Home is where the carbon footprint is.

Sure, gas guzzlers and power plants leave their marks, but your home may be the big foot when it comes to environmental and energy concerns.

That's why the green movement is focusing on green building and green renovations, looking at materials and strategies that can make our dwellings more sustainable.

"It saves money, it is better for our kids and their health, and, of course, the Earth is the only home we have," says Craig Eliot, KOAA/Channels 5&30 meteorologist and consultant for Sustainable Building Concepts.

SBC is Southern Colorado's first green/sustainability consulting firm that works with clients to ensure they get the home or building they want.

"If it has something to do with renewable energy, sustainability/green design and energy efficiency, we do it," Eliot says. "People were really interested in going green, but just didn't know how."

Here are some tips from experts on lowering your home's carbon footprint:

Build small. Americans like big things. We like biggie fries, supersize SUVs and, for those who can afford it, huge, spacious homes. But building a 5,000-square-foot green home is a bit of a contradiction in terms. Small homes start with a tremendous advantage when it comes to heating, cooling and using fewer materials.

Think solar: One of the most efficient means of renewable energy is power from the sun, and southern Colorado's high elevation gives us a clear advantage over those who live near sea level. One of the most effective ways to use the sun's power in your home is to install solar panels. According to Eliot, photovoltaic technology (using the power of the sun to make electricity) can now be made into shingles or wrapped around materials. It's no longer limited to the thick solar panels that we are used to seeing.

"We tell people that Colorado is the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy; it is the idea of being closer to the sun that helps increase the potential," he says.

Another environmental heating alternative is geo-thermal.

Think passive solar. When building a green home, make sure the house is properly oriented with a logical design. If you face the windows to the south, you'll maximize the light and heat from the sun in winter.

If small windows are added near the roof, it can suck hot air out, thus reducing air-conditioning costs.

Homes also should be designed with as much ventilation and natural light as possible.

Painting the roof white will keep your home cooler by reflecting energy from the sun.

And installing a reflective roof can lower the surface temperature by as much as 100 degrees. If you can put part of the home underground, you'll get some natural protection from the heat and cold.

Avoid toxins. Most home-owners have no idea how toxic some of the materials in their homes are. One of the biggest culprits: paint. Paints that aren't eco-friendly emit volatile organic compounds (or VOCs), which give off vapors at room temperature. VOCs can cause central nervous system problems, headaches and nausea. Some have been found to cause cancer in animals. Most major paint companies now have "No VOC" paint, so make sure that's what you use.

"All of this, going green and being environmentally responsible, is now a necessity," says Ryan Brown of the Sherwin-Williams Paint Co. in Littleton. "These paints are better for the environment and better for the health of our customer."

Insulate. If building your dream green home isn't possible, start small. Upgrading the insulation in your home is an excellent way to reduce heating bills and use less energy. According to Money Magazine, if you install new insulation and caulk around windows and doors, you can cut your heating bills by 20 percent.

Double-paned, argon-filled windows will add further savings.

Go energy efficient.Buy only Energy Star appliances and household products. Anything with the Energy Star label has met strict energy-efficiency guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. New homes can qualify for Energy Star certification. According to energystar.gov, last year Americans saved enough energy through Energy Star to avoid greenhouse-gas emissions equivalent to that from 27 million cars.

Use fewer resources. Low-flow showers and toilets are a good way to start.

Consider green an investment. Building and renovating green often costs more. But depending on the features you choose, you could recoup that investment in a few years.

Manitou Springs Mayor Eric Drummond figures he spent about 15 percent more on making his 2,100-square-foot house green, with south-facing windows; a ventilation system that pulls in cool air from lower floors and vents upper warm air through skylights (sensors shut the skylights when it rains); radiant floor heating; bamboo floors; superinsulated walls and roof; a high-efficiency natural gas furnace; and a wood-burning stove.

But he estimates he's using 30 percent less electricity than he did in his previous home
Learn More. One of the best resources for green homeowners is the U.S. Green Building Council, the nation's leading nonprofit agency dedicated to healthy and environmentally responsible buildings. It developed the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system for sustainable, high-performance green building.

"By using LEED principals, we know the results are true; there are better ways to construct our buildings. We can make things more durable, energy efficient, and improve indoor air quality," says Mark Tremmel, principal architect with Tremmel Design Group in the Springs. "We are a wasteful nation and the biggest item I consistently see is waste on construction sites."

So when possible, use recycled materials to build or remodel, and you can have a tremendous impact on the environment.

"In Colorado, ‘green' is becoming a major buzzword," Tremmel says. "Our clients are becoming more educated and are now as concerned about energy and sustainability as they are the granite countertops."

To learn more about LEED principals, go to usgbc.org.

Look beyond our own backyard.We need to realize that what we do in our little corner of the world matters. And we can look to other parts of the world for ideas. The Aspen-based Sopris Foundation promotes the exchange of innovative sustainability ideas between cities of the Rockies and our counterparts in Europe.

"Americans often live by the motto ‘bigger is better' and are more preoccupied with size than value. We really rarely question this but more often should," says executive director Piper Foster.

"The primary question for a European is not, ‘Am I getting the most for my money?' but, ‘Even if it is smaller, is this item of the highest quality?' And this applies to everything from an espresso shot to a smart car to a new home.

"If consuming less is the result of a values system that emphasizes quality, then your footprint will be less."