Living 'Green' and Modish at Ecolodge

At Ecolodge... Who says Barbados isn’t green?

Definitely not this husband and wife team.

Grahame and Andrea Reeves-Law have made one of the most exclusively green and dramatic parts of Barbados their daily retreat, called home.

At an outward glance, be it an aerial view from a helicopter or the periphery of your two week-long vacation, Barbados seems to have some patches of 'green'.

Rest assured, when you do discover these concentrated patches of forested areas, it's like finding an emerald in the rough.

The intensity of what you see, well makes it worth living.

That is easily the case when it came to an emerald spot in St.Joseph. Where you'll find Grahame's and Andrea's stylish and 'green' country-side home,' Ecolodge '.

It was between Barbados and Southern Italy, "Barbados' consistently warm weather all year-round, is favourable for Andrea who has arthritis in her hands and there was also approval for the car business we set up."

The auto-making company specialised in building fiber glass mini- mokes for the island's tourist market for a while.

Then, owing to a contract gone-bad, the business went belly-up and everything foreclosed.

It's a nightmare that can't be imagined.

Understandably, Grahame and Andrea had to escape from it all.

Too keep her sanity, Andrea started making scented candles out of indigenous materials- bamboo and coconuts.

" I just started using everything that cost nothing and made something out of it".

Grahame carving and shaping these materials to poise.

Now found in hotels and the Best of Barbados gift shops throughout the island.

These candles add the feeling of Barbados fun-in-the-sun to any room, no matter which part of the world you are.

They are natural, flirty , smell delicious and help you reminisce or simply imagine being on a tropical beach on Bim, with ....a Pina Colada or drinking from a coconut...

And spotting a starfish. Oh yes, these candles bring you right here!

While in the UK, Grahame and Andrea had plans of living in an octagonal house.

At that time they created a replica of ' Ecolodge ' with balsa wood to see what it should look like and how the furniture would be fitted.

They didn't know where this house was going to be but they knew that it wasn't going to be in the UK.

The idea for an octagonal house never left this couple and when the opportunity came, with the help of a friend, they found the perfect location for their dream home ' Ecolodge ' in Barbados.

"We went ahead and had our plans done and on the first impression, it was exactly what we wanted.

It was a phenomenal architect we worked with, Selwin Williams. A good Irish name for a Trinidadian."

Grahame wanted to do everything environmentally correct and not harm the environment.

Andrea found this appealing, but for a completely different reason.

While Grahame, a chemical engineer for over 20 years, wanted to give back.

Andrea, was thrilled by "the thought of never having to pay a bill again!"

How to achieve an environmentally friendly home? - Reduce, reuse and recycle.

' Ecolodge '- the 2,600 square-foot, octagonal house, built entirely of hardwood, is elevated on 21 acres of serene, forest, which was once an old sugar cane plantation 25 years ago.

Several wooden steps lead up to a spacious wooden deck- an outdoor living space ideal for entertaining.

This looks out to a landscape that is utterly breathtaking, green and so tranquil, that you might just believe, you have been transported to another country (that is, if you aren't actually visiting on vacation).

The entrance to the house leads in to an intimate, stylish, dining and living room.

The decor is much in keeping with the outdoor theme- elegant, green and safari.

Andrea tells us "The furniture is a myriad of individual recycled pieces."

These add splashes of colour and warm character, making the room contemporary and rustic.

The dining table is a beautiful and creative sight.

The table top is a wooden door with glass panels under which semi-precious stones have been placed- Adding the perfect designers touch to be awed.

Andrea also wanted to give this room a safari feel and fringed the walls with bamboo leaves.

It is divided by three full length, wide, wooden doorways.

The windows and doors resemble hurricane shutters and function that way.

They all open out to the veranda's astounding scenery, letting the portrait of the outdoors in.

A staircase greats you not too far from the entrance and just off of the kitchen, these steps lead up to a spacious and minimalistic bedroom.

The kitchen is well laid out and accented with wicker basket draws and as Grahame and Andrea are also avid recyclers, in the kitchen you'll find recycling bins.

The bathroom is also minimalist in design, with a standing shower and modern, water-saving toilet, which doesn't have an S-bend.

Instead a big ball valve uses no more than a glass of water to flush .

The waste goes into a tank outside of the house and after two months or so, a wind extractor sucks all of the water and moisture out leaving an odorless compost that can be used in the garden.

The roof of the house is from that of an old gas station.

How to practically, never pay another bill again? Read on!

" Rain water is clean water"... That's right! Straight from the heavens, this water is run to a 4 000-gallon tank which used to be an old sugar mill condenser.

The first 16 gallons goes through a washer before being supplied to the house.

The condenser is an upfront investment, the cost depends on the size, but if you are keen on recycling, you can save on this even more ( goodbye water bill!).

"The house is powered completely off of solar energy.

It is wired and has cables as any house going to the grid would, so you don't have to change anything if you wish to start using solar power," Grahame explains.

A photo voltaic (PV) power control unit, a PV charge controller, an inverter and a number of large batteries store and convert the electricity from the solar panels (DC) to that which can be used in the house (AC).

There is the upfront cost of purchasing this equipment, the amount you need depends on how much power you'll use.

In the long-run, it costs nothing ( goodbye monthly electricity bill!) . And on cloudy days, this couple has 3-5 days supply of power stored.

Any alternative sources of energy? Grahame - "I can't wait to get the wind generator back up and running."

You may ask yourself, does this couple ever flaw the environment?

After all they recently bought a vehicle which runs on diesel.

They admit, "smoking is a bad habit".

Pretty minor compared to combustion fumes, huh?

At night there is no light pollution, it's just you the stars and maybe a candle.

With all of its stunning vistas, there is nothing to being happy and at peace.

Their neighbour Bill, certainly didn't hesitate to build his house on a spot of this 21 acres.

Soon you may be able to spend time in the peace and quiet of nature in St. Joseph too , as this wonderful couple is building five eco-friendly lodges, for you to enjoy the outdoors on your vacation.

Stay tuned for updates on the progress of the eco-friendly lodges to come and for new environmentally friendly and cost saving techniques at Ecolodge.

Information on fish farming, aquaponic vegetable growing and a biogas plant coming soon!

It was fun chatting with Grahame and Andrea about 'Ecolodge'. On your visit, you too will find yourself stalling, making every excuse not to leave.

Many thanks to Grahame and Andrea, for letting us feature their 'green' and stylish home ' Ecolodge ' on www.life-n-styles-barbados.com.

For more information or to visit ' Ecolodge '. Please feel free to contact Grahame and Andrea directly with your comments and inquiries by filling out the form below.

They are willing to show you around!- Share their environmentally -friendly and cost saving practices , candle making techniques and even their experiences while living in Barbados for the past 11 years.