From the outside, Kristy Mamchur's house might look like any other on the block, but her home has some very unique details.

"It looks like wood but its actually fiberglass," Jeremy O'Neill, owner of O'Neill Builders, LLC, said about the front door.  "And this is made from recycled soda bottles," he said, about the front deck.

Trimmed with locally made decor and recycled materials, this green home has a minimal environmental impact.

"Really the foundation of green building is energy efficiency," said Peter Schneider of Efficiency Vermont, and a green building consultant.

Mamchur knew she wanted a green home when she started building, after her last home was not quite up to par.

"The drafts and constantly up-ing the heat, I knew I was blowing money right out the window," said Mamchur.

And her personal style also worked for a green design.

"I like simplicity and I like visually clean lines," Mamchur said.

"We have no irregular shapes no drastic rooflines, so we were able to keep things at the norm as far as availability of materials," said O'Neill.

Eliminating wasted material was just one option to reduce the carbon footprint.

A green home certification known as LEED allows Kristy and other homeowners to consider all the options to make their home as eco-friendly as possible.

"It is an assurance that they are moving into a home that will meet a certain criteria, a certain percentage of energy savings, great indoor air quality, and that ultimately their home has had a lesser impact on the environment," Shneider said.

And what might surprise you, Mamchur was able to build her home, without breaking the bank, staying within her budget of about $200, 000.

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