Written by Sustainable Lafayette based on an interview with Lori Strand (lori@qtca.com)
Challenge
The Strand family in Orinda is typical of many families in Lamorinda--they have three active kids and a live-in parent, and are always on the run. With so much going on how do they find time to stop and think about how to live more sustainably? We first met Erik and Lori at the Lafayette Art & Wine Festival and soon discovered a family devoted to a sustainable lifestyle!
Solution Details
Erik Strand’s mother helped them get off to a good start by giving them cloth shopping bags as a wedding gift 13 years ago. “She was way ahead of her time” said Lori Strand. “It’s one thing to have the bags and another to use them. When I forget to bring them into the store I make myself walk out to the parking lot and get them.”
Things really kicked in when they started a family and moved into their current home four years ago. When they were building the foundation, they discovered an underground spring that runs year-round and also were lucky recipients of run-off water from neighboring properties. “It just didn’t seem to make any sense to have all of that go into the sewer when we knew we could use it to water our garden.” So, the Strands found and purchased a 2500 gallon water tank on eBay Now, they water their large yard without using any “drinking water” from EBMUD. They also had the goal of not needing electricity from the grid and had 86 solar panels installed on their new roof, which has provided almost all of their electricity over the past four years.
Once the house was built, Lori and Erik thought more about how to feed their growing family. Knowing that supermarket produce travels 1500 miles from farm to plate on average, they embarked on a family project to build an organic veggie garden that is 10 x 40 feet. Working together they grow tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, grapes, blueberries, asparagus, pumpkins and many other vegetables. Lori also is a regular at the Orinda Farmer’s market and wants to grow a winter garden this year for the first time.
With three young kids, their local elementary school is also a big focus for them. Five years ago Lori decided to get involved at school and volunteered to chair the hot lunch program. Since then she has gotten rid of individual water bottles at the school, eliminated the use of styrofoam, has food delivered in bulk to reduce packaging, instituted the use of cups made from corn starch, “taterware” utensils, and “Bagasse” plates, all biodegradable. Unfortunately, there is no food scrap collection available for schools and composting is not feasible at Glorietta Elementary School. However, there are two Glorietta families that have pigs or goats and those families take food scraps to them. Lori has also worked hard to make the menu more healthy by eliminating transfats and high-fructose corn syrup from the menu and shifted to whole wheat bagels and brown rice with hardly a complaint. Lori was also proud to point out that their kids walk, ride, or scooter to school almost every day. “All three have gotten to school on their own every single day so far this year.”
As a contractor, Erik is always working on projects around the house and trying to figure out how to use recycled materials. He recently used old recycled glass bottles set in concrete for countertops for their outdoor kitchen. Lori has her own secret for recycling. She’s become an avid “craiglist junkie.” She’s found fabulous things like an armoire, a desk for the kids, and an apartment full of furniture for a person that they helped earlier this year.
Besides the big projects, you get the sense that the Strands are thinking about everything that goes on around the house. Lori said this past summer that they wanted to plant a sunflower, but were reluctant knowing how much water it would take. So, she decided to keep a pitcher on the kitchen counter that everyone dumps leftover water and ice into and then they use it to water the sunflower plant. Many little things like this do add up.
Their next project(s) are to figure out how to reduce food waste and utilize grey water (from sinks, showers, bath, and laundry).
The Strand’s are living proof that even the busiest six member households can befriend the earth!
Benefits & Payback
The Strands are clearly producing a substantial amount of clean energy, conserving a lot of water, eating organic food that doesn’t have to be transported from far away, and making a big impact at the local elementary school. Lori said, “The thing I like most about the solar system is watching the meter go backwards! It means we are not using any energy from PG&E and our excess energy is going to neighbors.”
