by Brittany Paris

Laura and Rutherford Seydel share a passion that's rooted in protecting the Earth. Laura, the daughter of billionaire Ted Turner, serves on more than a dozen nonprofit environmental boards, while her husband Rutherford works as an environmental lawyer. When an oak tree crushed a building on their property that they had planned to turn into a guest house in 2005, the couple decided to dream bigger and build EcoManor — one of the nation's largest eco-friendly homes and the first in the Southeast to receive the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED certification.

Measuring more than 6,000-square-feet, EcoManor is also the first home over 5,000 square feet to be LEED certified. The $1.5 million home, which earned a gold rating, showcases the latest technologies in renewable energy, water management and high-quality construction. The Seydels spent an estimated 10 to 15 percent extra by going green, but they hope to recoup some of that in energy savings.

"With the rising costs of fuel, a green home makes sense," Laura says. "It's super-efficient, healthy and can be aesthetically pleasing beyond your imagination."

Natural light flows into the five-bedroom house via solar panels and solar tube skylights. They also conserve energy with Energy Star appliances, geothermal space heating, a tankless water heater and blown cellulose insulation. A 15-inch Creston touch- screen monitor controls the heating and cooling system as well as lighting, while also monitoring the family's energy and water consumption. The Seydels harvest rainwater to flush their toilets and use graywater from their shower to irrigate their drought-tolerant landscaping.

Since EcoManor, one other home in the city has achieved LEED certification and about a dozen more have registered for the program. "It's definitely starting to pick up a lot of steam," says LaTaunynia Campbell, a LEED for Homes manager with Southface Energy Institute. "LEED grew so fast that our office had to break it out from the other green programs and assign a manager just to handle it."

EcoManor is the first house in the United States to be certified by four green initiatives: LEED, the National Wildlife Federation's Backyard Wildlife Habitat program, Energy Star and Greater Atlanta's Home Builder's Association EarthCraft House Program.

One of the premier regional green building programs, EarthCraft House has certified more than 4,000 homes in the Atlanta area since 1999. EarthCraft rates homes on a point scale very similar to LEED requirements, with focuses on homeowner health, reduced utility bills and protecting the environment. The program, in partnership with Southface, serves as a local blueprint for energy- and resource-efficient homes.

The Seydels hope their home will help further EarthCraft's mission by educating other homeowners and contractors about the benefits of going green. But Rutherford and Laura not only wish to be an inspiration for others, they also want to help build a better world for their three kids — ages 9, 11 and 14. "Ultimately, our goal is a livable world for future generations," Rutherford says. "EcoManor is an example of how green living can be possible."