By Marie Wood

“Going green” is not only a responsible way of living, it’s become the latest hot trend, from taking shorter showers to buying hybrid cars.

Jaime and Barb Taylor have taken the concept even further. The couple built a log home that uses green building technologies and leaves a light footprint on their 10-acre wooded lot on Lake Jefferson, which they found two years ago.

Due to zoning, it would have been difficult to get approval on a well and septic system. But cutting-edge green building practices made it possible to build their dream home. Acting as general contractor and researcher, Jaime found sub-contractors — many are inventors and engineers — to help build their eco-friendly home.

“The edge is getting closer and easier than before. If we can do it, it’s clearly possibly for others,” said Jaime, who is a project manager for the Taylor Corporation’s Navitor Division.

The Taylors chose progressive water conservation measures: a rain-collection system and water recycling. Instead of a well, the Taylors have a 1,200-gallon buried cistern that collects rain water.

The water the family uses in the dishwasher, showers, laundry room and sinks is recaptured into gray water tanks, where it is purified and reused again.

The home also has no septic system. It has a compost system that offers zero discharge of waste. A compost bin handles the waste from the toilets and garbage disposal. Using wood chips, mulch, worms and a giant circulating mechanism that turns the waste, it reduces the waste to dirt. A sump pump redistributes water if needed.

Best of all, they say, the system is automatic, self-contained and never touched by human hands.

The toilets are similar to boat toilets. They have no tank and work like a vacuum, only using about 8 ounces of water.

The Taylors also invested in geothermal and radiant heat to reduce their energy use. Tubes in the basement floor and main floor carry water from a geothermal field in the ground, where the water temperature is in the 40s year-round. The water needs to be heated just 20 to 30 degrees to warm the home in the winter.

Although the geothermal heat pump runs on electricity, it is considered by the industry as the most efficient way to heat water, Jaime said.

In the summer, the heat pump can be used in reverse as a chiller, but they may have to expand their system to get optimal cooling.

“We don’t have an air conditioner and won’t ever have one,” said Barb, associate director of alumni relations at Gustavus Adolphus College.

Log homes tend to be warmer in winter and cooler in summer than traditional homes, Jaime said. Barb is looking forward to lake breezes in their log home this summer.