green are things like the use of recycled-content or bio-based materials--decking made out of recycled milk jugs or foam insulation made from soybean oil, for example.

Back in 2008 when I wrote a series of articles for Environmental Building News on water, one of those articles, Alternative Water Sources: Supply-Side Solutions for Green Buildings, examined various ways of harvesting water and included an in-depth look at collecting air conditioner condensate.