The Green Movement, popular with the Hippies in the early 60s was the precursor for the present interest in building Green homes. The movement caught on in Europe and the United States with some variations along the way. In the 1970s, the Green Movement gained political credibility with the establishment of the Green Party in Germany. Many more Green political parties came into being notably in Europe and thus an institutional approach to the green movement was in place in Europe. These Green parties often formed alliances in Europe giving the impetus to the green agenda. The German government passed the green legislation tax, one of the first green initiatives in the world.
No such legislative activity took place in the States. The Green movement in the nation has continued as an informal initiative with hardly any federal backing. During the early years, building green homes was significantly more expensive than normal homes. American construction companies, sans the governmental pressures faced by their European counterparts, sought only to augment their profits rather than build green.
Building Biology is a well recognized 30 year old movement in Europe, and the main argument forwarded by its proponents is that indigenously available materials are healthier than concrete, steel and plastic foam construction material. Consequently, over the years, Europeans have been building walls with the help of loam. For insulation, recycled newspaper is a prudent choice. Used bathing water which was till late considered as waste by Americans, can be sensibly utilized for landscaping. The US LEED initiative which aims at bringing green building into the mainstream is still not a federal law. One may look at the French initiative, to implement its local building green norms in the European Union, as a positive influence on the State.
For ages, Americans have built their houses with wood, a cheap and plentiful commodity. However, the housing boom in the Untied States led to increased import of timber and thus saw a rapid denuding of tropical rainforest. The US building industry continued to look for profits and overlooked any environmental concerns. The Europeans on the other had very early on understood the likely adverse impact on the environment and commenced forest plantation in their own countries as also using bamboo and other quick growing woods instead of tropical rainforest woods. Little surprise as to the reason Europeans seem far ahead in structuring green homes as against Americans.