San Diego Green Building Council Announces 2018 Green Homes Tour on Sunday, Oct. 21
SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Green Building Council (SDGBC), an environmental nonprofit dedicated to providing education, outreach and advocacy focused on green building in the San Diego community, will host the San Diego Green Homes Tour on Sunday, Oct. 21. The popular one-day event will showcase 13 homes located in the communities of South Park, Normal Heights, Pacific Beach, Point Loma, La Jolla, Encinitas, Vista, Lakeside, Bonita, Jamul, Elfin Forest/San Elijo Hills and Campo.
Now in its ninth year, the Green Homes Tour brings together hundreds of members of the local community to celebrate best practices in green building and design while showcasing the innovative work of some of the industry’s top professionals. It is a unique opportunity for members of the public as well as industry professionals to step inside a diverse mix of private residences to get ideas, find inspiration and explore various green features in real-world settings. This year’s Tour also includes a number of eco-friendly gardens and exteriors spaces.
Project highlights for the 2018 Tour include:
A LEED Platinum-certified home in Encinitas that was completely remodeled to be designed to be healthier and more sustainable. (Winner of a 2018 Sustainability Award by SDGBC.)
A green renovation of a historical 1912 home in Pacific Beach, which was built by renowned sculptor Donal Hord, with original landscaping by Kate Sessions, “Mother of Balboa Park.”
A Net Zero Energy adobe ranch-style home in Campo featuring strawbale construction that is one of only 27 projects in the world to earn the rigorous certification by the Living Future Institute.
A creative residence in Lakeside constructed from three recycled/re-purposed shipping containers.
A new multi-million waterfront home being built in La Jolla, striving for Net Zero Energy, with sustainability at the centerpiece of its elegant modern design.
A new multi-family affordable housing project in Vista that is GreenPoint Rated Platinum, with energy ratings 40% above California’s energy code.
An artistic, water-wise garden in Bonita featuring native plants, Zen garden, repurposed estate-sale finds, two butterfly gardens, chicken coop and windmills.
A home in Encinitas retrofitted to be more comfortable, healthier and be more energy- and water-efficient, with an edible garden shared with neighbors through a community bartering system.
A Point Loma home showcasing residential water sustainability, graywater systems, native/drought-tolerant landscaping and edible gardens.
A custom home in Jamul featuring strawbale walls, earthen plaster, concrete floors for thermal mass, solar power, native landscaping, rain catchment, and a graywater system for orchard irrigation.
A Spanish modern estate in Elfin Forest built to be air-tight, resilient and super-insulated for year-round comfort and energy efficiency, with solar thermal water heating, plumbing for blackwater and graywater systems, recycled building materials, permeable driveway, high-efficiency LED interior lighting, and dark-sky compliant exterior lighting to minimize light pollution.
Other unique eco-friendly home features, including a solar-powered children’s play fort, Phase Change insulated walls for thermal mass and passive ventilation, reclaimed building materials, shared community gardens, and more.
On the self-guided tour (which runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), attendees may visit as many of the homes as they like, meet with industry professionals and homeowners, and learn more about the latest green home design, construction and upgrade options. Each eco-friendly project features innovative, high-performance design features including impact areas such as energy and water conservation, building materials, indoor air quality, landscaping and sustainable building sites.
Tickets are on sale now for $15 per person. Discounts are available for San Diego Green Building Council members ($10) and students ($5, with I.D.). Children under 16 are free and must be accompanied by an adult.
The San Diego Green Homes Tour is made possible by a committee of industry volunteers, a grant from the San Diego Foundation, and the generous support of Tour sponsors, including Re-Find Kitchens, Leland Construction, EcoArtisan Builders, Shortfuse Marketing, and media partner San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles Magazine.
About the San Diego Green Building Council
The San Diego Green Building Council is a 501(C)3 environmental nonprofit dedicated to providing education, outreach and advocacy surrounding green building in the San Diego region. It is the San Diego Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, whose mission is to inspire, educate and collaborate within communities to transform the built environment toward true sustainability. More information is available at http://www.usgbc.org/ (national website) and http://usgbc-sd.org/ (local website).
