By Rachella Sinclair

IT'S NO SECRET that Bay Area residents try to make environmentally correct choices in their day-to-day lives. Some let it mellow if it's yellow; others pour french fry oil in their gas tanks. Many bus or bike to work. It's a given that we all painstakingly separate recyclables from trash.

While green building or remodeling sounds good, it's not always easy. However, with the help of two Bay Area organizations, Build It Green (1931 Center, Berk. 1-888-404-7336, www.build-green.org) and the ReUse People (2100 Ferry Point, Ste. 150, Alameda. 1-888-588-9490, www.thereusepeople.org), Bay Area residents can find the resources they need to be on their way to living in a green home.

According to Laura Ingall, commercial and residential green building coordinator at the San Francisco Department of the Environment, in addition to the obvious benefits of improved air quality and better health, living in a green home can also cut utility bills, while using recycled materials often cuts the cost of renovation.

Katy Hollbacher, program manager of Build It Green, agrees: "Sometimes building green costs more up front, but it always costs less in the long run, and that's not counting things you can't put a price on, like physical well-being and natural light."

In order to help locals live green, the Department of the Environment has teamed up with Build It Green to offer how-to seminars. One recent Saturday morning, a diverse group of people – including a couple of volunteers from Habitat for Humanity, a builder, and a number of homeowners interested in living in an environmentally friendly home – gathered at the Chrissy Field Community Center to learn the basics.

As Mary McLeod of Austin Energy pointed out at one of these "Seven Steps to Green Building" seminars, "A green home is not a collection of green materials. It's a system." This system could include efficient design, the use of environmentally friendly materials, and the economical use of energy. The seminar tipped off attendees to where they can find locally made and easily replenishable building materials, as well as where they can buy energy-efficient appliances, such as central-heating systems that run on hot water, and designer countertops made out of concrete and recycled glass.

Once informed, homeowners and contractors can check out the organization's Web site, which lists certified green professionals. Its "Ask an Expert" hotline (1-888-40-GREEN) helps with specific questions.

In addition to offering seminars and online resources, Build It Green holds green-building certification classes for contractors and building professionals. Growing demand for green building has increased the popularity of these classes. "Local governments are beginning to require lower-energy designs for new builds," Hollbacher says, emphasizing another reason to get certified. Furthermore, she says, "Home builders are beginning to offer zero-energy homes," which take 60 percent less energy to heat and cool than traditionally built homes do.

While Build It Green specializes in helping people build and remodel their homes, the ReUse People focus on environmentally sound demolition, or as the staff calls it, deconstruction. The ReUse People preserve the materials left over from renovations and demolitions so that they can be reused. They'll come deconstruct your home and salvage the materials for you or help you construct a recycling and reuse plan. According to Ted Reiff, the organization's president, the main goal is to keep materials out of the landfill.

While it costs more and takes more time to deconstruct a house than to just toss the debris into a landfill, according to Reiff, the tax benefits of donating the materials offset those costs. "The primary benefit, though," he says, "is knowing that you did the right thing."

And many Bay Area residents are quick to do so. Materials donated for a healthy tax credit to the ReUse Bazaar (2100 Ferry Point, Ste. 150, Alameda) overflow the lot and storage trailers. Builders can rummage through the bazaar's many lanes for basic components like lumber, windows, and doors. Homeowners preparing to remodel, and landlords who want deals on quality goods, enjoy perusing the selection of specialty items such as leaded glass windows and vintage claw-foot tubs.

Next time you renovate, consider using eco-friendly house paint or recycled materials. And once you get your home green, you can move on to the rest of the world. To make reservations for the next green-building seminar, Sept. 10 in San Francisco, call the Department of the Environment at (415) 355-3753 – and also ask Laura Ingall about adding your house to its green home tour.