Habitat for Humanity

Affordable housing advocates find that green building techniques result in higher-quality construction -- and often with costs comparable to traditional building techniques.

Recent winner of the Solar Decathlon's affordability category, the Empowerhouse costs under $230,000 to construct and uses an estimated 90% less energy than the typical U.S. home.

Used to pouring resources into building new homes, Habitat for Humanity sees opportunity in the vast number of vacancies caused by the mortgage crisis.