You want a new or renovated home that's safe, healthy, efficient, and built from sustainable materials. So you need to find a contractor who can make your vision a reality. Because "green" is a buzzword, lots of people in construction and related trades lay claim to it—but how can you know if they're as good as their word?
A place to start is with your country's Green Building Council. For example, the USGBC has a searchable directory of members on its website (go to www.usgbc.org and click the upper-right Directories link). Or check out the Sustainable Sources' Green Building Professionals Directory at http://directory.greenbuilder.com, where you can search by category (such as General Contractors or Builders, Residential) and then narrow the search to your area.
When you've come up with a few possibilities, take time to interview those builders to make sure your values and priorities coincide. Use this list to judge just how green the builder is:
Describe the philosophy and practices that make your company green.
How long have you been building green homes?
What are local examples of homes you've built?
How many of those homes are LEED certified (LEEDing the Way to Green Buildings), and what level of certification did they earn?
How do you ensure indoor air quality in the homes you build?
What kind of insulation do you use and why?
What percentage of recycled or reclaimed materials do you use?
What are your strategies for making homes energy efficient?
Do the homes you build ever use alternative or renewable energy?
How do you reduce waste and mitigate environmental impacts on job sites?