It's a challenge for a homeowner, buyer, or renter to wade through and make good decisions about all the information on products and practices for making a home more environmentally friendly and less toxic. EPA has attempted to make this challenge easier by pulling together what it thinks is the best available information, from a variety of sources. The agency announced the availability of its new tool on Nov. 16, 2009.

• Green Homes. [2]

The information is broken out by space type (e.g., kitchen, bathroom, garage, yard), and covers a wide range of indoor and outdoor energy, toxicity, consumption, and environmental impact issues — even topics such as finding a greener mortgage. Some of the information will likely be contested by various sources you contact, but the site may serve as a helpful starting point when you are doing related stories.