Home Green Homes

About Home Green Homes

This channel explores affordable, resilient, and sustainable homes through conversations with green building professionals, architects, designers, homeowners, developers, and real estate professionals. Topics include green building, energy-efficient homes, electrification, climate-resilient housing, and future-ready real estate. The podcast is for homeowners, buyers, and realtors interested in sustainable real estate, as well as builders and designers working at the intersection of affordability, resilience, and climate-conscious living. Episodes highlight real-world projects, practical strategies, and lived experiences that make sustainable and eco-friendly homes more accessible and achievable. Whether you’re a homeowner planning a renovation, a green real estate professional, or simply curious about sustainable housing and regenerative design, this channel offers grounded conversations about how we build, buy, and live in homes that are better for people and the planet.

Publisher

Izumi Tanaka

Category

arts · health & fitness

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

23 May 2019

Latest episode

28 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

107 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   28 Sept 2026

   107. Mushrooms in Net-Zero Home with Bill Spohn

   Most home tours happen on move-in day, when everything's shiny and nobody's tested anything yet. This one is different — Bill Spohn and his wife built a net-zero, airtight, modular "Pretty Good House" outside Pittsburgh, and they've lived in it for six years. So what actually happened? A factory installation mistake led to a rotted subfloor and — yes — mushrooms growing under the shower. Two windows still won't seal in winter (there's blue painter's tape involved). The AC failed once from a bad install, not a bad heat pump. And yet Bill says he's more pleased with the house now than the day they moved in — quiet, comfortable, and still net-zero on an annual basis. We talk about what six years of real living reveals that a spec sheet never will: the honest tradeoffs of going airtight, why he skipped a battery backup, the well and septic saga that almost derailed the build, and what he'd actually tell someone considering this path today. Bill also runs BetterHVAC.org, a free nonprofit directory connecting homeowners with contractors who understand building science — not just HVAC in isolation. Resources mentioned: spohnhome.com (https://spohnhome.com/) — Bill's build story and blog betterhvac.org (https://betterhvac.org/) — free contractor directory trutechtools.com (https://trutechtools.com/) — Bill's business, home performance testing tools Building Performance Institute (https://www.bpi.org/) — credentialing body for home performance contractors Solar United Neighbors (https://solarunitedneighbors.org/) — nonprofit that runs local solar co-ops to help homeowners get better group pricing Timestamps: 00:00 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL8SLVfOaI4) Introduction 00:31 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL8SLVfOaI4&t=31s&pp=0gcJCWMAwfN6Pr3D) Bill's background and motivation 02:06 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL8SLVfOaI4&t=126s) The concept of passive house 03:04 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL8SLVfOaI4&t=184s) Designing for energy efficiency 04:51 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL8SLVfOaI4&t=291s) Achieving airtightness 06:17 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL8SLVfOaI4&t=377s) Ventilation solutions 10:29 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL8SLVfOaI4&t=629s) Challenges in construction 12:53 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL8SLVfOaI4&t=773s) Achieving net-zero energy 17:07 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL8SLVfOaI4&t=1027s&pp=0gcJCWMAwfN6Pr3D) Living in the home 20:16 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL8SLVfOaI4&t=1216s&pp=0gcJCWMAwfN6Pr3D) Tips for building energy-efficient homes

2. 

   1 Sept 2026

   106. Wealth=Health On Planet Earth - David Gottfried on Building Homes That Matter

   David Gottfried — often called the godfather of the green building movement — co-founded the U.S. Green Building Council in 1993 and the World Green Building Council in 1998. He's the author of four books, including his newest, Regen360, and he joins the show to talk about something more personal than LEED scorecards: what it actually took to green his own homes, and what he wishes more buyers, sellers, and flippers understood. We talk about the 1930s Craftsman kit home in Berkeley he renovated into one of the highest-scoring LEED Platinum homes in the world — the rainwater-fed toilet that ran dry mid-dinner-party, the graywater pump he had to relocate out from under the master bedroom, and the acoustics mistake that eventually pushed him to sell. We get into why that house didn't sell for the premium he expected, what he did differently in the homes that came after, and his direct response to investors who tell him going green adds "50% more" to a renovation budget. David also unpacks the equation at the center of his new book: HOPE — Health On Planet Earth — and why he believes a home that doesn't "accelerate hope" simply isn't worth as much, no matter what the flipper is asking. In this episode: The pivot from real estate developer to founder of the green building movement Inside the Berkeley Craftsman renovation — the wins, the mishaps, and the acoustics regret Why the house didn't get the resale premium he expected, and what that taught him Debunking the "50% more expensive" myth flippers use to avoid going green What role certifications like LEED actually play in home value The HOPE equation — Health On Planet Earth — and what it means for the home you're buying or selling His message to the next generation inheriting what we've built What's your biggest challenge with sustainable living? Drop it in the comments! Subscribe for more insights on green building and sustainability! #GreenBuilding #Sustainability #ClimateAction

3. 

   16 Jul 2026

   105. Beyond the FEMA Map with Albert Slap

   Sustainability alone won't protect your home from Mother Nature. In this episode, Izumi Tanaka talks with Albert Slap — environmental attorney turned founder of RiskFootprint.com (http://RiskFootprint.com) — about why resilience and sustainability are two sides of the same coin. Albert breaks down why FEMA flood maps miss huge amounts of real flood risk (120,000 homes flooded outside the FEMA zone during Hurricane Harvey), why he pays $5,000/year just for hurricane wind coverage on his own home, and how a $5,000 roof-to-wall tie-down saved him from a $30,000 re-roof — and actually lowered his risk. We also get into wildfire vegetation management, the 34+ natural hazards RiskFootprint evaluates property-by-property, and why "caveat emptor" due diligence should start well before you sign an agreement of sale. Whether you're buying, selling, or staying put, this episode is a reminder that a green home and a resilient home are the same goal. 🔗 Learn more: https://riskfootprint.com (https://riskfootprint.com) TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Intro: sustainability + resilience, two sides of one coin 01:20 Albert's pivot from environmental law to RiskFootprint 02:59 What "caveat emptor" really means for buyers 05:32 Why FEMA flood maps don't capture rainfall flooding 07:19 Albert's own $5,000/year hurricane wind insurance bill 12:10 The roof-to-wall tie-down that saved $25K 16:54 How RiskFootprint evaluates 34+ natural hazards by address 23:39 Who actually uses RiskFootprint: buyers, realtors, lenders 28:16 Disclosure laws: Hawaii, Florida, Colorado and beyond 29:04 Climate trends vs. day-to-day natural hazard risk 34:25 Where to find RiskFootprint.com (http://RiskFootprint.com) Home Green Homes is a podcast about the people building — and buying — greener, more resilient homes. #HomeGreenHomes #GreenBuilding #ClimateResilience #RealEstate #SustainableLiving

Who has been a guest on Home Green Homes

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• George Siegal
• Nick Grimm
• Akanksha Mathur
• Steve Glenn
• Josh Dorfman

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

11 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 55 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

75

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

85

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Home Green Homes