There are a lot of choices when and comes to insulation materials (we've covered several green options), but knowing what type to use and how to use it can be confusing. Once you've figured out where you need to insulate, determining the best method is your next step. Check out our picks after the jump to find out how to get the best bang for your insulation buck! More

Most people have a hard time associating cork with anything other than wine. While bottle stoppers account for roughly 70% of cork production worldwide, cork can also be in musical instruments, insulation, and a tremendous variety of flooring products. But the amazing thing about cork is how sustainable the production is, from cradle to grave. It's almost too green to be true. More

I live in Texas and it's hot, to say the least. In the hopes of reducing our energy use and cost, my husband and father-in-law embarked on a three phase installation project to provide our home with better insulation. More

Ahh, crawl spaces - those lovely subterranean areas that often consist of dirt, cobwebs and feelings of claustrophobia. Even though we may try to avoid them, improving an existing crawl space is actually an important step in greening your home. Retrofitting these areas not only addresses energy efficiency and moisture problems, but for those living in a small home, they can also be turned into valuable storage space! More

Q: We need insulation for the attic in our 1920s home, which currently has no insulation at all. I have heard about bio-based foam insulation, but the company I am considering says their R-rating is about 23, and I have heard that ideally it should be R-49. The person who came to give an estimate said that it actually performs about double the R number so I am confused if this is a more green and efficient insulation, compared to other forms such as blown-in fiberglass, which offers a rating of 49. Which kind would you recommend? More

This is probably the best looking sound insulation I've ever seen! Created by Swedish design studio Form Us With Love, Hexagon are a collection of hexagonal discs made from wood wool (a product made of wood slivers, usually from logs) that are environmentally-friendly, water-resistant, and moisture and sound absorbent. Check out a video of the installation you see above: More

If you've ever installed fiberglass insulation, you know the irritation it can cause to your skin. EnGuard is a glass-free version made from recycled plastic bottles and high performance fibers—the same fibers found in baby diapers, apparel and bed linens. More

A few months ago when we started talking about winterizing your home, there weren't many snowflakes on the ground and we definitely hadn't seen any sub-zero temperatures yet. But the world has since turned cold and all winter long we've been keeping toasty with what we consider to be one of the best insulation products on the market. Forget that plastic sheeting stuff—this is where it's at! More

Q: Is there such a thing as green drywall? If so, what alternatives to conventional drywall do you recommend? I obviously want to avoid drywall from China, and probably greenboard drywall that has been treated with biocides. What else?

Asked by Jo-Ellen More

I spent the last several days at the Greenbuild conference learning about new products, meeting some of the best professionals in the field, and sitting in on some great seminars. One of the highlights was learning what well-respected publication BuildingGreen chose as their top products for the year — something I look forward to hearing about every year. All of the chosen products are from the GreenSpec directory and are evaluated on criteria that has been developed over the last 18 years. More