(BPT) - One of the hottest trends in home improvement is remodeling with green or sustainability in mind. Going “green” means using building methods and environmentally friendly building materials that reduce your home’s impact on the earth, while enhancing the health of your home for you and your family.

In a nutshell, remodeling your home to make it more green means reducing your home’s impact on the environment (using less resources such as water and energy); using building products that are made from sustainable or renewable materials; enhancing the health of your home (improving indoor air quality, removing mold and rot); and using long-lasting, low maintenance building products that don’t require paints and chemicals to maintain or won’t end up in the landfill after only a few years of use.

“The important thing to keep in mind is that you don’t have to do it all at once,” says John Gardner, director of marketing for APEX Siding System, which makes sustainable siding and trim. “You can make your home greener over time, project by project, as your budget allows, to increase its efficiency and quality, while reducing your home’s impact on our environment.”