There are a lot of great sustainable products out there. Before the housing downturn, more and more of them — from insulating concrete forms to solar hot water systems — were being produced within 100 miles of Atlanta. And I imagine that the trend will continue even through this recession.

One of the big frustrations for green homebuilding, however, remains the cost of transporting the really heavy stuff that’s only available from some distant innovator on the West Coast. This San Joes Mercury News article outlines potential alternatives to two of the biggest homebuilding baddies: lumber and concrete. The two solutions aren’t broadly accepted on the market yet — even in Northern California.. When they are in full production out there, however, I’m betting that the substitute lumber and substitute concrete won’t be available here for years because the production facilities still will be too far away tobe worth the freight (not to mention the greenhouse gasses that would be spent on the transportation).

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