Green Bling

Energy Star and Indoor airPLUS stickers

 

We finally received our official Energy Star and EPA Indoor airPLUS certificates. We also get cool labels to apply to our home's electrical box to show off to future owners and appraisers. And to house guests who might have to flip a breaker or something.

Welcome to Our Blog

We are all moved in and awaiting the final paperwork to learn our home's official rating under the LEED for Homes system. If you are just finding your way to our blog, we hope you'll scroll back to the beginning to learn about our process and the features that help make our home green.

As Viewed from Above

Courtesy of Google Maps

Homeowner Manuals

Operations and Maintenance Binders

 

Building an energy-efficient and otherwise green home is all well and good, but to realize the benefits of your investment over the long run, proper operation and maintenance of the home's major systems are critical. Among the prerequisites for LEED for Homes is that the project team provide the homeowner with a binder of all user guides and manuals as well as general information about sustainable home decisions, the LEED features in this house, and all LEED for Homes paperwork. Not only is this better than the typical "drawer-full-of random-manuals" buyers of new homes usually get stuck with, it is also helpful as a tool for future owners of our LEED for Homes project. 

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Landscaping & Pest Management

24" rock border around perimeter of home

 

Among the steps we took to implement a green pest management system was not planting any shrubs or trees within two feet of the home's slab. Keeping what is more or less an air barrier between the habitats of insects and other pests and our building envelope helps make it more difficult and less inviting for those outsiders to venture inside.

Landscaping

Rock, decomposed granite, and turf

 

Native and drought-tolerant plant species

 

 Vegetable garden

 

There are a number of strategies for sustainability that manifest themselves through landscape design. For example, by minimizing the percentage of your lot that is covered in conventional turf, you should reduce your water consumption, provided that your irrigation system is well-designed. By minimizing impervious paving (such as concrete driveways, patios, or paths) you assist with both flood prevention - since water gets held in your beds and lawn rather than washing into a storm drain - and reduction of the heat island effect.

 

LEED for Homes (and common sense) prohibits the introduction of invasive plant species onto the site. It also encourages native and drought tolerant vegetation through points for the number of plants installed that meet those criteria.

 

There aren't any LEED for Homes points available directly for our raised vegetable and herb garden, but they do afford us the opportunity for some bragging rights. :)