Bora-care, the Solution for Durability

A primary concern in building a LEED (USGBC’s Green Building Program) home, is creating one that is durable. Wood, while being a renewable material, is subject to decay by mold and wood-eating insects.
After much research on solutions for eco-friendly ways to prevent decay in this manner, we came across Bora-Care. “Bora-Care”, Nisus Corporation's amazing Green Solution for termites, is a non-toxic wood treatment that protects wood with a borate mineral salt (which has a low mammalian toxicity, but is still deadly to insect pests). Borate is a natural occuring mineral that is found in many fruits and vegetables that are commonly consumed.
This treatment is an amazing preventative solution, as it lasts for decades. It's perfect for new construction because it can be easily applied when the rough frame is exposed. It is recommended by LEED that the bottom 3 feet of wood around the entire structure be sprayed. To ensure the extreme durability of our sustainable home, we're spraying the entire structure bottom to top, to add an extra layer of protection from pests and fungus and to insure that the home will not need to be fumigated at any point in its life. To achieve this level of protection without sending streams of poison into the air and water is Bora-Care's guarantee.
The most effective Green pest management solution is a preventative one, and Go Green highly recommends considering Bora-Care spray for all new construction.

Taking advantage of the earth's most abundant source of energy-- The Sun!

Not only is the Go Green Home rooftop a great place for viewing the cityscape, from the beach to downtown, but now this roof is home to 30 solar panels which will provide the house with 5.6 kW of energy. This system will eliminate at least 100 tons of carbon dioxide over its 30+ year lifetime.

While the sun's abundant energy is actively utilized by the photovoltaic panels, there are also
measures of passive solar use throughout the house. Adjacent to the panels is a large skylight which will allow light to infiltrate the house throughout the day, cutting down on the need for artificial lighting. There are also several large windows facing south that welcome in the daylight all year long.



The PV panels were installed by SolarCity over a period of three days (see right). If you have been considering using solar, now is the best time to buy! The recent bailout opened the door for much larger federal rebates for PhotoVoltaic Systems; there is now a 30% tax break on the total cost (the rebate used to be capped at $2,000).

Plants have been utilizing solar energy now for millions of years, it's about time more of us start making use of this unlimited resource.