"The truth is green products have been around for a decade or two - but the public wasn't terribly interested," says Linda Newton, an interior design instructor at West Valley College (WVC) in Saratoga. "We're at a happy medium where there are more choices."

green design course so popular that it has had a waiting list since it was first offered at West Valley three years ago. In the class, Newton raises awareness of how to define and recognize an eco-friendly product. Given the recent popularity of such products, there are numerous companies that are quick to label something green without solid proof.

The class also emphasizes that green doesn't always mean an unconventional material. Part of the equation is the overall energy used to create and distribute a product: how it was manufactured and transported, whether it came from a sustainable resource and how durable it is.

"Sometimes plastic is better because it is local and made of recycled plastic," says Celine Pinet, dean of instruction at WVC, who served as co-chair of the design program until last year. "It's not just the finished product; it's a global picture. It's the whole system of a house."

SHOPPING GREEN

Finding green products for your home doesn't mean you have to head to alternative havens such as Santa Cruz or Berkeley to shop. Merchants in Los Gatos and across Silicon Valley are carrying eco-friendly lines that fit most consumer tastes from contemporary to traditional.

Stacia Topping of Interior Services of Los Gatos is three classes away from being a certified green designer and already recycles her fabric and carpet samples for elementary schools. Her company offers everything from recycled carpet and recovered glass countertops to cork and bamboo flooring options.

"I want to fully support the green movement," she says. "I think it's where we are going, and at some point we won't realize we weren't there before. We get people who are actually concerned about what they're putting in their houses. They understand that carpet off-gases. They're more aware of where a product comes from."

A number of Topping's clients do not come in asking about green products but seem to gravitate toward them naturally.

"What they're attracted to is the look. It's something new-they haven't seen it before," she says. "Some of it is cutting-edge industrial - not necessarily a crunchy granola look."

Laura Ziffer of Lulu Pom, an interior design and retail shop in Los Gatos, has taken another route to offering clients green products. In addition to eco-friendly collections from manufacturers South Cone and Cisco Brothers, she carries refurbished furniture, giving new life to old pieces that otherwise might have ended up in landfills.

"I think people forget about reinvented furniture," she says. "They assume that everything has to be brand-new. To me, that's not being green at all."

When redesigning a room for a client, Ziffer salvages as many of the fixtures and architectural elements as possible.

BENEFITS OF GREEN

One advantage to going green has to do not with the way the furniture looks but how it smells-or rather, how it doesn't. Many green products abstain from using formaldehyde and other toxic chemicals common in non-green design so individuals with allergies and sensitivities can breathe a little easier.

"There's definitely been a change in the market trend," says Adam Rockwood, an associate at Rockwood Design Associates in Saratoga. "I think every single client that we're seeing is at least inquiring what their green options may be, though not 100 percent of the clients are implementing green."

As an increasing number of clients are considering green products when building and remodeling their homes, one term Rockwood hears frequently is "formaldehyde-free."

"Everybody knows that formaldehyde is used to preserve something that's dead. and no one wants that in their house," Rockwood says. "Slowly but surely people are realizing it's not the best thing for health reasons."

Numerous studies have shown the health benefits of going green, ranging from a reduction in cancer-causing chemicals in the air to increased productivity in green commercial buildings.

Although the up-front cost of building green can be slightly more expensive, experts emphasize that homeowners save money in the long term with energy-efficient appliances and highly durable goods.

"Why spend money on something you're going to have to replace in two years?" asks Joan Tesauro, manager of Interior Services of Los Gatos in Campbell. "Many green furniture pieces are of equal of better quality and actually last longer."

EVERY BIT HELPS

Perhaps you're warming to the idea of going green, but you're not ready to completely overhaul your lifestyle or your home. Don't worry, says David Edwards, owner of Earth Bound Homes, a green design and consulting firm in Santa Clara.

"There is a lot that you can do to save energy and decrease your impact on the environment," he says.

Making small changes to your daily routine such as recycling paper, glass, aluminum and plastic is easy and free-plus, these materials may eventually resurface in items like your floor or countertops. And as new technology surfaces and manufacturers pump up the production of eco-friendly merchandise, the price of green items is certain to become even more affordable.

"My green philosophy is not about making sacrifice," Edwards says. "It's about tempering your demands on the environment. Green can't be about making people live in clay houses."