2010 Green Home Tour

The Green Home Tour began four years ago in conjunction with the Green Living Expo. Participants on the tour get to see homes with green technologies and talk at length with homeowners. Tickets for this year's Green Home Tour will be on sale on Saturday, May 8th at the Green Living Expo at River Springs Middle School.

The "green" homes on this year's tour have been designed, constructed and/or retrofitted to ensure healthy indoor air quality, water and energy efficiency, and reduced CO2 emissions. They also illustrate overall good stewardship of the resources used and conscientiousness about the impact of building on the landscape.

This year, the Tour will take place on two days as attendees told us that they needed more time at each home for more in-depth conversation with homeowners and other attendees. They also wanted to be able to pick and choose which homes might be more relevant to their interests. Therefore on Saturday, May 15th and Saturday,June 5th two homes will be visited each day.

Home #1 is a retrofitted trailer tucked among palms and oaks in one of our historic coastal communities. This trailer will dispel any stereotyped notions you might have about trailers! The imaginative homeowner has transformed a 37 year old single-wide into a stylish, functional and energy efficient custom home. With Art Deco influences throughout, attendees will experience how one person has created a delightful living environment with earth-friendly, salvaged and reclaimed materials. If you are not inside marveling at the clever innovations such as the counter top that can become a tea trolley, you can walk the ¾ acre lot planted with native and edible plants. While visiting the home the owner will also share her experience and expertise in using ‘green’ cleaning products and strategies. She may also have some recipes for ‘green’ skincare.

Cracker design inspired, our second home is only a few years old and has many of the newest energy efficient technologies, as well as salvaged, recycled and recyclable materials. At this home an attendee can ask questions about tankless water heaters, advanced nitrogen reducing septic systems, dual flush toilets, air circulation and insulation. This gem of a house sits in a xeriscaped landscape managed with prescribed burning and best land management practices. Unable to list here all there is to see, I have to mention the new roof water collection and distribution system that supplies water to the landscape and to a water feature.

Located in northern Wakulla County the third house was constructed by a local pioneer in adopting low-cost, energy efficient building strategies. On 5 acres that he shares with gopher tortoises the homeowner has returned the sinkhole and landscape to its native vegetation. Inside one will see ceiling sun tunnels for light, natural linoleum, a solar hot water and the use of no VOC(volatile organic compound) paints and stains. As an avid advocate for living simply the homeowner will share his experience of how he made building and materials decisions with participants.

The fourth stop has yet to be decided upon, but will provide opportunities to see different features than the others have demonstrated.

As different and unique as each home is they all share a common bond. They have been constructed or retrofitted by people who share a determination to live sustainably and ensure the quality of the environment we live in.

“When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find that it is bound fast by a thousand invisible cords that cannot be broken, to everything in the universe”- John Muir

Please stop and visit us in the Green Home area when you visit the Green Living Expo on May 8th. There will be someone available to answer questions and to provide information on low-cost, energy-efficient strategies for your home that anyone can employ with little or no money. See you ther