Nanoscience is a relatively new branch of science and is dedicated to the improvement and utilization of devices and structures ranging from 1 to 100 nm in size. New chemical, physical, and biological properties, not seen in bulk materials, can be observed in nanomaterials. With significant growth in the cross-disciplinary nanoscience research, chemists, physicists, biologists and engineers, researchers started to concern about the need of developing more environmentally friendly and sustainable methods for the synthesis of nanomaterials. The efforts aim at the total elimination or at least the minimization of generated waste and the implementation of sustainable processes through the adoption of 12 fundamental principles of green chemistry. Utilization of nontoxic chemicals, environmentally benign solvents, and renewable materials are some of the key issues that merit important consideration in a green synthetic strategy. In this review, we present greener approach toward the synthesis of noble metal, metal oxide, semiconducting and polymer micro- and nanostructure materials. The principles of green chemistry applied to nanoscience provide a framework for designing micro- and nano-materials and developing greener methods. Despite the progress described in this review, there are still considerable research challenges ahead that remain to be addressed. Encouraging results suggest that the greener approached can guide the design, production, and application of greener nanomaterials. Further development and application of this framework to the design and production of a growing number of micro- and nano-structure materials will provide research opportunities and challenges for this community at the foreseeable future.