A Passive Approach To Environmentalism

By+Susan E. Miller

Area family strives to leave small footprint in their neighborhood.

Heather Reser is passionate about the environment. Whether it is recycling, animal rights, or green building, she is well-versed on the topic. For someone with this level of knowledge, building a new home might seem a contradiction.

“I have been an environmentalist for a long time. I never wanted to build a home,” she said.

However, when she and husband, David, decided to change school districts and find a home between Elkhart and Goshen hospitals where he works as an emergency physician, building new became the only green option they were comfortable with.
Through her reading about green building, Reser became interested in passive solar design, which ultimately made their decision to build rather than repurpose an existing home.

“This was my main passion,” she said.

A passive solar system orients the building to the south so it can absorb heat throughout the day. It is not a mechanical system and has few moving parts. It may include masonry and water elements that store heat for long periods of time and thermal chimneys, which induce air movement for cooling

A desire to make a change

In recent years, Reser had become more aware of everyone around her buying new and to excess. As this started wearing on her, she looked to the Internet for alternative living solutions.

Reser hadn’t given much thought to the origin of her green streak until she found a receipt of her mom’s for a subscription to Mother Earth News in the 1970s. Reser recalls that she was an example to her and her twin sister, their brother, and sister.

“(Mom) reused and kept things and was passionate about animal rights,” she said.

Local options growing

Once the decision to build was made, Reser began contacting builders. She got plenty of blank stares before she met Blake Taelman of Craig A. Taelman Custom Homes (part of Signature Homes), of South Bend. He showed immediate interest and started researching the topic himself.

“The energy Blake and Craig (his father) are giving this project is unheard of,” she said, adding that this will be their first green home project.

In the local building scene, Indiana has an Emerging Green Builder Chapter of U.S. Green Building Council. The Indiana Builders Association offers Certified Green Professional classes and green building committees.

Keeping the big picture

The Reser’s two-story home will be 3,500 square feet plus 1,500 square feet of finished basement. At this size, Reser was concerned it might not meet LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System™) requirements. Since it will be a five-bedroom home, the size is acceptable. Also, every space is functional and multipurpose, such as a craft room/guest bedroom.

Reser knows the biggest challenge will be to stay on budget once construction begins in October. The home will cost 5-10% more than a conventional home.

The home will be constructed with Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) – a thick core of foam polystyrene, polyurethane, or wheat straw pressed between two pieces of Oriented Strand Board (OSB), plywood, or fiber-cement. A 6.5- inch thick SIP has an R-value of R-42. Standard 2-inch x 6-inch walls have R-19. Siding will be JamesHardie® fiber cement siding.

Other features: active solar panels, possibly geothermal heating, recycled tile, environmentally friendly carpeting, and native hardwoods that are Forest Stewardship Council certified.

Reser describes herself as a green/minimalist decorator. They are keeping all their current furniture and anything purchased will be organic and recycled. She plans on only buying what she loves and keeping it a long time.

Landscaping will feature native, low-water plants and some lawn for their kids and dog. Their 9-year-old son, Alex, and 4-year-old daughter, Gabrielle, are both very excited. Reser tries to teach them the value of living green, just as her mom did for her.

“I’m the big picture,” she said. “I can’t do everything right, but I’m doing what I can. Anyone can do that.”

Editors Note: Life and Spaces will be following the construction of the Reser’s Green Home build in future issues.