The 12th Annual Green + Solar Home Tour is coming to Central Oregon with homes that are literally, right around the corner. Several of the Tour’s nine homes open to the public on Saturday, October 6 are easily visited by using public transit or by walking or biking. Presented by the High Desert Branch of the Cascadia Green Building Council, the Tour features innovative technologies including renewable energies, new and reclaimed building materials, low energy consumption and water conservation.
The Green + Solar Home Tour is an opportunity for community members to view Central Oregon’s premiere sustainable homes first-hand and to learn from the builders and homeowners themselves how to install and utilize the latest green building technologies. The free tour kicks off at 8:30am on October 6 at COCC’s Wille Hall, with an introduction to the homes and technologies presented, followed by a talk by Ron Pitt, CEO of EcoDog, about how our behaviors impact our energy consumption. Sponsors include Sunlight Solar, Energy Trust, The Garner Group, Home Heating and Cooling, EcoDog and Resource Conservation Technologies.
The Tour homes are located throughout Central Oregon; six are in Bend and there is one each in Tumalo, Brasada Ranch and Prineville. Included in the tour is a Net Zero home, a home built for Collaborative Living, a Geothermal home and Central Oregon’s first living building known as “Desert Rain.” Tour-goers can also preview rainwater collection and reuse systems, a Concrete Insulated Form (CIP) home, solar installations and the most advanced sustainable finishes and energy efficient systems available.
Using active transportation on this self-propelled tour is another example of implementing sustainable choices. “The Green + Solar Home Tour and Commute Options share the goal of helping Central Oregonians to take advantage of non-motorized commuting to the places where they live, work and play,” said RJ Johnson, co-director of the Green + Solar Home Tour and principal architect at RJ Johnson Architecture. Tour homes like the three in NorthWest Crossing demonstrate how residents can support their immediate community when schools, shopping, restaurants and other services are all within walking distance.
“We are excited to partner with the Bike and Walk Tour this year to showcase how easy using Commute Options is – on October 6 and every day!” said Kim Curley, community outreach director for Commute Options. That is why Commute Options is involved in the Tour, helping to provide a Preferred Route map and route signage for biking or walking to homes on the Tour.
The six Tour homes that are part of the Tour’s bike route are all located on Bend’s Westside – at NorthWest Crossing (three homes), Highlands, Overturf Butte and in the Riverfront Neighborhood. “As part of the tour, we encourage home viewers to use Cascades East Transit and our bike and walking routes, as it showcases homes that support a socially responsible lifestyle,” said Johnson. COCC can be accessed via Bus Route # 3 (see www.cascadeseasttransit.com for routes and schedules.)
Several businesses along the Tour route are getting involved in helping to encourage sustainable modes of travel. Tour-goers on foot or bike will receive special discounts at Strictly Organic Coffee, Riverside Market, Sage Cafe and Portello. Details and Tour maps for the Green + Solar Home Tour will be provided at the tour’s kick-off event at COCC and online at the Cascadia Green Building Council’s website, http://cascadiagbc.org/branches/or/high-desert-branch.
Commute Options promotes choices that reduce the impacts of driving alone. For more information about Commute Options, contact Jeff Monson, executive director of Commute Options at 541/330-2647 or visit www.commuteoptions.org.
Annissa Anderson is a freelance writer and PR consultant in Bend.
