How are We "Eco-Friendly"?

Thyme In the Country began nine years ago when the Koches bought their house on Fish and Game Road and started to add sustainable features one by one. Solar panels, an organic garden, energy efficient appliances and water saving fixtures, a cow to keep the grass down in the meadows, chickens. 

In renovating the house we use recycled building materials as much as possible, such as Blue Jean insulation, used windows.  If we do use new wood we try to harvest it ourselves and mill it locally.  We employ local contractors and craftsmen.

Even though our home is over 100 years old its orientation and passive solar design help to keep it comfortable year round.  Our south facing porch has a stone floor that absorbs the afternoon sun in the winter. By using shutters to block out the sun in the summer, that stone floor helps to keep the house cool.  We do have individual air conditioners in the bedrooms that are used occasionally during heat waves in the summer but for the most part the house stays very comfortable in the summer with open windows catching cool breezes that the large old trees on the property help to provide.

Although we do depend on oil for most of our heat, we also use a stove on the back porch to warm the kitchen and dining room and a fireplace in the library that has glass doors to reduce heat loss when it is not in use.  Our 3 zoned heating system gives us the option of warming only the parts of the house that are occupied.  We use storm windows, caulk and weather stripping, window shades and heavier curtains in the winter replace the lightweight curtains of summer.  Every bed has a warm down comforter so we can lower the thermostats at night.  Our hot water is heated off the boiler system of the furnace.

MINIMISING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

Water: We minimize water use in laundry and dishwashing with very efficient 
appliances.  Rain barrels collect water for the gardens.  Our  driveway and parking area absorb excess water through a recycled  polyethelyne grid system that  allows grass to grow through it keeping the yard cool and beautiful in the summer.

Electricity:  3 Solar Panels supply 66% of our electricity.  Our appliances are energy star and we have a root cellar for storing a lot of the harvested and bulk foods. We use CFL light bulbs and turn them off when not in use.  We use a clothes line instead of a clothes dryer.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Restore: We use recycled building products as much as possible.The cabinets in our guest pantry were made from reclaimed lumber from an old silo.

We try to keep the amount of garbage coming into the house to a minimum by growing and processing most of our own food from our organic gardens or buying locally.  We compost all food scraps.

To make it easier for our guests to recycle we have set up easy to use systems to separate garbage in in accessible locations.

We line our trash baskets with recycled tissue paper eliminating plastic and paper garbage bags and cutting down raw energy and raw materials consumption.

When we traded off a large closet for a new bathroom we tried to use as many recycled and reclaimed materials as possible.  The shower walls and countertop are cut from an old schoolhouse chalkboard. All the electrical fixtures, the sink, mirror, window, are reclaimed. The shower pan is lined with recycled zinc.  The lumber was milled from our property.  The flooring is a linoleum like material made from jute, wood pulp and linseed oil.   Although our toilet is new, it is a dual flush water saving toilet.

We use rags for cleaning, cloth napkins and tablecloths.  Our toilet paper and tissues are made from 100% paper made from paper.

Cleaning: We use vinegar, baking soda and other non-chemical cleaners to clean the house, the dishes and the laundry. Chemical free cleaning supplies help to eliminate built up soap residue in the linens, pollution of the environment and reduce petrochemical consumption.

Fresh air is a key part of keeping things clean. We open windows when we clean to air out the house.  We hang out the area rugs every week and vacuum with a Hepa filtered vacuum.  Curtains are washed seasonally.  Our floors are wiped with a damp rag by hand weekly.  In this way we reduce allergens and keep the indoor atmosphere as healthy as possible.

Our pool water is filtered through a washable paper filter and connected to a salt system chlorinator.  We do not use liquid chlorine.

 

Our cow and chickens help cut back on petro fuels in many ways.  They supply us with fertilizer, fresh eggs and milk, help mow our meadows and keep us from getting lazy.