We met Paul, Connie and their architect Andy during the final phase of construction for their modular green home. Paul and Connie owned a lot in the historic mining town of Louisville and wanted to build a green home on it. One that was gentle on the earth and didn’t consume a lot of resources. They […]
Passive Solar, Net Zero Home: Goldendale, WA
We first heard of Francis when we met Chris of Winter Sun Design in Edmonds, WA. We asked Chris if he could introduce her to us as she fit the profile of our green homeowners. We had originally planned to head south from Edmonds, so the drive to Goldendale was a considerable distance out of our […]
Renovating a Neglected Log Home
Mark and I (Terry – your eco friend) have always been eco enthusiasts and dream of one day living in an off-grid home. A few years ago we renovated a Moose Mountain Log Home on 15 acres just outside of Calgary. This was a huge renovation and took just under 2 years to complete. Regretfully, […]
Off-Grid Timber Frame, Turtle Valley, BC
Marjorie lives in an off-the-grid home in the mountains near Turtle Valley, about 45 minutes from Kamloops in British Columbia, Canada. Marjorie is a strong and extremely self-sufficient woman and was the builder, designer and contractor for her Timber Frame home. She wasn’t completely alone as she had help from her 23-year-old son. Her dad helped with […]
EcoNest® Straw Clay Home, Santa Fe, NM
Santa Fe is counted as America’s oldest capital city and has an abundance of adobe-styled homes and businesses. These buildings are distinctive, historical representations, that blend Spanish, Native American and other local cultures and are made by combining sand, clay, water and other fibres like sticks or straw. The look combines design elements of Pueblo […]
Passive Solar using a Water Wall
I have blogged before on my friend Jack’s passive solar home. He toured us last fall Bellingham, Washington: Passive Solar, PV and Solar Thermal home. Passive solar, combined with a good heat sink (concrete, stone, masonry, water) creates one of the most cost-effective methods to heat and cool your home. With passive solar you have few […]
Eco Fables
I have encountered a couple of stories in the last two days that help simplify and support some of the Eco ideas we have been working with. “A dog lies in the shade in the summer time. He lies in the sun during winter.” unknown author This one seems so simple and obvious. It is […]
Passive Solar Sunroom Addition, Breckenridge, CO
Breckenridge has a very high elevation making the sun incredibly bright, almost blinding. The people are active in the area and seem to be very fit. Obviously the ski hills make the area famous, but it is also a great place to visit in the fall. Innovative Energy RenewablePower.com helps homeowners in Breckenridge and area, educating […]
Net-Zero, Leeds Platinum Home, Cupertino, CA
This home in Cupertino seemed to have every green and modern feature imaginable. Homeowners David and Stephania are 2 of 3 principles from “Integrated Design Associates, Inc. (IDeAs) is a California and Colorado based consultancy providing electrical engineering and lighting design services for buildings.” There were many exceptional green technologies used, but when it came […]
Off-Grid Straw Bale Home, Northern California
I had been really looking forward to this stop on the tour…some long off dream of living on an acreage with an off-grid home and my own art studio… that is my dream, Stan and Judy are living theirs. Stan and Judy live off-grid in an area of northern California between Mt. Shasta and Mt. […]
