This is personal.

 

Me.  5 years old. On a bus. Alone (true story, folks.)

 

I willingly packed my bags and headed to an uncertain future filled with the one thing I wanted.  

 

Independence and a better way.

 

A better way to fill up one thousand three hundred and forty-four hours of my time, also known as…my summer. Yup.  I did it the only way my precocious half decade old self knew how.  8 weeks at sleep away summer camp. Camp Greylock bound.  I wanted out of that small New Jersey town and those humdrum lazy days in suburbia.  I left behind my dear parents and my dear Fluffy (dog extraordinaire) and set my sights on ‘better’ ….

 

Strap yourself in. We are zooming towards the here and wow.

 

Today, independence still incessantly screams my name and a better way to live has wildly captured me. This ‘better way’ saddles up on independence and ‘rethinking’ and flips the bird at  the lame excuse of ‘that’s the way it’s always been done.’ It’s backed by fierce knowledge and wrapped up with a radically sensible, elegantly thoughtful, bow.

 

It’s called Home. Not just any home, but a High Performance Passive Home.

 

These homes have ridiculously excited me for the past 5 years.  So much that I’m building one right now for my family. (Well, not right now, you guys. I’m writing this on a Saturday. I’m on a lounge chair in the middle of who the hell cares. The sun is shining and I’m lounging, people.)

 

However, THIS COMING SATURDAY, MAY 2,  instead of lounging, I’ll be proudly flaunting my new independence in the form of (cue the lights and the groupees):

 

A Tour of NJ’s First Passive House

 

  

You’re invited.  And  I would be giddy with glee for you to stop by in all your awesome-ness.    Get chummy with NJ’s First Passive House (and a builder, that’s me, plus an architect, that’s James at River Architects, ) that’s bursting with sexy, sustainable, smart building practices and ideas.  You’ll be surrounded by forward thinking people, like yourself, who want to get down and dirty with the details on how  to declare victory over an energy-sucking bully of a house.

 

So when Saturday rolls around, forget the NYT, put down that double skim latte (or bring it with) and come mingle with the future.

 

Type 105 West Oak Street, Ramsey, N.J. into your GPS. Mosey on over (because on Saturdays you ‘mosey’), and mix up a reflective cocktail. Tell us what you think.

 

It’s for anyone who wants to raise a red, white and Bleu flag (you knew that was coming, right?) in the name of a new independence.  

 

An independence from…

 

• A house that has only  2 temperatures:  Crank the heat and Crank the A.C.

• A carbon footprint that leaves our collective home we call THE PLANET a stinkin’ dirty mess.

• PSEG, CON-ED, and all other energy bill delivery men who have their  hand both their hands out EVERY MONTH collecting buckets of your hard earned cash.

• making mukluks mandatory footwear in your home for fear of your toes becoming anesthetized from floor drafts

  Summer camp did bring me a better summer (maybe the s’mores had something to do with it.) But Passive House? Is gifting me a better home.  And you know that a home isn’t just a house.  It’s the backdrop for all those brilliantly beautiful moments you call?  Life.  It better represent.

   

  In the name of better, let’s make a ruckus this weekend.  Join us. I would be thrilled to see you there. Here are the deets:

   

Ramsey Passive House Tour with a blower door test FINALE @ 2PM

Saturday, May 2

105 West Oak Street

Ramsey, NJ 07446

Pop in anytime between 11am-3pm.

(sorry, no kiddies, it’s a construction site and we wouldn’t want junior getting hurt)  

 

Will I see your marvelous mug this Saturday? Have you recently took steps towards new independence? Re-think something? How did it turn out? Hustle on over here , then scroll down and leave a comment because your opinion (and high-five;) is golden.

 

FYI: Registration is not required but helpful:)