By Melissa Reynolds

Damage to the environment comes in many forms: in what people drive, what people eat, and what they wear. One of the biggest carbon footprints an individual can leave behind is in the kind of home they live in.

Solar Village Homes can alter the footprint we do leave by helping us choose better houses to live in. Based in Denver, Colorado, Solar Village Homes builds homes and communities in and around their local area. They provide those looking to live an environmentally-friendly way of life with the opportunity to live in homes that are affordable and sustainable.

The techniques the home use are simple, but effective. Sunlight streaming through south-facing windows allows concrete floors to soak up the heat and radiate it later. Active solar panels on the roof heat water for home use, and photovoltaic panels provide electricity for elevators and outdoor lights.

While many non-green homes expose residents to toxic evils (such as formaldehyde from woods, organic compounds in paints and carpeting and moulds and dust that are tossed around by heating and cooling), Solar Villages uses materials that don't outgas or release harmful chemicals into the air. The homes are also appealing price-wise, around $200,000 - $375,000. The green features result in near zero energy bills with gas bills ranging between $25 and $30 a month.

The Boulder-based design/build firm has built and operates several residential and mixed-use communities that incorporate as many green living features as possible. The result is homes that are more energy efficient, comfortable, and healthy for those who live there.

Some of their recent projects are Solar Village Prospect in Longmont, Colorado and Solar Village Maple in Ft. Collins, Colorado, as well as their Turn Key homes by All American Homes which are available in 34 states.

Solar Village Prospect, located 20 minutes from Boulder offers a mixed-use green village with 16 condos, lofts, and flats as well as businesses such as yoga centres, coffee and wine shops, and restaurants. The village features solar-assisted radiant floor heating, efficient lighting and appliances, and passive solar design. The design also features low toxic paints, finishes, glues and woods.

Solar Village Maple, located in Ft. Collins is a mixed use green built space consisting of 24 one-storey flats and studios, and retail/office/live-work spaces. The units feature solar assisted heating, super-insulated passive solar design, and central efficiency cooling systems. As in Solar Village Prospect, low toxic paints, finishes, glues and woods are used.

For those who want to do it themselves, Solar Villages offers help (for a fee) for those wanting to build their own home with the Solar Villages Home brand. Services include discovery, site planning, architectural advice and green planning. For more information, visit www.solarvillagehomes.com.