When it came time to build a new home for himself, his wife Leslie, and their two children, Giorgetti and his team were ready to walk their talk. Constructing a new home "offered us the opportunity to express our architectural preferences and design aesthetic," he says, "and to layer in several deep-green aspects of homebuilding. We feel those deep-green aspects are powerful and attainable—not only for ourselves but also for average people looking to build a new home."

LEED: A User-Friendly Guideline

Giorgetti and his team at Palo Santo followed LEED guidelines in the design and construction of the compound, which includes the family home and a guest house. "In my business, I've used LEED for more than a decade," he explains. "It has a knowledge base that's recognized internationally. The LEED point system is user friendly, even though it's become more complicated over time, which means the system is continuing to push sustainability forward."

"We're currently in v4, the most recent and strict version of LEED for homes," he adds. "But, I'm familiar with it and have a clear understanding of what it takes to certify a home and how to do it." The house's Platinum level certification is pending. The family also enjoyed several sustainable building tax credits. "The State of New Mexico offers a nice return on sustainable investments through tax credits," he says.

Here are the three "deep green" aspects Girogetti and his team incorporated into the 4,000-square-foot home using LEED guidelines.

A grid-tied 5.6 kW solar array produces more than 100% of the power used by the home, says Giorgetti. "We're currently operating below net-zero." The house isn't yet all-electric. "We have a gas cooktop, and the water heater is gas," he says.

But the LED lighting, mini-split heating and cooling units, and energy-recovery ventilators or ERVs for air circulation are electric and powered by solar. "The air handler brings in fresh air from outside, which goes through HEPA filters, while inside air is exhausted out," he explains.

Deep Green 3: Construction 

Pumice is a plentiful local building material in the Santa Fe area and the critical ingredient in Pumice-Crete® Building Systems, which the Giorgettis chose to use to construct their home. "It's a system in northern New Mexico using local pumice aggregate to create cast-in-place, monolithic, lightweight 'concrete' walls," Giorgetti explains. "It's like a rice crispy treat, with the R-value achieved through trapped air."