Estrella Velasco better known as Star is an architect passionate about the green aspect of building. It was during her college senior year when working on her thesis that she developed a strong commitment to educate herself first about preserving the environment and then make whatever it was on her hands to spread the word about going green. Her motto is to keep a low carbon foot print in all aspects of her life.
Spent almost a decade in Houston, T.X. where she ran a landscape design business and during that time she also dedicated a great deal of her spare time to make her home a more ecofriendly home, just a few steps to turn it into an urban home stead just limited by the HOA guidelines. Some of her projects included rain water collection, 275 gallon tanks were used to collect the water that were hooked to watering dripping systems that fed her vegetable garden that was not limited to the ground space but walls were also used to increase the area where to grow veggies. At least 50% of the landscape was edible; another 30% was done with native plants and the other 20% with hardy –non native- cute plants that went dormant during the chill weather to later come back year after year graciously on spring.
All non meat or dairy food scraps were turned into compost in a compost pile and in a vermicomposting bin with the aid of red wiggler worms. And it was during a visit to the Museum of Natural Science that she got interested in beekeeping to later on become a member of the Houston Beekeepers Society. If you are planning on having your beehive try looking into the Russian bees rather than the Italian bees, Russian bees are resistant to a couple of parasites like Varroa therefore you won’t need to use any chemicals to treat them for illnesses.
The landscaping was designed in such a way that the east and west facades (the south façade was too close to the neighbor’s home to do too much) were protected during those hot infamous summer days with deciduous trees and then during winter the brick and siding walls welcomed the sun to help in keeping the house warm. In addition, the house had to small courtyards that allowed crossed ventilation during summer reducing and at times eliminating the need for A/C – No A/C? such a crazy idea in the US huh!- the vaulted ceilings were also a blessing.
The deck and pergola were built out of a scrap and discarded lumber. The patio was done with old bricks and pavers collected over the course of nearly a year.
During a trip to New Mexico she discovered a whole new world of construction possibilities when she visited an Earthship Community. Homes built from recycled materials that were out of the grid! They had implemented the use of solar panels and their water was heated through solar heaters! She could see firsthand some the techniques she had proposed on her thesis applied to these homes. And from then on for her It’s always about finding new and imaginative ways to reuse discarded materials to be used around the house and as building elements.
She truly believes that all of us can make a huge change just by implementing small changes in our personal behavior.
Think globally. Act locally! ! !
LET'S THINK GREEN!!!
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