Charles and Nikole Zidar drive hybrid cars, compost and recycle just about everything. They put great thought in making sure their carbon footprint on Mother Earth is a small one.

So when they bought a 1901 brick home in the Shaw neighborhood, they saw it as another opportunity to recycle something old instead of buying a new home. They've taken great care to make sure the renovation of the 3,400-square-foot, three-story home is as green as possible.

"Just about the greenest thing you can do is renovate an old home,'' Charles says.

The Zidars bought the home, which was built by the German owner of a men's furnishing store, for $118,000. Charles says they've added about $50,000 in upgrades, but he believes when all the work is done, the home will be worth more than $300,000.

"Not bad for a foreclosure?'' Charles says, as he ushers a guest inside the home's foyer with deep wood trim and one of three of the home's original fireplaces. "It'll turn into a pretty good deal.''

A former tenant bred pitbulls in the home's basement. Charles says he had to put Vicks VapoRub under his nose just to be able to tour the home.

A cleaning company estimated it would cost $10,000 to clean up the basement, which was filled with cages. Instead, Charles chose to head up the cleaning: He carried out 15 bags of dog feces. "It was disgusting,'' he says.

The Zidars have kept much of the home's décor neutral, as they have focused the look on many of the home's German-inspired motifs and memorabilia from the couple's travels to 40 countries (including a poison dart gun from Brazil).

Some of the highlights of the home's renovation:

— They recycled the glass removed from broken windows, cardboard packing, scrap metal and carpeting.

— They bought fixtures from Habitat for Humanity's Restore, which sells used home supplies.

— They installed a new driveway, which was made from recycled concrete.

— They bought Energy Star-rated hot water heater and appliances.

— They found enough bricks and stones from the property for their backyard patio and waterfall/pond feature.

— They refinished the wood floors with water-based, low-VOC polyurethane.

— They installed 90 compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Charles says they considered air and water quality, water and energy savings and sustainability during their renovation. They wish they could have done more — like installing recycled glass and paper countertops and geothermal heating and cooling — but the costs were too steep.

Even so, Charles says, renovators can make a low impact on the environment on almost any budget.

"Green renovation does not have to be expensive,'' Charles says. "I am too thrifty for that. You just need to make smart decisions and go the extra mile to find the right sustainable products.''