Luxury Home Magazine

Pacific Luxury Living 24 | Featured Properties Over the past five to ten years, you likely heard that it ain’t easy being green … and it’s no longer Kermit the Frog singing the song. The movement to make the inhabitants of this planet more focused on the environment has taken on a life of its own and now everywhere you turn there are products touted as “eco-friendly”, “green”, “recycled” or “sustainable” – and with good reason. Companies and individuals alike are consciously recognizing the impact that our daily lives have on the environment and are taking active steps to reduce their carbon footprints. Vincent Palmieri ~ The sprawling Lani Nui Ranch, (see above & right) established in 2006 in the Keokea District of Kula on Maui plays hosts to owners, animals, and... numerous recycled materials. With an impressive eco-friendly building basis and artful design, this 3.86 acre property is intended for the conscious homeowner who appreciates the stylish and sustainable. The barn at the ranch reinvents traditionally unrecyceleable materials by turning plastic grocery bags into plastic boards for the walls, and recycled tires into the rubber floor. Among a myriad of sustainable and energy efficient features in this house designed by Mexican Architect Alvaro Moragrega, are metal roofs to reflect sunlight and keep the house cool and ipe siding to the east to absorb heat during chilly mornings. The durable ipe is cultivated and untreated to avoid omitting unnecessary toxins or destroying forests. Solar heating provides all hot water, and radiant heating for the winter uses only the solar heated water to keep the house warm. The fireplace burns clean, denatured alcohol so it doesn’t require a screen, doors, or venting; and in order to make a lasting contribution to the environment beyond employing green building practices, an additional 80 trees were planted on the property to capture carbon. A long term gift for a sustainable home. Simply Sustainable By Maresa Giovannini Featured Properties