brick

This is an interesting question: Is brick a green building material? It just doesn't seem like it should be.

Brick conjures up images of the most traditional of traditionally built homes; homes that were designed and built long before we started worrying too much about what our construction practices were doing to the earth.

But that's just what Philip Proefrock is discussing over at Green Options. Brick, he says, is green. And he makes a good argument. It's made of clay and water and, if you buy it locally, the excessive energy that might be used in shipping such a heavy product is mitigated.

Philip's post got us thinking: What other unlikely, commonly used building materials might we consider green?

Concrete can be green, especially if much of the cement is replaced with fly ash (a topic we discuss in our guide to Episode Two). And, certain types (read: FSC-certified) of wood are considered green.

Any other materials we aren't thinking of?

Image via Lynne Lancaster; sxc.hu