Ed’s house is like a fortress. It’s made from steel in a way that does not transfer heat to the outside keeping his house nice and cozy. Even the paint throughout the house is nontoxic. Elysabeth and Ed walk outside to check out the outside of the house. There they show off the amazing vegetable garden and compost bins. You may be wondering how they can water these plants in an eco-friendly way. The water comes from the shower and the laundry room. They use biodegradable soaps and the fruit trees thrive on “gray water.” Ed recommends buying brands like Seventh Generation household products and he also has a line of his own eco-friendly soaps available for purchase. Ed has a pool that is a chlorine-free ozone-treated pool that can be covered to keep the water from evaporating. He uses solar panels to heat the pool and the hot water in the house. To top it off, there is also a hidden rain tank he uses to irrigate the whole yard.
To add to Ed’s long list of accomplishments, Ed is also a vegan chef! Today he made tomato soup for the crew. Of course, his kitchen is as sustainable as the rest of his home. The countertops are made of Caesarstone locally sourced to cut out the mining and transportation energy used to import marble. The flooring is reclaimed wood like the rest of the home and the paint is non-toxic as well. Ed lives very comfortably his custom-built energy efficient home while leaving the least negative impact on our environment!
Great times in the kitchen as Elysabeth lets out a huge laugh!Ed was ahead of his time and he has been vegan off and on since the 1970s! In 1992, he fully transitioned to veganism. He appreciates all of the meat substitutes and vegan products available for vegans nowadays. Ed recommends starting by taking small affordable steps to get to the level of ecologically-friendly living like him. He says when you make a few cheap alterations to your home, you will reap the financial benefits almost right away. He also recommends putting electronics that leach power like cell phone chargers on power strips so you can turn them off when you leave the house. We are looking at irreversible climate change on this planet, so we all need to do our part to help prevent the impending natural disasters if we don’t change now. Please check out Ed’s website for more info about how to live a more sustainable lifestyle. We all can live well and simultaneously do our planet and ultimately ourselves a favor!