Maui Real Properties - lifestyle info, homes and land for sale Maui Hawaii: January 2011

5 reasons why it's easy to be GREEN in Haiku Maui Hawaii

1. No HVAC. With our mild climate there's no need for heating and cooling systems in your home. If you build with plenty of windows and a good overhang you can enjoy cooling breezes most of the year. If it gets too cold, just close the windows! If you properly insulate your roof, you can also eliminate the need for air conditioning. It very rarely reaches 90 degrees in Haiku, and with proper insulation and shade, your home will stay much cooler than this. Traditional homes in Haiku don't have any kind of heating, and only a few newer Haiku homes have A/C as a luxury for the summer months.

2. Save on water usage. You'll never have to water your lawn. Our yearly average of about 50-75" of rain is nicely spread out through the seasons and we don't often have months in a row without any rain. In the summer the rain is mostly at night and in the early morning, leaving everything fresh and clean and green.

3. Harvest rainwater. When you don't have access to county water mains you have 2 options... drill a well or harvest rainwater with a catchment system. Either way you'll be using some sort of catchment tank for storage, and a pump/pressure tank for distribution to your household. With a rainwater harvesting system you can feel good about not depleting valuable water resources elsewhere, and your supply is totally self sustaining and renewable.

4. Grow your own. You can grow a garden and raise animals. There's nothing quite like cracking open some farm fresh eggs that you raised yourself. Pick papayas and bananas for your breakfast every morning. Fruit trees thrive in the lush climate of Haiku. It won't be long and you'll be giving away baskets full of your organic produce to friends and neighbors. With a compost bin in the corner of the yard you can recycle all the garden and kitchen waste and turn it back into the soil.

5. Alternative energy. Harness the power of the sun and wind. The trade winds blow consistently on the north shore of Maui and it's an ideal location for a home wind turbine. Most days are sunny and warm, making photo-voltaic systems a feasible alternative to supplement our high priced electricity. Large parts of Haiku are not serviced by the county water lines or Maui Electric, making it a necessity to be off-grid. Hawaii is really getting on board with alternative energy as a way of weaning ourselves off expensive imported petroleum products. It makes sense when you live on an island, to take advantage of all the natural and renewable energy that's available. State and county tax incentives make it even more attractive and affordable.

This post was previously posted elsewhere on the internet.

If you're ready to "go green" on Maui, please consider Haiku as a great place to live where you can leave a much smaller footprint. As someone who has been living off the grid for over 20 years, I can tell you that it can be very rewarding. Call me for more details.

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