WASHINGTON, DC -  The U.S. Green Building Council and The Home Depot launched an online green home products database - leed.homedepot.com - that features products geared toward green home building, including items that could earn USGBC LEED for Homes points.

USGBC says nearly 16,000 homes have been certified under the LEED for Homes rating system; another 67,000 homes are registered and awaiting certification. The site earned a mention in a LEED home presentation during the TED technology conference last month in Long Beach, Calif.

The green housing market has tripled since 2008. Green homes, which were 17 percent of new residential construction last year, could make up 29 to 38 of the market by 2016, according to a reportby McGraw-Hill Construction.

Green products listed at the leed.homedepot.com site, a special microsite within homedepot.com, include HVAC systems, appliances, plumbing and electrical, as interior and exterior items such as paints and coatings, hardware, windows, lumber, trim, flooring and cabinets.

Some item categories, selected on a "dial" on the landing page, are not all filled in. Flooring, doors and trim show selections, for example, while cabinets and countertops categories are still "coming soon."

Home Depot says more than 2,500 products sold at The Home Depot are listed on the website. "Products play an important role in achieving certification,” said Nate Kredich, VP residential development at USGBC in announcing the program.

"We want to show our customers that building green can be easy and affordable,” said Lindsay Chason, senior manager of Environmental Innovation at The Home Depot.