Brothers building 100 percent sustainable home

The Living Building Challenge was a three-year contest that was held to see if any architects around the world were able to construct a residence that produced all of its energy on-site. There are currently a total of 70 projects in six different countries pursuing the Living Building Challenge, but none, as of yet, have managed to be certified.

Dustin and Garrett Moon, of Portland, Oregon, undertook the challenge and, while it remains to be seen if they can fit the home to all of the contest's requirements, they have made a home that is far more sustainable than almost any other, according to the Daily Journal of Commerce.

Some of the more notable features of the project are the graywater system, its compostable toilets and net-zero energy rating, which has been achieved with solar panels, solar hot water and a heat recovery ventilator.

The news source reports that filtered rainwater will be the home's primary drinking water, despite the fact that adding gray water to drinking water doesn't meet Oregon health codes.

One way that homeowners can make a home more sustainable is to invest in woven bamboo shades. The material is harvested from bamboo, one of the most renewable resources on the planet. Many styles of these shades are available and a number are also grown without the use of pesticides or other chemicals.