Little Portion Green Northwest Ohio’s first

passive solar strawbale houseon the campus of St. Francis

Tiffin, OhioArchitect – Joe Ferut, Elyria, Ohio

Natural Building Consultant – Mark Hoberecht, Strongsville, Ohio

Sisters Janet and Jane

moved into the house in

December of 2012.

The house is a project of

the Franciscan Earth

Literacy Center and will

continue to be used as a

demonstration and

educational tool for

alternative energy and

green building.

It was built with the aid of

generous donors and

committed volunteers.

Sister Jane experienced first hand the devastation of

mountaintop removal mining while living in West Virginia. This

served as a motivation to build a house that gets it’s electricity

from the wind and the sun and not fossil fuels from coal.

Worldwide coal supplies 40% of all electricity, but accounts for over 70% of the carbon dioxide emissions of the electrical

sector.

Passive solar design Large windows are facing south Low e, triple pane windows ERV system – Energy Recovery Ventilation

Hybrid electric heat pump water heater Mini ductless split heating & cooling LED lighting Recycled materials: insulation (straw, millcell),

counter-tops, roof, clay tiles low flow toilets Most up to date energy efficient appliances Natural interior finish – earth plaster (clay,

sand) Permaculture landscaping

ERV System – ENERGY RECOVERY VENTILATION

Because the house is

rated at R-70, it is a

very tight envelope.

The ERV is the energy

recovery process of

exchanging the energy

contained in normally

exhausted air and using

it to treat the incoming

outdoor air. In the

summer, the system

precools and dehumidi-

fies and in the winter it

preheats and

humidifies. The ERV system improves indoor air quality and

reduces energy cost. Humidity is maintained at an

appealing 40% to 50%.

This small but mighty system is basically a heat pump. It works great for very efficient homes. There are no ducts so there is not a lost of energy commonly associated with ductwork.

The compressor/condenser is outside.

Loewen windows – manufactured in Canada,

sold in Toledo, Ohio

Heat Smart T.XT

•Triple glazed,

• two layers of low e coatings

•two ½” air spaces with argon gas

Touch the windows in winter – warm as the house

The latest in water heaters

an electric heat pump water heater

A compressor and evaporator is integrated into the water heater.The evaporator draws in ambient heat from the surrounding air using two

variable speed fans. Electric coils wrap the tank all the way to the bottom to

transfer this heat into the tank and heat the water.

An electronic back-lit LCD display at eye level lets you adjust temperature

settings easily.

Reduces water heating operating cost up to 62% saving up to $320 per year

Millcell is manufactured in Germany.

Little Portion Green is the first project in North

America to use this product. We have 26”

under the concrete slab.

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special framing of the windows will allow a clay and straw mix (cobb) to be applied inside the framing.

This guarantees air tight insulation as well as the beauty of rounded edges around the windows.

The first 2 coats consist of

2 pts. sand and

1 pt. clay

The finish coat consists of

2 pts. clay and

1 pt. sand with a

colorant added.

Stain glass & cut glass

windows

All natural wind

chime

The niche with St. Francis and

our mascot, the inchworm

Clay relief with grapevine

National Machinery Foundation Sisters of St. Francis, Tiffin OSS Solid Waste District Greater Fostoria Community Foundation Kneeskern Family Foundation David & Gail Steinmetz Tithing Fund Arthur Friemoth Estate Republic Lumber Clouse Construction – Andy Schroeder County Electric Tim Bell – Maple Grove Stone Co. Briedenbach House Painting Michael & Cathy Carr Juanita Fenton Crystal Traditions Ewald Furniture Gordon Design Gallery Louie & Millie Lee Mike Langenderfer- The Countertop Shop Lowes of Tiffin Precision Continuous Gutters Connie Sauter

.

Seneca Tile

Tony Anese Masonry

Steve Shaferly

Curt Smith

Richard S. Swartz

Whirlpool of Clyde

White Family Fund of the Tiffin Charitable Trust

Tiffin Deluxe

Estate of Alice Hay

Estate of Catherine Omlor

Tiffin Deluxe

John Baer

Alivia Brown

Brandon Brause

Jay Budde

John Cochrane, Jr.

Carol Coffman

Kevin Creamer

Barb Dantuona

Mark DeBarbrie

Melissa Demoss

Tom Gerschutz

Milt Gibson

J.D. Griffiths

Sr. Janet Hay

Don Kin

Vince Kirchner

Gugu Malusalila

George Marsh

Tim Meeker

Sr. Barbara Jean Miller

Joe Moore

Lenny Perna

Merre Phillips

Donna Reimer

Ron Ruffing

Sr. Paulette Schroeder

Ken Schroth

Ron Shank

Joe Snyder

Dave & Gail Steinmetz

David Swartz

Mike Ubri

Steve Ubri

Sean Walker

Jim Long – stained glass windowAiden Sully – 2 brilliant cut glass windowsSr. Jane Omlor – grapevine clay reliefMike Reimer – finish carpentry

Gratitude for all those who participated in the two strawbale workshops

Thanks to St. John’s Jesuit High SchoolHeidelberg University

Bowling Green State UniversityBridges Community Academiy

Mike Reimer

Mike Brown

Sister Jane Omlor

Little Portion Green is open for tours

After Easter, 2013, Sunday Brunch plus a tour will be available by reservation

Volunteers are needed for landscaping in the spring & summer of 2013

Call Sister Jane at 567-207-5393 for more information