We moved into our new house in August of 2014. We built the house, and as we worked with the architect to design it, we were sure to specify that we wanted our home to generate as close to zero carbon emissions as possible. As a result, we heavily insulated our home and built it with twelve-inch thick walls and triple-pane class throughout. We designed the house with an emphasis on LED lighting. We also installed geothermal heat pumps instead of a traditional oil furnace and heat our water using a heat pump. Since moving into the house, we've continued to reduce our carbon footprint. We purchased an electric car. We switched over to electric outdoor equipment. We invested in ecological landscaping. We reduced wasted electricity by implementing smart plugs throughout our home. While we are not quite at zero emissions ( we still cook and run our backup generator on propane), we are getting close and will continue to invest in going green in the coming years.

We have been composting for many years now. All green food scraps from the kitchen as well as lawn & garden refuse go in our bin. In 2023-24 we will be expanding our single outdoor bin to a multi sectioned wood frame system in order to compost and then utilize additional garden debris. 

A few years ago, we planted two wildflower meadows, one atop of our septic mound.  They have each taken on individual characters due to differing soil and exposure conditions, and both have been covered with a succession of blooms from early spring till hard frost.  The pollinators, other beneficial insects, and birds have had a field day!  They have also reduced the less than beneficial insect pressure on our organic vegetable and herb gardens!

With the Advent of No Mow May, I've been re-thinking my landscaping choices. Why am I mowing my whole yard anyway? When I was a kid, I remember we only mowed right around the house. Over the years that somehow turned into mowing an acre of grass! It suddenly struck me how absurd and unnecessary that was. So I've let my back yard return to meadow. I do mow it once a year in the late fall, otherwise I let it grow. What a treat it has been--so beautiful to look at. Also letting my front garden host any milkweed that sprouts; I have quite a crop this year! It goes perfectly with the catmint and bee balm. Go, pollinators! 

Had 2 mini splits installed at the end of August 2022, and so far I love them. Even produced heat when it was -15 degrees fahrenheit during that brief but brutal cold snap. I have a backup propane boiler, but haven't needed it. In the winter you do need to get the snow off the units pretty regularly. They have their own defrost cycle, but when there's ice build up efficiency drops. A/C and dehumidifier capabilities are also stellar. And the electric costs were very reasonable. 

We installed solar panels on our garage in December of 2012 - and haven't had to think about them since.  Absolutely love them, and can't recommend New England Clean Energy highly enough - installation only took a day and a half!