We are looking to replace our cedar siding with an environmentally postive choice.  There's a substantial amount in need of repair, so now may be the time.  Our concerns/requirements:

1) Environmentally friendly to produce (is vinyl created with petroleum?)
2) Energy efficient
3) Low maintenance
4) Ideally recyclable, but hopefully we'll find something where this is not an issue for a substantial amount of time.
5) No / little off-gas
6) Ideally manufactured in the midwest (we're in Chicago)
7) Attractive look for our home (a lodge-y "A" frame) i.e., I don't think the stucco/cement look would work for our house
8) Reasonable cost relative to repairing with cedar

What have your experiences with siding been?

Thanks for sharing your ideas and experiences!

Look at LP smart side, it is an osb siding that you can not tell that it is not cedar from the grain.

Smart Side is a good product, I liked their trim boards also. And HardiPlank is a great product, have it on my own house

I spent a huge amount of time on this issue on my latest project. Normally I deal only in very structures so I match what's already there but a fixer ended up being unfixable so a new single family is taking its place. I settled on cedar siding due to the embodied energy content. All else being equal cedar wins. I've looked at every available LCA on siding products and right now I'm solidly comfortable with cedar being the green choice.

Mike
McAuley Building Conservation
Bellingham, WA