When describing their mission, Inhabitat says that Green design is good design and Good design is green design – and Inhabitat is both green and good in design and in the way they share their mission with all of us. They have eight major sections that run the gamut from Energy to Art, but what drew me to them (of course!) were their Architecture and their Interiors sections. I loved their Design for a Dollar post, their Top 10 Prefabs and their funky feature on a house called The Nautilus. Truly, there is something here for everyone – and oh, yeah, I like a blog with a sense of humor!

Today in the midst of doing this and that I came across this article on a resurgent interest in backyard chicken keeping. And no, they're not talking about some rural folks, but your friends and suburban neighbors. Chicken keeping is part of the rising urban homesteading movement. If you want to know where your food comes from and eat what you grow (all the while reducing your carbon footprint) then you might be (or about to become) an urban homesteader. The Obamas are doing it at the White House with their kitchen garden. What about you? Would you turn your lawn into a garden? How about your shed into a hen house? And what would your neighbors say?

Check out this interesting blog called Little Homestead in the City about some folks who are walking their talk in Pasadena, California .

I've decided that everyone needs to love real estate as much as I do. I've been quite successful in getting people around me to enjoy it too. Take my boss Kristen, she sent along this post at Green Building Elements this afternoon. Her only comment was it's beautiful. So true, so true. The Wilkinson Residence was designed to evoke music for the owner by the architect Robert Harvey Oshatz. I think it does in every flowing, sensuous detail. I can't help think of a beautiful classical piece for the piano, but it also echoes the lushness of nature that surrounds it. Part tree house, part song -- all quite lovely and unique. The Wilkinson residence is music for the senses. Don't you agree?

Gallery: The WOW! House - The Wilkinson Residence

I am a big fan of Treehugger, a website devoted to -- as they put it -- driving sustainability mainstream. They are also "partial to a modern aesthetic, (and) strive to be a one-stop shop for green news, solutions, and product information." Any further questions on why I love them? (If you do, then just check out How to Go Green or Quizzes or any of the fabulous Get Informed sections.) The reason I visited Treehugger today is because I am really interested in off-the-grid living (something about it just so romantic or perhaps I just want to live in a little house on the prairie.) Treehugger comes through with not only a great article on off-the-grid living, but asks the questions you should be considering before you take the leap off. Have you considered off-the-grid living?

Let me tell you a little about myself. Growing up, my mother almost never used a clothes dryer. Why? In almost every backyard in my neighborhood there was a clothesline. In the spring, summer, fall and yes, even winter, my mom and all of our neighbors dried clothes this way. Now, people are choosing to save money and be green by line-drying clothes. But all is not well in the eco-sphere... ecologically, line drying reduces energy consumption, and this is also good economically for the person who chooses line drying, but not so for those in housing associations. They see line drying as a sure-fire way of decreasing home values and often prohibit any form of outdoor line drying. In Los Angeles, it is a hot-button issue. What do you think? Does line drying make sense? Or is it just an eyesore? If you're interested in finding out more about line drying, Project Laundry List can help with loads of useful info.

The internet is all abuzz, and I am too, about the Clayton i-house, a manufactured home that recently debuted at Berkshire-Hathaway's annual shareholders' meeting in Omaha, Nebraska . (Yes, Warren Buffett saw good things coming from Clayton Homes, who supply one third of our nation's mobile and manufactured homes and acquired them in 2003.) Why do I love it? First of all, see for yourself.

The design hits the right note of cool modernism. The price point hits the right note of affordability (at about $100 to $130 a square foot.) And it is green, green, green – featuring solar panels, a roof rain-water catchment system, energy efficient appliances, and low-e windows. USA Today says that the i-house's 1,000-square-foot prototype comes furnished and has a master bedroom, full bath, open kitchen and living room with IKEA cabinetry, two ground-level decks and a separate flex room with a second full bath and a second story deck covered with a sail-like canopy. The price of the prototype home is approximately $140,000.

Gallery: Clayton i-house

All pictures of the i-house come from blogger Greenotter, who shares his passion and intelligent insights on The Clayton i–house blog.

My vacation last week had me balancing time de-cluttering at home (a success, but so much more still to do!) and enjoying the beauty of nature. I realized that if I lived in a tree house I could have the best of both worlds. I could be de-cluttering my house in nature. So I checked out WebUrbanist's 10 Amazing Tree Houses From Around the World and decided that I most wanted the 02Sustainability Tree House. I found out that the geodesic dome structure is eco-friendly and has minimal impact on trees because it hangs from cables rather than being bolted to them. Oh, and the best part is that you can feel like a kid again.

Gallery: 02Sustainability Tree House

When you see a house with curb appeal I doubt the first thing that comes to your mind is what lovely shutters. But if they are old and their color doesn't match the siding, I bet you will take notice of that almost immediately. Shutters add charm to any home and in the case of hurricane shutters serve a very important function. There are many different types of shutters for both indoor and outdoor use. Can you tell the difference between plantation shutters and accordion shutters? Or that (fun fact alert) they are commonly believed to have originated in ancient Greece? If you want to know more, including how to make do-it-yourself shutters or when a good discount shutter might be right, then visit All About Shutters for an enlightening look at all-things shutters.

I hate cleaning. There, I've said it. And I will probably say it again. There is nothing I like about it except the finished product, a clean home. I have been turning my attention to green products more and more (especially since every time I clean I tend to feel headache-y and congested afterwards.) I needed a place to start learning about cleaning green, so I've chosen Annie Berthold-Bond's Better Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living as this week's Real Estate Book Club selection. Berthold-Bond says with just a few simple staples we can clean our homes – and clean up our home's environment too. Just what we all need during spring cleaning season.

In honor of Earth Day and Michael Reynolds' vision of off-the-grid living, this week's WOW! House is the Phoenix Earthship. The home is located in a community of other Earthship homes known as the Greater World Community (which is just past the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge from Taos, New Mexico and has easy access to town.) As the Earthship Biotecture website states the "homes are constructed from recycled automobile tires filled with compacted earth to form a rammed earth brick encased in steel belted rubber" as well as other materials such as aluminum cans and glass and plastic bottles. The Phoenix Earthship is a 3-bedroom, 2-bath home that comes with two acres of land. As with all the homes in the community, all the utilities are generated from solar power and rainwater that falls on the building. Below is the plan for the home and gardens.

Gallery: The WOW! House - The Phoenix Earthship

The Phoenix Earthship is offered for $1,500,000 and you can also rent it before you buy to see if living completely green is right for you.

This April 22^nd marks the 40^th anniversary of the founding of Earth Day. The recent emergence of the green movement is an important – and necessary – reminder that we need to take care of our Earth. The way we choose to live our lives matters to the planet we live on and impacts it in a myriad of different ways. There are many big and small things we can do to make a positive change. One of the most interesting and perhaps most radical of these are in the homes created by Michael Reynolds. Reynolds is an architect, or as he likes to be known, a biotect, and a proponent of "radically sustainable living." He originator of the concept of Earthships, which are homes made of natural and recycled materials (like used rubber tires) that use passive solar and wind energy. His company, Earthship Biotecture, creates a variety of different Earthship homes for people interested in living "off the grid" around the world. You can choose from a model for an 800-square-foot studio up to a 1500-square-foot-three-bedroom home – and they can be completely customized to your tastes and using the natural resources of the area where you'd like to build. If this sounds too much like living somewhere strange and uninviting, think again. The Earthship Corner Cottage is beautiful.

Gallery: The Corner Cottage, An Earthship Home

This 2-bedroom, 1-bath, home is on the market for $440,000. And if you're not sure you want to buy just yet, and are in the Taos, New Mexico area, you can rent it from $140 dollars a night. I think a romantic weekend at the Corner Cottage would be a perfect way to celebrate Earth Day.

One of the most fun parts of blogging about real estate is looking at a wide variety of homes both here in the United States and abroad. Recently, while looking at homes in Iceland, I was surprised to find that many of them had geothermal heating systems. I had heard about geothermal energy, but had no idea how it worked. Simply put, geothermal energy comes from heat stored in the earth. This energy is gathered through a geothermal heat pump system which is then used to heat and cool your home or business. Of course, that is just the simplest of outlines, but the GeoThermal website will explain all the options more thoroughly. I was very surprised to discover these geothermal energy solutions are available here in the U.S. It's a great green option -- and yes, a money-saving one too. Would you consider geothermal energy for your home?

Today, my colleague Robin and I went for a walk in the Flower District here in New York. It's a quick walk from our office and we'd been planning on going just as soon as the weather got nicer. Since spring is finally in the air, we set off to find some plants for our desks. There was an abundance to choose from – money plants and orchids and echevaria and hyacinths. Our main concern was the lack of natural light in our office. We looked, we asked questions, we smelled the gardenias and then Robin found the perfect plant. She wanted something that would make her desk feel welcoming and comforting and it soon became clear that she wanted something wonderful for her desk 'real estate.' In fact, we decided she wanted a statement plant. And she found one. Here it is.

We both love the tri-colored leaves and the bamboo pot fits in perfectly with both the plant and Robin's desk décor.

Are you bringing the outdoors in this season with new plants? What type of plants do you like?

First Lady Michelle Obama recently broke ground on the White House's new kitchen garden. The 1,100-square-foot garden will include 55 kinds of vegetables, herbs and also have two hives for honey production. The garden will be visible to passersby on the street and will be planted from organic seedlings. Organic fertilizers and organic insect repellents will also be used.

Both President and Mrs. Obama wish to draw attention to healthy eating and the importance of fresh and nutritious foods. This won't be the first White House vegetable garden (John Adams planted one in 1800) and in later years, the White House Victory Garden inspired millions of Americans to grow their own food. Perhaps this is just the groundbreaking first step in getting all of America to create their own healthy gardens, so we all can have healthier lives.

Do you have a garden? Are you planning on creating your own Victory Garden? Tell us why or why not.