Build It Green!

Last year at the d2e (that's the down to earth convention in Beantown) we met Kim and started talking to her about her BIG project. She was in the midst of building a "green" home. Since Circle Furniture sells eco-friendly upholstery and green furniture we were so interested in what went into building a green home (and furnishing it as well!). So we want you to meet Kim and hear her story. It's pretty cool!

Our family is building a green house. What started as a quest to build our dream home on the RI coast became a mission in educating and helping homeowners realize what living sustainably and conserving our planet’s resources really means.

We bought the one-acre property located along Narragansett in August of 2005, after two years of attempting to remediate a serious mold problem and a foundation that doubled as a pool, we made the decision to knock down and build from scratch. At the time, I didn’t know we were going to build a green house, but after getting involved with a work project I learned about LEED®-H (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Certification through the USGBC (U.S. Green Building Council). LEED for Homes is a rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes. A green home uses less energy, water and natural resources; creates less waste; and is healthier and more comfortable for the families. I knew this was what we had to do.

For the record, I am not an environmentalist. I am a mom of two and a wife of one. I am the principal of a small PR technology firm. But when my daughter was born I found myself making the small changes that made her life healthier. Organic bedding, food, milk. No pesticides on our grass, natural products in our home. Honestly, they were small changes, easy to make and really focused on our health. Like many mom’s I am obsessed with everything the news says about our kids. From obesity to contaminated playgrounds, from carcinogens in schools to flame retardants on bedding, I consume information about how to keep my family healthy. And I use technology to keep us connected, safe and secure. That is how I became obsessed with building a LEED home and showing the world that a house could be a modern marriage of today’s technology and green living through our project, aptly named Green Life Smart Life.

Today’s homes are a hub of activity and our home is no exception. Centralizing busy schedules, family activities, working remotely and sharing information is critical to keeping the home running smoothly. The smart home technology that is showcased in our home will offer techniques for keeping the family connected, sharing digital entertainment with friends and family, managing home systems like water and energy, and making the entire system seamless, safe and secure. Technology has been a cornerstone to understanding the methodologies, products and tools a homeowner needs to build a green home and ultimately technology is what is conserving our resources, managing our energy consumption, monitoring our air quality and running all of our home’s systems.

Stay tuned to see all the cool things Kim is doing to build that "green" home and check out Kim's blog as well.