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When I decided to make a huge change a few years ago and transition my life from New Mexico to California, I discovered that there was only one place in the world that I wanted to be: Santa Monica. Santa Monica is an incorporated city in its own right, but it is best known for being part of the greater Los Angeles area. I used to travel in and out of Los Angeles a lot for business, and I always knew that it was my destiny to eventually call the city my home. I had much to figure out before transitioning my entire family here, though (a family that included my two small children and my ex-husband). I knew that I would never want to divide our co-parenting arrangement – for the children's sake – between two states.
On one particular business trip in 2008, I finally found my way to a restaurant that I had heard about for many years called Juliano's Raw. It was there that I had the pleasure of experiencing my first "raw" vegan meal, and it was there that my life actually changed forever. This meal had the most profound impact on me both nutritionally and emotionally. As I sat there eating my warm veggie lasagna made from thinly sliced raw zucchini noodles and layers of vegan nut cheese simulating a rich, creamy ricotta, I suddenly knew that this beautiful city was the perfect place for me to move my family.
I had heard over the course of my travels that Santa Monica was well known for having one of the most progressive social, political, building and development agendas in the country. It prides itself on being a truly "green" city by committing to sustainable building practices that are at times 50% more comprehensive than any other state or national green standards in both commercial and residential sectors. They also have a thriving affordable housing program that serves thousands of area residents by providing lower-cost housing in this extremely inflated market. Additionally, they have one of the most successful and long-standing mandatory recycling programs in the country for both homes and businesses. And finally, Santa Monica serves as global headquarters to some of the world's most esteemed environmental organizations, such as Global Green USA, the NRDC, Heal the Bay and Environment Now.
As an environmentalist, but not necessarily a big city kind of guy, I knew that even my ex-husband could be happy in this sustainable paradise. It took some convincing, but two years later we are now all as happy as four peas in two pods ... that is, we live in two houses minutes apart from each other and feel fantastic raising our kids in an area that is so protective of its natural resources. Since moving here, I have tried to become involved with as many green initiatives in my new community as I can. Today was no different. I had the pleasure of meeting Lauri Lappin, LEED AP, CGBP, Director of Design and Marketing & Sales Rep for Pacific Cove Development, a green building firm that she and her brother, Steven Lappin, run right here in Santa Monica.
A green builder myself, it was so much fun learning about the sustainable steps that they are taking to work toward their LEED Gold status – and possibly even LEED Platinum status – for their six-unit development. Here is just a small list of the sustainable features that are included in their beautiful and forward thinking green project: non-toxic and recycled-content insulation, double-paned and low-E windows, LED and CFL lighting, drought-resistant landscaping, solar panels on the roof that will cut the future owner's electric costs by one-third and high post-consumer content finishes like tile, flooring and countertops. Even the garages are specially wired to re-charge electric vehicles! And this is just the start of how Lauri and Steven are designing their eco homes.
What I found most fascinating while speaking with Lauri was that her company took the initiative to use a subcontractor called Crown Disposal Company to demolish the huge building that was previously on the lot before they took it over. This company specializes in deconstructing every part of the structure by hand so that every window, sink and two-by-four can be reused. Lauri said that 90% of that material was completely reclaimed and re-purposed for other construction projects. Why this isn't a standard way of doing demolition work on construction sites, I will never understand, but I'm so glad that the good people at Pacific Cove and Crown Disposal are taking the opportunity to do right by the planet. Lauri is currently selling the remainder of the available units in this paradigm-shifting development ... so if you're looking to move to the glorious and green city of Santa Monica, too, I highly recommend giving her a call!
Rebekah Green is a Green Expert, Green Builder, Green Designer, and Green Lifestyle enthusiast who is an avid believer that social consciousness and environmental responsibility should be 'business as usual.'
