The Organic Home will create the conditions for an integrated deflection, changing the course of your life and the health of the World, by providing a single integrated source of home products, services, body products and nourishment, deflecting our destination from harm to health and happiness.

But, we ain't no group of bean eating hippies - we have good lives, but fun lives. Healthy lives but cool lives. We work hard but we play too... We are serious but we live here - integrated with our families and friends, we don't live on another planet, man...

Take the step, make the change, come and visit The Organic Home'. We are just like you.

It’s important that each person recognize the importance of green standards - Modernized cleaning equipment includes anything from steam swiffers to microfiber cloths. Congruently, most people are finding organic ways to clean their households, along with their surrounding property. For instance, during the spring, many homeowners are peppering cornmeal across their yards to keep out crab grass and other similar weeds. By doing so, they’re able to keep harmful toxins (carried by most top selling weed killers) off their yard and away from pets/animals.

But one of the greatest inventions that I’ve come across to date happens to be the green cloth, or more popularly named Gleen. The concept is very simple; a cloth that you can wipe windows, floors and tables with that doesn’t require any chemicals. You simply rinse the rag in hot water and move on to the next project! Not to sound to “salesly,” but the product is great for homes, cars, outdoor cleaning, pool cleaning, and much more!

Let’s face it, all cleaning solutions, including things like ammonia, bleach, carpet cleaner, and Windex, all contain chemicals that aren’t exactly environmentally safe. They’ve proven harmful to the people that use them, and anybody else living under the same roof.  While some cleaning products now state that their ingredients don’t include any harmful chemicals, the Gleen also proves to be a time and $ Saver. Importantly also, it’s one of the easiest products to clean and reuse. Although similar to most microfiber products, the Gleen Cloth is actually biodegradable and can be tossed at any point.

As simple of a product as this is, it’s revolutionary, and will definitely change the way people go about cleaning. And as mentioned previously, tools like the Swiffer Wet Jet and new and improved steam cleaner parallel the efforts of Gleen – Simply by eliminating harmful disinfect powders and sprays. The Gleen cloth works in conjunction with hot water, where it should be soaked prior to usage. The user can then repeat this process for a number of weeks or months until it’s time to be tossed or machine-washed.

While large corporations and refineries continue to dump toxins into the air, it’s these every day cleaning practices of the individual that can also surely prove detrimental to increasing earth’s carbon footprint. So next time you’re due for a tub cleaning, be sure to reach for a Gleen Cloth – Collectively, we can make a difference and still live gorgeously green!

So, what makes it green, besides its lovely wooded location?  A perfect combination of design, materials and appliances.

Design

The Westside home is oriented toward the south, so as to make maximum use of the solar panels and natural light.  At the same time, a large southerly overhang prevents direct sunlight in the hot summer days, maintaining natural cooling.  In addition, drought tolerant native vegetation surrounds the home, for preserving water and natural eco-system in the area.

Materials

Solar panels crown the roof for the home’s power, and they are connected to the grid, to give back what the home doesn’t use.  Insulation by CertainTeed is used among framing which is a pre-fabricated panel system, reducing waste in construction, time in construction, and making for a well-sealing envelop.  In addition, large amounts of double pane aluminum windows and well-insulated skylights are used, both sealing the home for efficiency and making the best use of natural lighting.  All wood is FSC certified, and all paints and sealants with low VOCs.

Appliances

All the appliances in the home are EnergyStar Certified for best use of power.  Lighting is LEDs all throughout, and a high efficiency HVAC system is in place.  Finishing touches include low-flow faucets on all sinks, and drip-irrigation for conservation.

This home is a model for classic beauty using both natural resources and modern technology to stay green, during both construction and a life-time of use.  Hats off the designers and all involved in the project!

*The US Green Building Council’s LEED for Homes program measures a home on various sustainable material and performance factors, such as water, electricity, HVAC, and awareness, and awards certifications based on level of efficiency and resourcefulness.  The ratings are Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, the last of which is the most difficult to obtain.  

From the Quarries to Your Home
Raw granite is quarried from rock beds, cut from much larger chunks into smaller blocks. These blocks of granite are then cut into slabs and tiles by wire saws, using water as a coolant. After cutting, these granite tiles and slabs are polished on one side, calibrated (making the back side of each slab or tile as even as possible), and gauged (squaring the edges of each slab or tile). After undergoing these processes, the granite slabs and tiles are then shipped, ready for installation.

Purchasing Your Granite Slabs
Wholesale is a good way to go purchase your granite slabs for your home flooring projects. Buying wholesale guarantees the best prices and also allows you to select the best granite for your home. Buying in bulk means buying granite from the same big piece of rock, thereby ensuring that you will get the most even-colored and even-patterned granite slabs for use on your floors. Having an entire batch of granite slabs at your disposal would also make it easier for you to inspect each slab for possible irregularities and defects and look for replacements from the batch instead of waiting for manufacturer's replacements. It is also more economical because wholesale granite slabs are priced lower than regular granite slabs.

Granite For Your Floor
A highly suitable flooring option, granite is as beautiful as it is strong. Granite comes in many colors, which is the result of years upon years of its formation underneath the earth's surface. Granite also owes its strength and durability to this slow process.

The qualities that make granite a top choice when it comes to flooring are its hardness and its resistance to heat and other forms of stress. Its versatility allows it to be installed virtually anywhere, whether exterior or interior, in living rooms, kitchens, or bathrooms. Granite has also been recently been a flooring option of choice for luxurious homes, thereby giving your home that luxurious feel and increasing its value.

This home was built in an extremely short time (watch the time lapse here), only adding to the efficiency of the project.  Waste was reduced for construction, with a huge amount being diverted from landfill.  To top it off, the interior design is gorgeous, making this perhaps the most desireable home in Newport right now.

Learn more about the KTLH 1.5 here.

*The US Green Building Council’s LEED certification program measures a building on various sustainable material and performance factors, such as water, electricity, HVAC, and awareness, and awards certifications based on level of efficiency and resourcefulness.  The ratings are Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, the last of which is the most difficult to obtain.  LivingHomes has designed and built several LEED certified homes, including another LEED Platinum Home in Santa Monica.

The effects of the water heater can be seen immediately in the amount of energy saved, and after a short time, most homeowners report turning off their gas water heater altogether, and never turning it on again! 

Installation of a solar water heater is generally a relatively simple process, but there are permits to obtain and city documents to be filed.  EnerWorks simplifies the process even further by taking care of all the permits and paperwork, and the installation itself takes only a matter of days (or less).  Homeowners who’ve used them have said that they are clean and professional, leaving no garbage or waste after installation.

EnerWorks provides a meter to the homeowner, to display water temperature, energy used, and even how much energy you’re saving (and how much CO2 emission it’s preventing) with the water heater.  This makes it easy to quantify exactly how much better your home is for the environment, as well as how much you’re saving in gas or electricity bills.

EnerWorks comes from Ontario, and many of their installations take place there—so it’s clear that even in northerly areas where sunlight is less intense, the solar powered heater is working!  What a perfect way to start greening your home.