As an award winning designer and builder, Ron Carswell's home embodies green. Our last stop on the innovative home tour, the Carswell residence is truly an amazing example of sustainability and conservation. 
When we arrived at the home, after obtaining our daily workout in the Arizona sun by walking up a hill to reach the home, we caught our breath and again, "wows" came forth from our mouths.
The first aspect of the green home that we noticed before we entered was the "solar wall," rather the "double glazed wall with low-e windows 12 feet high by 65 feet long," Carswell said. "Through material choice, solar orientation and use of shade, our home in the desert saves more than 75 percent of the utility costs of a conventional 'stick and stucco' house," he added.
Upon entering the Carswell home, we walked into a great room with high ceiling fans circulating the air. To the right was another large room, containing a TV-watching area and the kitchen which featured a large rectangular window over the sink. This large window created an outdoor feel to the kitchen, connecting the kitchen with the scenic view outdoors. To the left of the kitchen was a sliding door leading to the pool area and extended view of Tucson.
Walking past the great room and turning right, down a hallway, you'll find two bedrooms, two bathrooms and an office. The home sits in a u-shape, with the pool/back patio area in the middle.
Now that you're acquainted with a visual layout of the home, on to the good, green stuff!
The Carswell residence comprises straw bale insulation, framing and roofing systems made out of steel, evaporative coolers (which are strategically shaded by honeysuckle vines), windows and sliding doors framed by wood, roof overhangs that provide shade, a fiberglass pool, efficienty appliances, LED lighting and fluroescent lighting and so much more.
"My design criteria honors the seven generation belief that you build not just for the present, since the home could be inhabited for hundreds of years, we need flexibility," Carswell said. "Our luxurious hilltop straw bale home demonsrates that energy conservation is practical and affordable, in any size and style of building, in any climate, in any market."
Overall, the home tour was amazing. And although we didn't get the chance to visit every house along the way, the three that I highlighted are only a fraction of how going green can be done in the home.
Happy Eco-Designing!
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