World's Greenest Homes

World's Greenest Homes is a Canadian television show that somehow made it's way into the dvd collection at the library and from there onto our holds list.  The collection that the library has is a 6-disk, two-series, 39-episode mega set, which we only had a month to watch.  So we've taken it out of the library again to finish it.

This series is pretty cool; the host goes to different houses around the world (mainly in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia) and tours them focusing on the elements of the house that make it green.  Energy and water efficiency, reuse or recycle of building materials, and the use of chemical-free building materials, along with the architectural innovation required to make all of these elements work together to form a family home, are the challenges the home-owners have taken on.

We used to watch Grand Designs avidly, but have grown a bit sick of the condescending manner of the host, constantly going on and on about how a plan cannot work, until suddenly he is surprised by the finished product (it's even put me off watching Grand Designs: Australia).  There's none of that attitude here, especially as the houses are already built.  The host is constantly in awe of the innovation and creativity the home-owners have shown, and I imagine him making mental notes of things he'd love to include in his own home!  But there's no sensationalism or hype either, it's just a tasteful and respectful show, that is so rare these days.

Definitely worth a look if you're interested in architecture, environmentalism, or simply love seeing how other people live.  Also, there's an episode about the A-frame wooden house in the protected woods in England that the man who collects peat built, that, if you've watched Grand Designs forever, you'd remember (it's my favourite episode!).  It's a few years on from the Grand Designs episode, and even more recent than the Grand Designs: Revisited episode too.

If you want to buy World's Greenest Homes, click on the picture to buy it from Mighty Ape.  If you do, I get credit so I can buy more pretty things to tell you about!