The Marin County Green Home Tour had been a strictly online event for a few years but will now be a chance to see up close how residents have upgraded their homes to reduce their carbon footprints on Sept. 27, 2025, all over Marin County, Calif. (Marin County via Bay City News)

Marin County will again be welcoming people into environmentally conscious houses as part of its popular Green Home Tour. 

The tour is free and interested participants who register will be notified about the locations of each home and information about the site’s sustainability. 

The Marin County Green Home Tour had been a strictly online event for a few years but will now be a chance to see up close how residents have upgraded their homes to reduce their carbon footprints, the county said. The idea is to help other homeowners who are thinking about making their houses more energy efficient but want to see it for themselves first. 

“We’re excited that the tour will be in person this year, giving the community chance to step inside local homes and get those answers from firsthand experience,” said Community Development Agency Director Sarah Jones. “Our goal is to inspire conversations between neighbors about the steps we can take to move away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable, resilient homes.” 

According to the county, the tours include major remodels, gradual retrofits, and low-cost, low-tech “do-it-yourself” solutions for both homeowners and landlords/renters. Experts will be on hand to speak about heat pumps, induction stoves, solar and battery systems, graywater systems, rainwater harvesting, and recirculation pumps. They will also share information about rebates and other financial incentives for those installing climate-friendly home improvements.

The tours take place on Sept. 27 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.