The Whole HOG: February 2013

Water-centric Green Design News

“The Rainwater HOG makes it easy to commit to a lifestyle of rationalized use and conservation. The system boasts negligible costs, simple technology, and immediate results.”
-Beverly Maloney-Fischback, CEO, Founder and Publisher of Organic Spa Magazine

This February we’re spotlighting those who lead by example. Organic Spa Magazine’s Beverly Maloney-Fischback articulates this ambition with her green home renovation in Ohio. Among the eco-friendly features of her Rocky River Green Home are, you guessed it, Rainwater HOG tanks!

Further afield in national water news, we bring you two articles – one from the New York Times and one from the San Francisco Chronicle – about those who are asking pertinent, if difficult, questions about sea level rise. The primary question is this: How, and when, do we best respond on a national level to the effects of a changing climate on heavily inhabited coastlines? Read on for some thought-provoking answers.

In his book, Making, architect Thomas Heatherwick explains that the focus of his work is “how to use materials and forms at a human scale, the scale at which people touch, experience and live in the world.” The Seed Cathedral, designed for the UK Pavilion in the 2010 World Expo, is a breathtaking realization of that focus. It is also a stunning example of how to translate the natural world into architecture. Read more about the Seed Cathedral in the B.U.G. Design section.

And speaking of setting an example, don’t miss what RotoWorld Magazine has to say about Rainwater HOG this month.

February 2013: Rocky River Green Home

Rocky River Green Home Leads by Design

When it comes to homes, Beverly Maloney- Fischback, CEO, founder and publisher of Organic Spa Magazine, believes in “good bones” and green renovation.

A four-HOG modular system harvests the rain at the Rocky River Green Home.

She is incorporating the values of the leading American eco-lifestyle magazine that she helms into her Rocky River Green Home (RRGH) renovation. The home will be the first green energy-efficient home in the neighborhood, and the first renovated green home in the Rocky River region, located outside of Cleveland, Ohio.

She touts the benefits of rainwater harvesting in a recent RRGH blog update. Her new home will use four Rainwater HOG tanks, which will capture rainwater year-round to the tune of 1,200 gallons annually, for landscape irrigation.

Why did Bev choose HOG tanks?
• ease of installation
• space conserved with a vertical installation
• ready expansion potential of the HOG modular system

Not to mention that HOG plays well with others! Unused grey water from the home’s Brac Grey Water tank system will be fed into the HOGs for lawn and garden irrigation.

Solar heating joins rainwater harvesting and grey water recycle in an energy efficiency triple-threat at the RRGH. And, Beverly notes, she and her husband made sure to incorporate “a dose of spa wisdom and wellness into their design” with the second floor yoga room with sunset and lake views, and an “organic spa” themed master bath.

This CEO knows the power of leading by example. She explains, “What we are most proud of is that we will be an example on how to incorporate green building into an existing home and how to further the mission of a healthy and balanced lifestyle.”

Owners of the Glencoe Green Home, profiled in August 2012, can relate.