11th Annual Tucson Innovative Home Tour Scheduled

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The 11th annual Tuscon Innovative Home Tour and Solar Tour is scheduled for this weekend, November 1st and 2nd. Visitors can speak with homeowners, designers and builders to gain an understanding of the latest green building techniques for new and existing homes in southern Arizona.

With a million people in the Tuscon metropolitan area, it is especially important to live sustainably in a resource-scarce desert environment. The purpose of the tour is to learn how our homes and buildings can work with nature as opposed to against it as with conventional construction.

Over 20 exceptional, award-winning and nationally recognized homes (and 3 commercial buildings) will be featured on this year’s tour, including:

• a straw bale house (pictured here) built by a mother and her two sons in their spare time for only $50,000 where monthly utility bills only run to $35!
• a rammed earth home
• an off-the-grid, solar-powered adobe home with monthly utility bills of only $20! A 1,200 gallon cistern stores precious rainwater that sustains tree and plant life that help shade the house.

A Next Generation Home Seminar will also be available on Saturday morning (for an additional $5 with a tour ticket). Local experts will be on hand with methods for ‘improving your home, remodeling, building and buying — plus an analysis of the real costs of home ownership and how you can reduce them by up to 50% and more’.

The self guided tour will feature different sites on Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The $10 tickets (good for individuals or whole families) will allow you to tour the homes on both days and includes a tour guide with directions.

Visit the SolarInstitute.org for ticket locations and more information

Tag(s): Energy, Events, Green Building, Greenhouse Gas Emissions / Global Warming, Greening the Home, Greening the Office, Hazardous Products / Health Issues, The Great Green Outdoors

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