I'm Going Green!

So, I'm a DIY kinda guy that figures things out as he goes. I've got no training, and do most of my home improvement projects with "how to" books spread around me. I've got an old house, built in 1963, that needs alot of work. I like doing the work myself, and... I really don't like paying other people to do this stuff for me, if I can possibly help it. That gets me into trouble periodically. There are all sorts of shows about going "green", and we all talk about it, but when it gets down to the brass tacks of really knowing what to do, and how to do it, it's easy to get bogged down.

The questions I always have are:

• What projects are important to do?
• Is there an order of priority?
• What projects are feasible for me to pull off?
• What things are financially feasible?
• What are the different levels of each solution (what options are available, and what is the Return on Investment for each)?
• What are all the steps to do it correctly?
• How long will it take me?
• Where do I find the materials?
• How can I forecast and measure results?
• I've heard about tax credits, so can I get them for this project?

I'm an over-thinker, and a bit of a perfectionist, so if I don't know exactly how I'm supposed to do things, even the simple things throw me. Let me give you an example. I've been told I should caulk all of my windows. Okay... what kind of caulk? Is there a "green" caulk? Where exactly on the windows am I supposed to caulk? Am I supposed to scrape off everything that's already there? Can I screw this up?

So, I've decided to use myself as the guinea pig for all of you. I'm going to make a list of projects I plan on doing, and just start researching. I'll share what I find, and hope that other people like me will start posting their solutions on here, as well. I'll start with the simple things that I already know I should do. I'll tell you what I found, where I got it, and document how I'm doing it. Please feel free to weigh in.