The Green home building initiative has its genesis in the Green Movement, which was in its heyday in the 1960s, especially among the Hippies. The movement caught on in Europe and the United States with some variations along the way. The political authority of the green movement gained significantly with the institution of the German Green Party in 1970s. This gave rise to the creation of many more Green politics and following in Europe with an institutional role. Many of these Green parties formed part of coalition governments in Europe thus giving governmental support to green initiatives quite early on. 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. In this country, the Green movement has continued its march without any federal support. During the early years, building green homes was significantly more expensive than normal homes. The American building industry following the pragmatic capitalist line, sought to maximize profits unlike the European builders who had the pressure of the governments and influential NGOs to persevere building 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. Till very recently, Americans considered used bathing water as waste water; instead this is an invaluable resource to be used for landscaping. The US LEED initiative which aims at bringing green building into the mainstream is still not a federal law. The European proposal to unify all green norms under the French green building norms is a pertinent move that the government would do well to seriously consider.

Houses in the US are usually constructed of wood which is both abundant and economical. 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. In contrast, forest conservation has been a priority with the European nations and this has resulted in them shifting to using quick rowing wood such as bamboo for construction purposes. Little surprise as to the reason Europeans seem far ahead in structuring green homes as against Americans.