Do you have a sprinkler or irrigation system for your lawn? Consider installing a soil...

For most home projects, this is your go-to paint. Also called latex paint, it has a binder that is dissolved in water. In general, water-based paints are less toxic and contain fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs) than solvent-based (also called oil-based or alkyd) paints.

 
Got a big paint job coming up? Choosing between water- and oil-based is one of the first decisions you'll have to make. Water-based paints are durable, dry quickly with little odor, and can be cleaned up with soap and water. Oil-based paints, though they hold up better over the long term, have stronger fumes, dry slowly, and require flammable solvents such as turpentine and paint thinner for cleanup. In recycling programs, water-based paints are not considered hazardous waste; oil-based paints, however, are classified as such and are more difficult to dispose of. A note about oil-based paint: Before 1978, oil-based paints often contained lead, a dangerous heavy metal, as a pigment and drying agent. As a result, older homes may contain hazardous levels of lead-in dust, peeling paint, and paint chips (often ingested by children). It's important to have your home tested if you suspect that it contains lead paint; the material can be removed (through a fairly arduous process called abatement), or sealed in to prevent dust and chips.

Seeing pages and pages of glossy magazine photos of sustainable homes replete with glass panels...