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Green Making's website provides links to several resource areas. The Table of Contents on the home screen takes you to the main selection of features, including your local resource area, The Greens, where you can find both local and global services. The navigation menu at the top of the screen gives you access to the main sections of the site:
The table of contents has a more extensive overview of the resources available and links to all those resources. See the Table of Contents section, below. Geographical AreasMany of the entries on the site have been categorized by their geographical location. Where possible, we have used standard statistical areas. Resources on this site are tagged according to their geographical location, based on about 1,000 geographical statistical areas in the United States. Pick the largest town or city in your area, and then look for it in the list. If you are in a rural area, then look for "Rural Area" with your state name. (For example, "Alabama Rural Area" for locations outside major cities and towns in Alabama.) Table of ContentsThe Table of Contents allows you to see the main features of the site at a glance. It has six sections:
Community AccessWithin the Community Access section, you can go to one of four pages to gain access to the local community. The first is "The Greens", which lists services that we provide to get you in touch with others and help you find the materials and other resources you need to have a truly green home. You can find out more about the The Greens in the appropriate section, below. The other access points are:
The Community Access section is intended to be a convenient means to get involved and stay involved in the green homes community. Green Home IdeasThis section is designed to help you find ideas and information about green homes. There are two main services: Home Samples and the Video Log. The Home Samples page lists references to articles in the media about green home projects. In each listing, we give you specific information about what makes the project special. Is it made from adobe or straw bale? Does it have a greywater system or xeriscaping? Home Samples is arranged by geographical area, so that you can easily see projects built near you, which might have solved the same problems you face. The Video Log provides access to online videos concerning green materials and techniques. This is where you can learn about home performance, ecologically-friendly landscaping, green construction materials, and more from the experts. The Video Log shows our own how-to videos, but it also lets you list appropriate videos that you've uploaded to YouTube or other hosting sites. Videos can generally be seen in the viewing area right on the Video Log page, so you don't have to switch back and forth to other sites. News Service(The news service is suspended while we bring up the new website. Archived news stories, however are available here.) Public ResourcesThe Public Resources section provides access to our knowledge base, as well as indexes into the resources listed on the site. The knowledge base is a wiki where members of the community can add information they find convenient about green homes. Our wiki is hosted at Wikispaces, and contains information on a number of subjects: books, companies, products, and web resources. You can also post a question or an answer to a question on the wiki. Since the wiki is publicly editable, anyone in the community can add to it. (You need to ask for a free account to edit the wiki, however. Please contact us for access.) The resource indexes allow you to find resources by name (Resource Index) or by category (Resources by Category). In these listings you can click on the name of the resource to see or hide details. ShoppingGreen Making provides a bookstore, where you can shop for books related to green homes. Unlike most bookstores we only list books that we have read and understand. We want you to understand the advantages and limitations of the book before you buy, and we provide a complete listing of the table of contents so you can see what's in the book. We provide a link to Amazon to purchase the book, for which we get a commission. OpinionThe Opinion section takes you to blogs and other discussion areas. There are three main areas:
The GreensThe Greens provides public access to people, organizations and other resources in your community. Services are listed first for your geographical area. The Greens also lists nationally-available services. Services include:
These groups allow you to interact with others in your area. You can find out what's going on and tell others about your experiences and what you want to do. In The Greens, each entry shows you the logo for the service (if it has one), a description, and links to access the service. We host some of the resources (including our own blogs, wikis, and other resource listings). Others are hosted by other companies. For example, Facebook groups are hosted by Facebook. When you click on the link, you need to have an account with external services in order to use them. To reach our Facebook group, you must be a member of Facebook and be logged into that service. Additional HelpBeyond the home page you will find a number of other resources. Building ResourcesWithin each geographical area, we list building resources that are commonly needed. Each resource on our list has been individually selected to be useful for constructing better homes in that area. We welcome responsible feedback on all of these resources in our community blogs, and any specific techniques for accessing or using these resources in our Knowledge Base. For all companies listed on our site, we provide a link to that resource. Were we have specific information about the company, either through our own research or due to information they have provided us directly, we may (at our option) provide an information page. Where the company has provided information or advertising on these information pages, this information is marked with the note "Paid Advertising" indicating the area where their information is provided. In addition, for our paid advertisers, we provide a community page. The community page provides expanded information provided by the organization. Green Making provides listings of resources. When you go to The Greens and click through to local resources, the site will automatically list resources in your area. Look for buttons at the bottom of the listing that allow you to select a different area to see, or to see all the listings. Free listings show abbreviated information about the resource, but where an organization has chosen to sponsor Green Making we expand the listing to show their logo and provide a button to access their community page. The table of contents provides means to look for resources by name (Resource Index) or by category (Resources by Category). Select the appropriate link in the Public Resources section. In these listings you can click on the name of the resource to see or hide details. Social NetworkingGreen Making sponsors groups on Facebook, Meetup and other social networking sites. On the Horizon news is echoed to Twine. You can also register your Twitter account here so that others who are interested in green building can follow you. Find out more by following these links: Footer AreaThe page footer provides access to commonly needed features. In addition to a mini-menu, similar to the navigation menu at the top of the page, it provides access to:
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