A New Green Journey

Over the last few years, with our children grown and out of college, my husband and I have been seriously considering changing jobs…I think some people call it---retirement.  This would be an opportunity to really go Green. We want a chance to get our hands dirty, live in the country, grow our own food, buy and, maybe, sell local, and get to know our neighbors better than at the annual Christmas party and 4^th of July picnic. 

There are many decisions to make and information to gather if this project is going to be successful.  Where do we start?  Fortunately our adult children are interested in participating with us, at least some extent, even if only to be weekend labor and to enjoy some time away from their busy schedules.  We made two early decisions:  We want to live in the country and we want to start from scratch and be as green as reasonably possible.  By starting with a mainly virgin piece of property, we won’t have to retrofit existing structures to meet our requirements. 

After a little reading, it was easy for me to see that I didn’t want to live in a house of dirt filled recycled tires and I didn’t want a composting toilet.  However, there is a long list of green options that I definitely do want:

• A sturdy, modern, comfortable house which fits into the environment with excellent insulation and constructed with as much green material as reasonably possible.  There are some passions that we won’t give up such as our taste for red wine, our collection of leather books, and my grand piano.  A wine cellar and space for a library/music room are luxuries we intend to keep. 
• Geothermal heating and cooling? Or some type of very efficient system for environmental control in the house
• Grey water usage 
• Energy independence with solar hot water, and solar and wind generated electricity 
• A greenhouse for year round production of fruits, vegetables and flowers
• A seasonal garden
• Chickens for egg production    

The first phase of our project was to find and purchase a piece of property that we could afford in an area near where our children are living.  This initial step took us almost a year and a half.   After many false starts and disappointments, we purchased 138 acres with a water well and a barn with a dilapidated “apartment” in the front of the barn.  Our daughter and future son-in-law decided to also build their house on the same property.  They are animal science majors which means we have “built in” help with farm animals we might decide to add.  Our two sons live about 1 ½ hours away and will come as often as possible on weekends.  Now we have a multi-generation work crew all interested in a similar eco-friendly lifestyle.

After fixing up the living area in the barn so we could stay there on weekends, we now need a master plan.  We must have professional help designing and building our houses.  Who in the area is familiar with green building methods, grey water plumbing, and solar and wind power?  What kind of greenhouse should we build?  Anyone know anything about chicken coops or types of chickens?  There’s a lot we don’t know.

We know there are a lot of people out there who are interested in all phases of green living.  As we research these different areas and move forward, we plan to let you know g what approaches work for us and which ones fail.  What are the best references?  How do you find “green builders”?  There must also be out there people who have already tackled many of these problems and can help us and others with these projects.

Please join us in this journey.  Whether you are simply interested in a greener life or are prepared to make big changes or already have accomplished much of this, we need your input both with questions and answers.  Right now, I’ve started reading about greenhouses.  What type of Floor? Foundation? Framing Material? Glazing? Size?  Ventilation?

Later. 

Janie