For December, Dena Stevens recommended that the Eco All Star Group do an amazing Challenge.  It is our GREEN Dream Home checklist, if money were no object.  What 5 features would one choose for their home?  This is all in Celebration of Brad Pitt's Pink Project in New Orleans.

If you follow Green Building, you know that this could very well be a difficult task.  There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of Green features one could choose from.  However, here is my list of 5.

Let's drift off to La La Land.  :) 

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I just invented a Battery for Solar Panels that can hold enough energy for a Year's worth of power for a 2000 sq ft home.  It takes about one month to be fully charged and throughout the year, the panels can make enough power to supply 12 surrounding homes while keeping the battery full.  This was a solution for average homes to be able to live off of the Grid for only 1% more construction cost.

I then sold the idea, and now I'm retired.  ( told you it was La La Land. )

I purchased 1500 acres of land in West Texas to serve as Preservation and I am about to start construction on a 2000 sq ft home.  During this process I am going to try and minimize the impact on the land.  To start I decided to raise the home about 17 feet off of the ground to find use for the land underneath.  Here is a list of the 5 Features.

1)  SIP's-  Because the home is raised, I decided to go with Structural Insulated Panels.  This way the home could be insulated on all 6 sides.  ( four sides, top and bottom ) 

2)  Solar-  Off the Grid!  I am NOT going to depend on getting Electricity from a Local Utility company.  Also, there is a Wrap Around porch for part of the home.  On one segment of the porch I decided to implement Hit Panels to allow the growth of plants underneath AND store electricity for other items on the property. 

3)  Pervious Concrete-  I mentioned that I want to minimize the impact on the land.  For drive ways and walking paths I am using a Pervious Concrete.  This allows water to go through (like a sponge).  The concrete can be near trees and not damage them.

4)  Rain Water Capture-  There are 4 Rain Water Capture systems sporadically around the property.  1 is Potable for home use and the other 3 are Non-Potable for Property use.  They are connected to 3 Ponds that gather water for Wildlife and watering the grounds such as the Edible Garden.  The ponds also serve as a Reserve water for times of drought.

5)  Geo Thermal-  Since money was no object, I decided to go GeoThermal.  How this will work with the home raised, I have no idea.  :)  But money was no object.

And there it is-  5 items from my DREAM GREEN home.  Darn the bad luck, back to reality.  :) 

If you have a chance, check out the link to Brad Pitt's site for his Pink Project and make a donation.  You can donate as little as $5.  They are building 150 homes and as of right now only 10 are sponsored.  This is a fantastic cause!  Each home will have Photovoltaic Panels and will be of Sustainable Design for Affordable Living.  They have joined with Architects Worldwide to make this happen.

Next I am going to write about the 5 Features I would choose for NO additional construction cost.  Stay tuned!