Architect Burton Baldridge donated his services to Casis Elementary—his daughter’s large public school in Austin, Texas—to design and build an outdoor classroom that would augment an organic gardening program.

Janssen oversaw the December 2007 passing of a resolution requiring all publicly funded buildings, like the new K–12 school, be built to LEED Platinum standards.

You don't need a full greenhouse to successfully grow herbs, just a dedicated spot that will get at least six hours of sun a day. In fact, your indoor herb garden can be as simple as a row of potted plants.

The architects designed the large dining table, which is framed by the open kitchen, the wood-burning stove, and the garden beyond.

Their daughters, Annapurna, left, and Siddartha, play with their dog, Anouck, beneath the kangaroo paws in the entry garden courtyard.

Russell-Clarke tends a small garden.

The clients insisted that none of the trees on the property be disturbed, so Kevin Alter and his team at Alterstudio Architecture built a deck and an overhang around two of them.

Another view of the deck.

Alterstudio Architecture of Austin designed this house in the Texas capital for a young family of four.

In consultation with the clients, Alterstudio opted to clad the house in local cypress rather than imported, FSC-certified ipe.

Barry Svigals has likened the school's curving entrance to a pair of arms reaching out "in a welcoming gesture" to greet students inthe morning.

Natural vistas can be seen through expansive windows in the central lobby.

Svigals + Partners' design for the new Sandy Hook Elementary School includes subtle nods to enhanced security. The school is situated farther back from the street and parking lots than the previous building, putting more distance between cars and classrooms.

Stepstone's narrow concrete pavers add a graphic touch to the garden.

Purple thistles, California poppies, clover, and dandelions have all taken root in the roughly 10-inch-deep, lightweight humus and grape-husk soil in this 580-square-foot green roof. Designer Peter Liang says that he "wanted to plant a green roof for its thermal mass, but I wanted it to be as natural as possible."

"We wanted to create an open and inviting space that speaks of the local culture and provides an inspiring learning environment for children and local communities," To says.

"In this project, we got so much benefit out of this 'secret garden' for the master suite along with all of these environmental benefits that the residents were excited to embrace. It's one of the pieces we are happiest about," says architect Jonathan Feldman.

The exterior features vertical, untreated cedar panels. “We tried to use materials that are beautiful in their natural state without excessive treatment or finishing,” Pavonetti says.

Burnette sought to maintain the property’s natural vegetation and rocky ground surface.

Just up a ladder is the green roof, which is planted with maintenance-free sedums and tall grasses near the patio that Monkman tends carefully.

The hardscaping helps keep water use to a minimum. The Lais used gravel—accented by drought-tolerant bamboo—to create their side yard.

WORKac designed a teaching classroom at Brooklyn’s P.S. 216 elementary school that channels runoff rainwater from its roof for reuse in its mobile greenhouse.

In the kitchen, the couple found barely used appliances instead of new ones to save money. The cabinetry and butcher block counters are from Ikea.

The couple asked for a “no maintenance, not low maintenance” backyard. However, Shino tends to “Carlsbad's largest public bathroom for cats” (otherwise known as their Japanese-style rock garden) about once a month. Don't miss a word of Dwell! Download our FREE app from iTunes, friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!

Shane Michael Pavonetti, an Austin-based architect and contractor, and his wife, Holly, built their eco-friendly home on a lean budget of $175,000. The cedar siding used on the exterior reappears throughout the house. Keen on recycling the wood, the couple added shelving to their kitchen as well.

“I believe that whenever you’re hiring an artist, and Funn is an artist, he’s going to do his best work if he’s trusted,” says Kartheiser.

Villa Bio is situated a little over an hour outside of Barcelona in Llers, a green, hilly, sun-bathed sprawl near Figueres (hometown of everyone’s favorite mustachioed surrealist, Salvador Dali). The hydroponic rooftop garden grows out of volcanic stones. The home is conceived as a giant C-shaped spiral.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, food scraps and yard waste make up 20 percent of what we throw away. Composting organic materials keeps them out of the landfill, which cuts down on greenhouse gases, and enriches the soil. To compost at home, make a pile in your backyard, or introduce an indoor bin for throwaways like apple peels and eggshells.

Landscape architect Tait Moring installed pavers around the structure’s perimeter and kept the tree cover intact. Photo by: Kimberly Davis

A Renlita Floataway garage door is shielded by one of the home’s many overhangs.

The sink in the half bath was special-ordered from Home Depot and Pavonetti designed the base to give the basin a snug fit. He built it out of a steel rod and painted it with black shoe polish.

The cantilevered main floor creates space for bracken fern and other indigenous vegetation to flourish.

Mark Word Design did the landscaping, with an emphasis on water conservation. "It's about usage levels, but it's also about the way we treat storm water and runoff since it all goes back into our supply at the end of the cycle," designer Sarah Carr says. Word and his team chose plants that help reduce erosion, require little watering, and allow storm water to percolate. Mulch and living ground covers—including Big Blue liriope, marsilea, and Palisades zoysia turf—keep moisture within the soil and lower the temperature of the soil, protecting the roots of the live oak trees.

“This house is actually quite demanding; you have to be committed.”—Resident Nathalie Vandemoortele

The interior combines modern and more traditional elements, such as this oriental rug.

A common space features Hee Welling’s About a Chair 12 for Hay and a Stick round table by Valsecchi 1918.