Last week I got what I believe is a sure sign that the green world is slowly moving mainstream: My father sent me an e-mail proudly displaying the new rain barrel he had installed on his patio. Later that day, he told me how excited he was when he realized it held enough to water all the flowers and plants inside and outside his water-starved North Carolina active-adult home. He was practically giddy.

The reason I see this as promising is because my parents are like a lot of Americans--they're not early-adopters, they don't line up to buy the latest thing just to have it, and they wait until a product is proven--and its price drops--before making a commitment. (When I was a kid, we were the last on my street to get a microwave and I was the only high-schooler without an answering machine.) So when it comes to greening their home beyond recycling and light bulbs, my parents aren't exactly clamoring for carbon credits or tearing up their lawn to install a geothermal system. When they had to replace the toilet, they went ultra-low-flow; the replacement dishwasher is Energy Star-rated. In other words, they're like most homeowners: approaching green ideas one practical step at a time.

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