Friday November 14, 2008, 10:21 am
from Julie's website, Green Beacon Foundation:
www.greenbeacon.org/

Memoirs of a House Gone Green

Ancient History: Adapted from the owners notes who lived there from 1973-2007

Most of what we know about the early days of Echo Park and our little house were told to us over the years by our neighbor, whose relatives had enjoyed our home and property decades before us. In 1914 our neighbors’ parents had their real estate office moved from Wilshire Boulevard’s “Miracle Mile” up into these hills of Elysian Heights. There were no paved roads, just dirt wagon paths. The house was moved by a professional house mover named Klock, using a flatbed truck pulled by horses.

Nineteen years later, in 1933 they added a kitchen, bathroom and garage. At that time there were only about six houses on the street and no sewers, but they did get water from the water reservoir down the street, which still exists today. There were few trees on the hills then, just scrub grass, wild oats and lupine. The planted jacaranda in the front yard may be the oldest tree on the street.

As a teenager, our now “older” neighbor, used to watch films being made on these hills. The Keystone Cops were his particular favorite. Mack Sennet’s Edendale Studio was nearby and his actors like to have a live audience laugh during filming.

In 1932 they build a house next door for the grandmother and our neighbor was married there in 1933. After World War II, he returned to make this his home and raised a family in the neighborhood that he had always loved. We enjoyed the neighborhood too and lived there happily for thirty-five years while we worked in Hollywood.

Friday November 14, 2008, 10:23 am
more from Julie's website, Green Beacon Foundation:
www.greenbeacon.org/

Recent History:

People often ask, “How did you find this house?”

And I always say, “This house found me!” I have been dreaming of owning my own home for as long as I can remember and stumbled upon this listing on a lark. Little did I know that my purchase would save a 94-year-old, historically sustainable house from being torn down.

As one of LA’s oldest neighborhoods, Elysian Heights has been home to many artists, writers, architects filmmakers, counter-culture and radical political activists from the 1920’s to present day. Nestled in the verdant hills of this historic area, my “garden home” was originally a real estate office on the Miracle Mile of Wilshire Boulevard and moved to its current location in 1914 on a horse-drawn flat bed.

I chose to remodel and showcase the home with all ecologically sound products and processes. My eco-renovation was filmed for Discovery's new channel, Planet Green and which is now airing on their flagship show "Greenovate".

As a first time home buyer I was very fortunate to have an AMAZING team of realtors who took me by the hand and showed me all of the steps I needed to take in order to get the best purchase price.

If I can give one piece of advice for all first time home buyers out there, it would be to do as many inspections as humanly possible. While this may be costly, I can assure you it will cost you more in the long run if you don’t.

Ask your building inspector what additional inspections they would recommend, especially when dealing with an older house. My due diligence with the inspections turned up a pretty bad case of mold, including the dreaded black kind, so I had to spend a good deal of money to remediate it and rebuild the walls that were taken out. I also recommend getting a pest control company to conduct a thorough investigation. Be sure they look in the roof and underneath the structure for any signs of infestation or damage.

If you get a chance to watch the show you will see what I mean….

The previous owners were avid kitty rescuers (bless them) and had 26 cats. Yes, you read that right, 26 cats, and they also happily co-habitated with a large family of raccoons that had been living there for decades. Thankfully (for me) the raccoons moved on their own during the renovations, but left behind a HUGE mess. The pest control company said that in their 27 years of raccoon waste removal in Los Angeles they had never seen anything quite this bad, and I now hold the #1 spot for the worst remediation job in their history!

In my quest to “go green” with the renovations, I found it a bit challenging to find drywall and other basic building materials that were earth-friendly. This is where a knowledgeable green builder or general contractor comes in handy. It’s important to ask if your builder, contractor or consultant has any credentials such as LEED certification or has taken any classes in green building.

My eco-consultant on the show, Natalie Freidberg, is certified by the non-profit organization, Build it Green. http://www.builditgreen.org/ With her suggestions I was able to lower my immediate and long-term house expenses by reducing waste and the home’s carbon imprint on the environment. For example, my gas bill has decreased annually by $658 with the installation of a solar hot water system.

More bohemian than contemporary, this house demonstrates eco-preservation. When I look around the property and see hitching posts for horses, a brick trash incinerator, an outdoor oven made of stones collected from the Colorado River and a historic water tank at the end of the street I reminded of the “old days” when people took great care to have their needs met. These reminders make me appreciate the little things, which nowadays we take for granted due to our consumptive and disposable way of living. The cost of living this way is evident in many places such as the Pacific Ocean, which has a giant mass of plastic TWICE THE SIZE OF TEXAS swirling around in it. The main culprit? Plastic grocery bags!

Even though much of the marketing today showcases "going green" for those in the high income range or shun it as a hippie-lifestyle or as a passing trend, not many of us realize that is very easy to attain a greener home by implementing a few simple changes. Through my own experience, I decided to create a non-profit company called The Green Beacon Foundation to demonstrate and encourage "green renovations" for the average household, applying the simple model of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. (See events on website)

In closing, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to everyone who guided me through the process and shared his or her knowledge about the most practical way to create a healthy home. I am excited to share my experiences of what worked for me, and more importantly, what pitfalls to avoid when “going green” on a home renovation. If I can do it, so can you!

-JS

Friday November 14, 2008, 10:28 am
ECO-RENNOVATION DETAILS

Here is a list of the recent, initial improvements made at the Green Beacon:

*Performed black mold HEPA remediation & reconstruction using all eco-friendly materials.

*Installed solar hot water system, dual-flush toilet, low-flow showerhead and fixtures.

*Painted exterior & interior using no- or low-VOC paint.

*Removed all carpeting.

*Sanded and refinished existing wood floors with earth-friendly sealant.

*Replaced damaged floor in bedroom using reclaimed wood from a dairy barn in New Concord, OH.

*Purchased memory-foam bed that utilizes materials that reduce the amount of VOCs usually found in memory foam.

*Weatherized living room windows--a low-cost alternative to replacing frames.

*Bought all furniture second hand from Craigslist or Out of the Closet Thrift Store In Pasadena and personally restored all pieces.

*Replaced old refrigerator with an EnergyStar model from the LADWP Rebate Program.

*Installed Everpure water filtration system on the kitchen tap, eliminating all use of plastic bottles.

*Installed Vetrazzo countertop, comprised of curbside recycled glass and fly ash concrete.

Friday November 14, 2008, 10:33 am
Events
A Green Beacon shines on the east side of Los Angeles

In March 2008 I was able to save a 94-year-old historically sustainable home from demolition and chose to remodel and showcase it with all ecologically- sound products and processes. My eco-renovation was filmed for Discovery's new channel, Planet Green and is airing on their flagship show called “Greenovate”.

As one of LA’s oldest neighborhoods, Elysian Heights has been home to many artists, writers, architects filmmakers, counter-culture and radical political activists from the early 1900s to present day. Nestled in the verdant hills of this historic area, my “garden home” was originally a real estate office on the Miracle Mile of Wilshire Boulevard and moved to its current location in 1914 on a horse-drawn flat bed.

I have recently established a non-profit organization called The Green Beacon Foundation (GBF) to serve as a community resource for the public to have tactile experiences of "going green", such as on-going workshops, lectures, tours, etc. here on the property. We are hosting public tours of the home and garden on the 1st Saturday of every month starting December 6th at 3:00 pm.

On November 13th we will kick off our garden workshops facilitated by the gals at Heart Beet Gardening whose mission is to promote food security, sustainable gardening practices, and urban agriculture by enabling households to have their own vegetable gardens. These hands-on workshops appeal to the urban gardener with a sustainable tie-in such as the use of drip irrigation and native plants. The lecture entitled “Go Green, $ave Green” will be facilitated by Nancy Astrid Lindo, whose specialties include sustainable interior design, green building and permaculture.

For more information about the Green Beacon Foundation or to make a reservation, please call 323.717.9636, or email (see contact page at website)

TOURS:

We will conduct tours of the Green Beacon on the first Saturday of each month starting December 6th at 3:00 PM. This hands-on tour will show you how easy it is to "greenovate" your own home/living space with practical tips while giving access to products services and processes that will help save money while lessening your carbon footprint.

ECO-CHIC WORKSHOPS:

The best organic gardeners and eco-consultants in Los Angeles will facilitate the workshops using organic and repurposed materials. The price of the workshops and lectures are all-inclusive. There will be a wine tasting compliments of Bossa Premium Wine Imports preceding each of the Thursday evening workshops and a raffle for an 8'x10' rug compliments of FLOR at the "Go Green $ave Green" lecture on Dec 13th.

* Holiday Gloss (Garden Grown Chapstick)
Thursday, December 4th
6:30pm

* Go Green $ave Green (In home eco-solutions to the high cost of living)
Saturday, December 13th
4:30pm

* Decomposition is Hot (Home Composting Workshop)
Thursday, February 5th
6:30pm