by William | Dec 23, 2020 | Healthy Living, Small Footprint
Dear Readers,
The article you’re about to read was written during the COVID-19 Pandemic, at the end of the year 2020. That being said, keep the pandemic in mind as we look at this standard, because I think it’s unbelievably relevant. It’s important to have a healthy home in the first place, but that much more important during a pandemic…
We have delved into what it takes to meet standards set forth by the Living Building Challenge, for the petals of place, water, and energy. Below is a visual refresher of all seven petals and their imperatives.
by William | Dec 16, 2020 | Net Zero, Small Footprint
Dear Readers,
First came place, then came water. Now, comes energy…dun, dun, dun! The Energy Petal is the third of the seven petals for the Living Building Challenge.
Ha! I was going to say that we have high hopes for this one…but we have high hopes for the Water Petal and the Petal of Place, too. There are just way too many high hopes floating around this joint! But. If you are willing to stick with us (whether you are amused or annoyed by our ideas…), then William and I would be most honored to share our highness of hope with you!
To refresh your memory, here is a chart with all seven petals and their imperatives. In this blog, we are going to be focusing on Energy!
by William | Dec 9, 2020 | Net Zero
Dear Readers,
Thank you so much for sticking with us. I know our blogs have been a lot of research and ideas…although we just purchased a piece of land, we have a lot of design work to do before we start building anything!
As we began with Living Building Challenge: The Petal of Place, we want our lil’ home, The Seed, to meet Living Building Challenge standards (in addition to PHIUS, of course). In order to meet those standards, the home or building must adhere to the seven ‘petals’ and their imperatives. I know the term ‘petals’ sounds cheesy, but they do set a high expectation for how homes are built, lived in, and what they give back to the ecosystems they are located in.
The Water Petal alone is going to be a tough one to meet. However, it is a conundrum that we have already been pondering. Our goal is to rely totally off of our rainwater pillow for all of our potable and non-potable water needs. This, in turn, means that we need to live so water consciously that we are 100% all the time, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, prepared for a drought. It is not going to be easy, but if you have read our composting toilet and recirculating shower blogs, then you know that we have a few ideas bounding about. But are these ideas enough for us to meet the Living Building Challenge’s criteria for the Water Petal?
by William | Dec 2, 2020 | Healthy Living, Mission
Our Dearest Readers,
Below you will find ‘Part Two’ to our two part series of ‘Welcome, to the Land of the Laurels.’ I will not bother to summarize Part One for you. In comparison to our other blogs, it was very, very…very short. And it would not take you long to breeze through it again. If you choose to ignore Part One and delve straight into Part Two…I don’t blame you. That’s how I read a whole book series sometimes. Oh, hey…Star Wars anyone?
Part Two:
Upon returning home from their journey to that seemingly mystical place, they immediately began writing letters. Letters upon letters upon letters….They wrote to one property owner, and then to another…asking…wondering…if they would be willing to sell a portion of their lands to such a young, naïve couple.
Alas, their noble attempts came to no avail. Disheartened, they proceeded with their search for land in other wooded parts of the County of Perry. All the while, they kept the Land of the Laurels close to their hearts.
Days went by. Then weeks. Then months.
Finally, they had hope again. They had found a wooded piece of land in the great archives of Zillow.com, and immediately began to pursue it. It was landlocked, however, and would require a counsel with the lords of the surrounding properties. The young lass and lad rode out on their other, smaller, faithful steed, Sir Subaru BRZ, to deliver a letter beseeching one of the lords access to the locked land.
by William | Nov 25, 2020 | Healthy Living, Mission
Our Dearest Readers,
If you need a decent (not a great, but a decent..) and happy and joyful bedtime story, we’ve got one for ya’ right here.
Actually, we not only have a bedtime story for this week, but this blog is Part One of a two part series. So, no worries! We’ve got you covered for next week, too.
Ready? Remember, you’re the one who chose to click on this link…
Once Upon A Time…there lived a young lass and lad who lived in the County of Perry. The lass was Shelby, daughter of Lady Creative Carolyn and Lord Jerry Rigging Jeffrey. The lad was William, son of Lady Heartful Heather and Lord Bill the Builder.
The lass Shelby and lad William were happily married, and dwelled with the Lady Creative Carolyn and Lord Jerry Rigging Jeffrey as they began their life together. While living with the lass Shelby’s parents was wonderful, and they had a rather happily harmonious relationship, the young lad and lass craved for a home of their own.
They began their quest by looking through the great archives of Zillow.com. Their attempts proved to be futile. Hence, they began to travel near and far through the winding roads of the County of Perry. They peered up mountains, and trudged by streams. They scoured the land for a piece of forest they could claim as their own. Some roads were unheard of…and never before seen. Some…proved to be incredibly treacherous.
The most treacherous one of them all, was the drive leading to Paradise. The grooves ran so deep, the lad and lass could’ve sworn that grumbling trolls were responsible for such devastation. They dared not even take their faithful steed, Sir Chevy Colorado, up such a road. The poor thing would have broken an axle. Leaving their steed safely behind, the young lad and lass trekked up the drive upon their own two feet.
