From a 10-cent metal drywall clip to a $1,200 tankless water heater, the green offerings at this year’s International Builders’ Show ran the gamut: old-school gear to leading-edge technology; inexpensive wares to pricey equipment; simple tools to complex gadgets. Products with an eco-friendly profile were everywhere at IBS—there was even a Green Day on February 14, when show staff encouraged attendees to wear something green. (Note to IBS organizers: The one color you might convince people to wear on Valentine’s Day is red, not green.)

In my quest to understand how manufacturers and builders are now defining green, I spoke with many of the nearly 2,000 exhibitors at the show in Orlando. Their eyes lit up when I asked why a particular product was being marketed as green. Were those dollar signs I saw? From the sheer number of so-called green products on display even to the signage I came across—including the National Association of Home Builders’ declaration that the “future of residential construction is green”—it’s apparent that the housing industry has embraced green.

The challenge will be for us consumers to sift through the hype and avoid throwing away money by trying to buy our way to a cleaner environment. Remember, despite what some marketing mavens want you to believe, you don’t always have to shell out greenbacks to be green.—Kristi Wiedemann, Science and Policy Analyst, GreenerChoices.org

Essential information: Cut through some of the green hype by learning about greenwashing and visit GreenerChoices.org for the latest news on environmental issues and expert advice on ways to save energy and money everyday.