Recommended Resources

The recommended books and sites below are pulled from the extensive resources throughout this web site. The intent is to highlight a few texts that are considered essential for those working on sustainable housing. The list consists of pragmatic old standbys and some new ideas that are pushing the dialogue forward.

Books

Builder's Guide to Cold Climate: A systems approach to designing and building homes that are safe, healthy, durable, comfortable, energy efficient, and environmentally responsible
Joseph Lstiburek. Building Science Press, 2004.
Part field guide, part design companion this is a must read (and use) for the design and construction of durable, healthy, energy efficient, and comfortable housing in cold climates such as Minnesota.

Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature
Douglas Farr. Wiley, 2007.
An introduction to "sustainable urbanism" with a historic perspective, this book makes the case for sustainable urban infrastructure recognizing that green buildings can not be islands. Farr, the chair of the USGBC LEED-Neighborhood Development committee, suggests that the "greening" of our infrastructure is critical to improving livability and achieving meaningful reduction of the ecological impacts of cities and towns.

Water Management Guide
Joseph Lstiburek. EEBA 2004.
A guide to controlling rain and ground water focused on the prevention of mold problems due to poor design and construction. The guide includes step by step window installation instruction for a variety of wall assemblies.

The Carbon Buster's Home Energy Handbook: Slowing Climate Change and Saving Money
Godo Stoyke, New Society Publishers. 2007.
A great book for a wide audience—interested home owner or developer. Educational as well as useful, the handbook contains a range of products areas comparing cost and carbon impacts with an eye on profit through energy and CO2 reduction.

Downloads

Building America Best Practices Series: Volume 3: Builders and Buyers Handbook for Improving new Home Efficiency, Comfort, and Durability in the Cold and Very Cold Climates
www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/building_america/pdfs/38309.pdf
A free publication from the US Department of Energy's Building America building technology program this best practice guide is a handy resource that informs the design and construction of housing in cold climates.

Web Sites

ENERGY STAR
www.energystar.gov
The joint EPA and DOE ENERGY STAR program was established to encourage market transformation across sectors. This web site serves as a hub for energy efficient appliances, equipment, and programs.

Architecture 2030
www.architecture2030.org
Architecture 2030 is a non-profit, non-partisan and independent organization. It recognizes the role of buildings contribution to climate change and calls for the immediate reduction of carbon emissions through established reduction bench marks with a goal of zero emission buildings by 2030.

The Sustainable Design Resource Guide
www.aiasdrg.org
Created by the AIA Colorado Committee on the Environment (COTE) this on line resource guide contains information relevant for designers and builders across the country. Information is organized by CSI divisions.

Books and Publications

ASHRAE Standard 62.2

ASHRAE User's Manual of Standard 62.1-2004
American Society of Heating, Refrigerators, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc., 2004.

Building Better Neighborhoods: Creating Affordable homes and livable communities: a Collaborative Project
Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, 2001.
See also Greater Minnesota Housing Fund and Building Better Neighborhoods program: www.gmhf.com

Biodiversity
Anup Shah, Global Issues, 2007. www.globalissues.org/EnvIssues/Biodiversity.asp

Biofilters (Bioswales, Vegetative Buffers, & Constructed Wetlands) For Storm Water Discharge Pollution Removal
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, 2003. www.deq.state.or.us/wq/stormwater/docs/nwr/biofilters.pdf

Bioretention Applications
U.S. Environmental Protections Agency, 2000. www.epa.gov/owow/nps/bioretention.pdf

Building Momentum: National Trends and Prospects for High-Performance Green Buildings
USGBC, 2002. www.usgbc.org/Docs/Resources/043003_hpgb_whitepaper.pdf

Building Radon Out
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2006. www.epa.gov/radon/pdfs/buildradonout.pdf

Choosing an Environmentally "Safe" Site
Office of Community Planning and Development., U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). 2006. www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/environment/library/safesite.pdf
This document provides a good background on possible site contaminants, liability protection under federal law, and an overview of assessment and mediation measures available.

Clean Energy Choices: Tips on Buying and Using Renewable Energy at Home
U.S. Dept. of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, 2007. www.eere.energy.gov/solar/pdfs/27684.pdf

Constructed Wetlands: Stormwater Wetlands
Twin Cities Metro Council www.metrocouncil.org/environment/Watershed/bmp/CH3_STConstWLSwWetland.pdf

Constructed Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment and Wildlife Habitat
Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov/OWOW/wetlands/construc

Constructed Treatment Wetlands
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/pdf/ConstructedW.pdf

Reshaping the Built Environment: Ecology, Ethics, and Economics
Charles J. Kibert, 1999.
In particular, see Ch. 10 "Construction and Demolition Waste: Innovative Assessment and Management," by Peter Yost.

Developing Sustainable Planned Communities
Richard Franko et al. Urban Land Institute, 2007.

ENERGY STAR Advanced Lighting Package
www.energystar.gov/ia/about/join/advanced_lighting_package.pdf

ENERGY STAR Indoor Air Package
www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=bldrs_lenders_raters.nh_iap

The Environmental Impact of Suburbanization
Matthew Kahn, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 19.4, 2000.

Environmental Resource Guide
J. Demkin, AIA. John Wiley & Sons, 1996.

The Future is Drying Up
Jon Gertner, New York Times Magazine, 4 Nov. 2007. www.nytimes.com

"Global Warming and Minnesota"
National Wildlife Federation, 2007 www.nwf.org/globalwarming/pdfs/Minnesota.pdf

Green Building Products: The GreenSpec Guide to Residential Building Materials
Alex Wilson and Mark Piepkorn, 2005.

A Green Vitruvius: Principles and Practice of Sustainable Architectural Design
European Commission, 1999.

GS-11: Green Seal Environmental Standard for Paints and Coatings
Green Seal, 2008. www.greenseal.org/certification/standards/paints_and_coatings.pdf

Guidance on Environmental Concerns Associated with Building Demolition
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency www.pca.state.mn.us/waste/pubs/w7-01.pdf

Healthy Homes Maintenance Checklist
National Center for Healthy Housing, 2005. www.centerforhealthyhousing.org/Healthy_Housing_CheckList.pdf

Healthy Buildings, Healthy People: A Vision for the 21st Century
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air and Radiation. 2001. www.epa.gov/iaq/hbhp/hbhp_report.pdf

High Performance Building Guidelines
City of New York Department of Design and Construction, 1999.

Homeowners Guide to Ventilation
NY State Energy Research Development Authority, 1997. www.nyserda.org/publications/guide.pdf

Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) Handbook, 8th Edition
Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, 1993.

International Energy Outlook
US Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, 2007. www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/index.html

LEED-H program criteria
www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=147
Includes a durability plan requirement and offers an outline of what a durability plan might look like.

Making Sense of Caulks and Sealants
Pontiolio, Brian. Fine Homebuilding Magazine 62, April/May 2004. www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/PDF/Free/021162097.pdf

Minnesota Overlay to the Green Communities Criteria
Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, 2007. www.mnhousing.gov/idc/groups/public/documents/document/mhfa_004037

A Natural History of Water in America
Jessica Snyde Sachs, National Wildlife. June-July 2004. www.nwf.org/nationalwildlife/article.cfm?articleId=926&issueId=68

New York State Stormwater management Design Manual
NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, 2008. www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/29072.html

Plants for Stormwater Design
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency www.pca.state.mn.us/publications/manuals/stormwaterplants.html

Porous Asphalt Pavement with Recharge Beds 20 Years and Still Working
Stormwater www.stormh2o.com/may-june-2003/pavement-porous-bmps.aspx

Prince George's County Bioretention Manual
Prince George's County, Dept. of Environmental Resources www.co.pg.md.us/Government/AgencyIndex/DER/ESD/Bioretention/pdf/intro_bioretention.pdf

Protecting Natural Wetlands: A Guide to Stormwater Best Management Practices
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1996. www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands/pdf/protecti.pdf

Protecting Water Quality in Urban Areas: Best Management Practices for Minnesota
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency www.pca.state.mn.us/water/pubs/sw-bmpmanual.html

Rain Garden Design and Installation
Applied Ecological Services www.appliedeco.com/marketing/RainGardenDesign.pdf

Rain Gardens: An Exciting New Idea for Your Home or Business
Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources dnr.wi.gov/runoff/rg/RainGarden_genl_newsletter.pdf

Raingardens: A How-To Manual for Homeowners
Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources www.cleanwisconsin.org/publications/home.rgmanual.pdf

Reducing Stormwater Costs through Low Impact Development (LID) Strategies and Practices
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. www.epa.gov/owow/nps/lid/costs07/documents/reducingstormwatercosts.pdf

The Resourceful Waste Management Guide
Minnesota Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board (SWMCB)

Seafood Consumption Increases in 2006
National Marine Fisheries Service, 2007. www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/releases2007/jul07/noaa07-r123.html

Stormwater Best Management Practice Design Guide; Volume 2: Vegetative Biofilters
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2004. www.epa.gov/nrmrl/pubs/600r04121/600r04121a.pdf

Storm Water Management for Construction Activities
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/owm0307.pdf

Stormwater Management Practice Design Guide, Vol 2
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Stormwater Program for Construction Activity
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency www.pca.state.mn.us/water/stormwater/stormwater-c.html

Storm Water Technology Fact Sheet: Bioretention
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov/OW-OWM.html/mtb/biortn.pdf

Storm Water Technology Fact Sheet: Vegetated Swales
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency www.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/vegswale.pdf

Sun, Wind & Light: Architectural Design Strategies
G.Z. Brown and Mark DeKay. Wiley, 2001.
In addition to resources for designing with climate, includes some specific climate date for Minnesota.

Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature
Douglas Farr. Wiley, 2008.

U.S. Material Use
University of Michigan. Center for Sustainable Systems. css.snre.um

Urban Small Sites Best Management Practice Manual
Metropolitan Council www.metrocouncil.org/environment/watershed/bmp/manual.htm

Water Management Guide
Joe Lstiburek www.eeba.org/bookstore/prod-Water_Management_Guide-9.aspx

Weatherize Your Home-­Caulk and Weatherstrip
U.S. Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory www.osti.gov/bridge/servlets/ purl/781663-IrHsvz/native/781663.pdf

Window Systems for High Performance Buildings
John Carmody, et al. W.W. Norton & Company, 2004.

Web Sites

Advanced Framing Techniques: Optimum Value Engineering (OVE)
ToolBase Services. National Association of Home Builders Research Center
www.toolbase.org/Technology-Inventory/Whole-House-Systems/advance-framing-techniques

Aerobic Wastewater Treatment Systems
ToolBase Services. National Association of Home Builders Research Center
www.toolbase.org/Techinventory/TechDetails.aspx?ContentDetailID=899&BucketID=6&CategoryID=11

Architecture 2030
www.architecture 2030.org
Learn more about the building sector's environmental impact in "The Building Sector: a Hidden Culprit," at www.architecture2030.org/current_situation/building_sector.html

ASHRAE
www.ashrae.org

Athena software for material assessment
Sustainable Materials Institute
www.athenaSMI.ca

Building America
www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/building_america/

Building Green
www.buildinggreen.com

Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) software for material assessment
www.bfrl.nist.gov/oae/software/bees.html

Building Option Packages
ENERGY STAR www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=bop.pt_bop_index
BOPs searchable by state and county.

Carpet and Rug Institute
www.carpet-rug.com

David Suzuki Foundation
www.davidsuzuki.org

U.S DOE, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
www.eere.energy.gov

Building Energy Codes Program
U.S. DOE, EERE www.energycodes.gov

A Consumer's Guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
U.S. Dept. of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy www.eere.energy.gov/consumer

Energy-Efficient Products
U.S DOE, EERE, Federal Energy management Program www1.eere.energy.gov/femp/procurement

Earth Pledge Green Roofs Initiative
www.earthpledge.org/GreenRoof.html

Earth Policy Institute
www.earth-policy.org
See Janet Larson's article "The Sixth Great Extinction: A Status Report," for information about the recent increases in species extinction. www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update35.htm

ENERGY STAR Program
www.energystar.gov

ENERGY STAR rebate finder
ENERGY STAR www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=rebate.rebate_locator

Endangered Species Act
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2008 www.fws.gov/endangered/whatwedo.html

Environmental Building News
www.BuildingGreen.com

Environmental Building News GreenSpec Directory
www.buildinggreen.com/menus/index.cfm

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
www.epa.gov

Brownfields and Land Revitalization
U.S. EPA, 2008 www.epa.gov/swerosps/bf/index

Great Lakes: Basic Information
U.S. EPA, 2006 www.epa.gov/greatlakes/basicinfo.html

Green Roofs
U.S. EPA, 2008. www.epa.gov/hiri/strategies/greenroofs.html

Heat Island Effect
U.S. EPA, 2008. www.epa.gov/heatisland/index.html

Indoor Air Quality
U.S. EPA. www.epa.gov/iaq/index.html

Radon
U.S. EPA, 2008. www.epa.gov/radon/

Stormwater Management Techniques
U.S. EPA, 2008. www.epa.gov/oaintrnt/stormwater/stormwater_techniques.htm

Wetlands
U.S. EPA, 2007 www.epa.gov/owow/wetlands

Erosion Control Online
www.erosioncontrol.com/ec.html

Green Communities Initiative
www.greencommunitiesonline.org

Greater Minnesota Housing Fund and Building Better Neighborhoods program
www.gmhf.com

Green Seal
www.greenseal.org

Home Ventilating Institute
www.hvi.org

International Dark-Sky Association
www.darksky.org

Low Impact Development Center, Inc
www.lowimpactdevelopment.org

Minnesota Building Materials Database
www.buildingmaterials.umn.edu

Minnesota Green Communities
www.mngreencommunities.org

Minnesota GreenStar
www.mngreenremodeling.com

Minnesota Housing Finance Agency
www.mnhousing.gov

Minnesota Materials Exchange
www.mnexchange.org

Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines
Center for Sustainable Building Research www.msbg.umn.edu

Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance Recycled Product Directory
www.pca.state.mn.us/oea/rpdir/index.cfm

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
www.pca.state.mn.us

Minnesota's Impaired Waters and Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, 2007 www.pca.state.mn.us/water/tmdl

MPI Green PerformanceTM Standard Products
www.specifygreen.com/APL/ProductIdxByMPInum.asp

National Center for Healthy Housing
www.centerforhealthyhousing.org

National Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
www.nrdc.org

Efficient Wood Use in Residential Construction
Ann Edminster and Sami Yassa, NRDC, 1998 www.nrdc.org/cities/building/rwoodus.asp

Forest Facts
NRDC, 2004 www.nrdc.org/land/forests/fforestf.asp

Good Wood: How Forest Certification Helps the Environment
NRDC, 2007 www.nrdc.org/land/forests/qcert.asp

How to Build a Better Home: A new approach to homebuilding saves trees and energy- and makes for economical, comfortable homes
NRDC, 2004 www.nrdc.org/cities/building/fwoodus.asp

Sewage Pollution Threatens Public Health
NRDC, 2004 www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/sewage.asp

The National Fish Habitat Initiative
US Fish and Wildlife Service, 2004 www.fws.gov/fisheries/CAF/overview.htm

NFRC
National Fenestration Rating Council. www.nfrc.org

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy web site
www.eere.energy.gov

Consumer's Guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
www.eere.energy.gov/consumer

Programmable Thermostats
www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/thermostats.html

Oikos Product Directory web site
www.oikos.com

Product exchange web site
Minnesota Technical Assistance Program
www.mntap.umn.edu

Sourcebook for Green and Sustainable Building
www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/IndoorWater.html

South Coast (Los Angeles) Air Quality Management District
www.aqmd.gov

Toolbase
www.toolbase.org
Provides helpful technical information for builders and designers

Virginia Stormwater Management Program
www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil_&_water/stormwat.shtml

Our Increasing Appetite for Natural Resources
UNEP (United Nations environment Programme), 2004 www.vitalgraphics.net/waste/html_file/14-15_consumption_appetite.html

Walk Score
www.walkscore.com

Water Pollution in the Great Lakes
Great Lakes Information Network, www.great-lakes.net/teach/pollution/water/water1.html

The Water Cycle
USGS (United States Geological Survey), 2007. ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/watercyclesummarytext.html

Worldwatch Institute
www.worldwatch.org

Full Bibliography

Download the full Minnesota Sustainable Housing Initiative bibliography.