Research some alternatives if you're planning to build a home—or consider these five types of homes as inspiration to make your own home more ecofreindly.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—The housing bust that brought us into the recession may very well bring us out of it, according to economists encouraged by reports that housing sales have risen for two consecutive months. And a few of those sales have been for homes made with recycled tires, shipping containers, or straw. Alternative building materials like these can save builders money,cut back on the use of unhealthy construction materials , and in some cases, cost much less than that cute little Cape Cod one cul-de-sac over. Even if you're not contemplating a housing start anytime soon, these five clever ideas make good motivation to make smaller changes for a greener household.

#1: Shipping containers. Our insatiable demand for consumer goods has indirectly created a market for alternative housing. Shipping containers land on American shores full of stuff every day, and since the U.S. has few exports, many containers just sit empty in shipyards. Shipping companies could pay $900 or more to send them back, empty, or they could sell them to you for up to $6,000 each to use as trendy, avant-garde building materials. Architecturally, they're perfect for shelter—fireproof, waterproof, already insulated (if you buy the refrigerated kind), and sturdy enough to stack 12 on top of each other without collapsing. As an added design bonus, most shipping containers have hardwood flooring that simply needs sanding and a coat of finish to shine like new again. The cost for such a home varies widely, but Quick Build LLC, an architecture firm based in New Jersey (home to the largest shipyard on the Eastern seaboard, in Elizabeth), will build you a six-container home of roughly 2,000 square feet for $184,0000, excluding shipping and the cost of land.

The house above, designed by architect Peter DeMaria, was constructed from eight shipping containers. The wall was the door to an old airplane hangar.
Courtesy DeMaria Design