Posted: 10/1/03

Solar home tour stops at Ottos

People always talk about elected officials needing to maintain high integrity. Rep. Rebecca Otto, District 52B- May Township, seems to take that idea seriously.

Her recent car purchase was a hybrid Toyota Prius that has 1/100th the emissions of a normal car, and she and her husband, movie writer Shawn Lawrence Otto, designed and built a renewable energy home with their own hands that is being featured in this fall's Twin Cities Solar Home Tour this weekend.

ìThe Ottosí home is a model of smart design and renewable energy technology that works,î said Dan Moring, spokesman for the Midwest Renewable Energy Society.

ìWeíre very excited about the opportunity to include it in this yearís tour.î

The Ottos built the home they call ìBreezyî over a two-year period. It features passive solar design, super insulation, airtight construction, a masonry wood heater, low consumption appliances, and an 80-foot tall wind generator that produces most of the homeís electricity.

ìItís a brilliant, warm, eminently functional and inviting home,î Moring said.

Shawn Otto says heís ìhonoredî at the inclusion of the 3700 square foot home in the tour. ìWe wanted to show that being good to the environment doesnít have to mean a sacrifice in lifestyle,î he said.

Otto, who lectures on wind energy, studied architecture at the University of Minnesota.

He researched and designed the home in consort with his wife.

ìSmart design means making a small investment in higher quality and better planning up front that can pay huge dividends over the life of the home,î he said.

Rebecca Otto says thatís a philosophy of responsibility that makes sense.

ìI used to teach science to 180 7th graders, and every year Iíd bring my students out for a field trip to our home, and show them a video of its construction phases,î she said.

ìIt became one of the most popular events of the year. Our kids are the ones who are going to have to live in the world we leave behind, and they are very concerned, and were happy to learn there are things you can do.î

This won't be the first time the home has received attention. The Ottos regularly host tours and parties for interested groups of people.

When asked whether she minds all the extra work this involves, Otto laughs. ìOnce a teacher, always a teacher, I guess,î she says.

ìWe built this house with that in mind, and itís part of the reason we did it. We care about the future, about being responsible residents of this country and planet, and believe you've got to act on your values for them to mean something.î

The Otto home is located at 12697 N. 177th St in May Township. It will be open from 10-4 this Saturday, Oct 4.

To find out more about the entire slate of homes to be featured in the 2003 Twin Cities Solar Home Tour, contact the Minnesota Renewable Energy Society at 612-298-7909 or visit www.mres-solar.org.

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