The 3 Greenest Homes in the World

The Mini House: Tiny house construction got plenty of attention this year, and we’re not talking dollhouses. People all over the country are building and living in homes that cover well under 1,000 square feet and require very little energy or other resources.
A 15-year-old kid in California, is building a 130-square-foot house, and blogging about his progress. He just finished the roof at the end of November, so he’s not quite ready to move out of the parents’ house yet, but the home is on a trailer bed, so he plans to take it with him to college. He’s using the a design from a green company, a leader in the tiny house movement.
The company estimates a DIYer can build the Fencl for about $23,000, or buy it readymade for $54,000.
The Parking Space House: A 39-year-old Japanese man lives with his mother on an even smaller piece of real estate. He built a space- and energy-efficient three-story home on the site of a former parking space. He has large, south-facing windows that let in natural light and passive solar heat while creating an illusion of more space.

Whole Trees Homes: The owner sees rafters where logging companies see weeds. His company, builds structures out of small, intact trees. This practice is more sustainable for the forest and certainly less wasteful for the planet than milling trees down to standard construction lumber. The company completed at least two homes this year, including the Albertson house, which covers less than 1,000 square feet and includes exterior paneling made from used shipping pallets.