‘EcoManor’ - 6000+ Sq Ft Green Home
Just came across an interesting article at CNNMoney.com. Apparently Ted Turner’s daughter, Laura Turner Seydel, and her husband have built the largest eco-home in the U.S. - it will be the first home over 5000 sq ft to receive LEED certification.
She and her husband, Rutherford, an environmental lawyer, spent $1.5 million to construct EcoManor - some 10 percent extra for going green, estimates architect Bill Harrison. But he predicts that the Seydels’ energy costs will be 80 to 90 percent below average for a like-sized Atlanta home.
EcoManor was born four years ago when Laura - who serves on more than a dozen nonprofit environmental boards - and Rutherford bought a shabby two-bedroom cottage behind their sprawling hilltop home. They had planned to turn it into a guesthouse.
But a few weeks after their purchase, a magnificent 200-year-old oak, whipped by a storm, fell and crushed the tiny house. Ted Turner is the one who, after touring the devastation with Rutherford, prodded the Seydels to tear it down and rebuild. “And when they started from scratch, they decided to go eco-friendly,” Ted recalls.
Or more like eco-obsessive. Self-proclaimed environmental activists, the Seydels collect rainwater to fill their toilets - low-flush, dual-flow units from Japanese manufacturer Toto. (”Press button No. 1 when you go No. 1, and No. 2 when you go No. 2,” instructs Laura, 45, as we tour the master bathroom, which is naturally lit via four solar tubes.) Meanwhile, used “gray” water from the Seydels’ sinks and showers passes through filters and irrigates the lawn - which is drought-tolerant, of course.
Throughout the five-bedroom house (the Seydels have three children, 9, 11 and 14), the doors are wheat-core - yes, composed of wheat, and formaldehyde-free. In the first-floor study the wallpaper is recycled newspaper, though you’d never know it: It’s an elegant-looking linen white.
Be sure to check out the full article (includes a video tour): The first certifiably green mansion
The way I see it, even if the lifestyles of the rich and famous do tend to be a tad excessive (yes that’s an understatement), it’s at least nice to see someone making a real effort to lessen their impact (while many more will do absolutely nothing to change their ways).
By the way, you can also check out the Seydel’s website: www.EcoManor.com for more info.
Technorati Tags: ecomanor, ted turner, green home, green construction, rainwater recycling, solar power, solar panels, greywater, LEED
Written by Bentley on March 15th, 2007 with
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