Owner Stanley Selengut built this retreat as a prototype for environmentally sustainable resorts in sensitive ecosystems and landscapes. From each of Harmony's twelve units, visitors have a private view of an unspoiled environment. Each house has a small footprint that required no trees to be cut, and in return, their shade provides cooling and perches for exotic birds and hanging orchids. Elevated wooden walkways connect the beaches and buildings, leaving the soil and vegetation undisturbed. Each house has its own PV array.
Water is solar heated, and each unit has a solar oven on the deck.
Electrical appliances are few, and lighting fixtures are energy efficient. Gray water is captured and used for flushing and for watering plants. All the waste is composted and returned to the soil. Local school children also visit Harmony to learn about sustainable development, renewable energy resources, and recycling. Solar thermal Palumbo House Hyde Park, Vermont Mary Val and David Palumbo, along with their three children, live comfortably in their large, traditionally styled but unconventionally powered home.