Does anyone have any personal experiences trying to build green/alternative/low-impact?

My husband and I want to (someday) build a home as green as possible--with composting toilet, recycled/reclaimed materials, pive heating/cooling etc. I am concerned that the local authorities' regulations and ordinances will be tough to deal with since it will be "unusual" in their eyes. We don't want to go against any regulations, but it may be hard to do something different than the traditional stick-built or pre-fab house. Does anyone have any similar experiences? How did you deal with it?