We've developed a sustainable building philosophy around the goal of achieving as close to zero negative impact on your health and on the environment. To keep ourselves clear on how to get there, we strive to achieve six goals for all our homes (the "6Zs"): Zero Water, Zero Energy, Zero Waste, Zero Emissions, Zero Carbon and Zero Ignorance. Inspired by the "cradle to cradle" ethic, we consider our homes' ecological footprint, from the first stage of planning and construction, through its lifetime of operation and change, and finally, at the end of its lifecycle when the home must be deconstructed or salvaged. At every stage, we aspire to reach "zero" negative impact. We don't think we'll often actually achieve "zero impact" — we certainly didn't with the LEED Platinum Certification of the first LivingHome — but the point is to get as close as possible.
The Six Zeros are
Did you know that birds are born medical botanists? Researchers at Ohio Wesleyan University have found that birds specifically choose to build their nests with herbs that contain such compounds as ascorbic acid, yarrow, and two oak species that inhibit the growth of a number of harmful bacteria.