Solar panel on a recently landscaped roof of a Kalia home.

Most of us live our lives enjoying the benefits of the sun without really thinking about the star’s massive benefits. Without the sun there would be no daylight, no plants or flowers, no natural warmth and no seasons. It’s safe to say that without the presence of the sun, our earth as we know it would cease to exist. The sun’s heat has already shaped our world and the lives of those in it, but harnessing the power of solar energy has the potential for just as important of an impact.

What Is Solar Energy?

The term ‘solar energy’ refers to the heat energy given off by the sun. When harnessed as thermal energy, solar energy can heat water and spaces; everything from a swimming pool to a country estate. However, the most exciting application is the use of solar energy as a replacement for fossil fuels to create electricity. Much of the way we live in the modern world relies on the power of electricity, which currently relies on non-renewable forms of energy such as coal, oil and natural gas.

Why Solar Energy?

Since our current forms of energy are non-renewable, there is a finite amount on earth that is being rapidly used up. Additionally, when converting the current fuels to electricity, byproducts are created that pollute the environment. Unlike non-renewable resources, solar energy is virtually unlimited and creates no pollution, providing a glimmer of hope for the sustainable future. The only drawbacks to harnessing solar energy is that the availability of sunlight depends on the day and time, and that large surface areas are necessary to collect enough solar energy for use. With the continuing advancement of solar technology this challenge should be solved in the near future.

Kalia & Solar Energy

Kalia’s commitment to sustainable luxury includes heating the water in our homes with solar energy. Each home has solar panels on the roof that help lessen the home’s burden on the environment through harnessing a renewable source of usable energy.

The Breeze Model is available for your next luxury vacation in Costa Rica starting in December.

Set high over the Costa Rica rain forest lies The Breeze, one of Kalia’s impressive new model homes. The height and openness of the Breeze give residents spectacular views of Costa Rica’s lush tropical jungles. Clean, modern lines and floor to ceiling windows characterize the sweeping silhouette of the two-story luxury home that boasts a large, open floor plan. As with all Kalia model homes, the Breeze was designed to maximize the residents’ enjoyment of Costa Rica indoor/outdoor living with a total living area of 4,844 square feet.

Playa Ostional is just minutes away from this beautiful vacation home.

The indoor open floor plan encompasses 2,691 square feet of luxury while modern outdoor decks and water features claim the remaining 2,153 square feet. Thanks to Costa Rica’s year-round mild weather and warm climate, future Breeze homeowners will appreciate the seamless integration between the indoor and outdoor design of the home, enabling them to enjoy themselves equally indoors and out.

As we’ve discussed, Kalia’s mission is the marriage of sustainability and luxury, which is why the Breeze is filled with ecofriendly appointments. Eye-catching rooftop gardens insulate and reduce storm water runoff to keep Costa Rica’s waters crystal clean and free from pollutants, soothing water features double as relaxing décor and natural cooling for the home, and sustainable furniture and building materials make the Breeze the epitome of refined eco-luxury living. Luckily, discerning travelers who want a taste of the Breeze can begin by making reservations at this expansive estate starting in December.  If you are looking for a tropical paradise in which to spend the holidays, check out the Breeze and reserve your spot before it’s too late.

BRAC Grey Water Recycling Tank

Grey water recycling is an undeniably eco-savvy solution for conserving water. A grey water recycling system is also easy to install in a home, is not excessively expensive, and can reduce your home’s overall water usage by a third or more, all without impacting your life one bit.

What Is A Grey Water Recycling System?

A grey water recycling system involves a filter tank that catches the water from your shower, bath, washing machine and sinks. This tank then uses chlorination or other disinfecting methods to clean the water, and is connected to a pump that returns the water to the toilets for reuse. The resulting water is called grey water, and is perfectly suitable for use in the toilet. It smells fresh and clean, and looks just like water that originates from the tap yet it has a huge impact on a household’s amount of water use. After being reused for the toilet, the water is flushed out through the normal sewer system, just as usual. Kitchen and drinking water usage actually only comprises 10% of a household’s total water usage, which is why recycling bath, shower and sink water helps dramatically reduce wasted water.

Grey Water Recycling Systems in Kalia Homes

With luxury green living as the Kalia community’s mantra, grey water recycling systems were incorporated into each and every home to reduce water usage. The luxurious showers and baths may be appointed with the finest Italian fixtures, but eco-conscious residents can rest easy knowing that their home helps reduce water waste. Kalia homes feature a top of the line BRAC grey water filtration system that reduces water usage by over 30%.

Costa Rica & Green Building

On the forefront of sustainable luxury living, Kalia embraces the importance of green building. Though Costa Rica already established a chapter of the Green Building Council, it was just inducted this week into the World Green Building Council. The press release making the announcement discusses Costa Rica’s green building goals, including their push to become the first carbon-neutral country in the world by 2021.

Read the full article here: Costa Rica Joins World Green Building Council

Cutting Edge Costa Rica Healthcare

Costa Rica’s world renowned health care system is getting a boost from private equity investors, who have just injected funding into Pacific Plaza Health and Living (PPHL). PPHL will be a state of the art private healthcare complex located in northern Costa Rica, and is set to include the country’s second CIMA hospital.

CIMA Hospitals are run by the International Hospital Consortium, and aim to provide the best in medical care. Currently, Costa Rica’s San Jose CIMA hospital is known as the best in the country thanks to CIMA’s exacting standards for patient care, physicians and facilities. If San Jose is any indication, the latest CIMA hospital in PPHL will offer another top option for Costa Rica health care.

Read the full article here: Aureos Capital Backs Costa Rican Healthcare Facility

Kalia's Luna model framing shown here is made from galvanized steel.

Sustainable building is the exciting new future in home development, providing superior quality residences with minimal impact on the environment. Kalia is a firm supporter of the sustainable building movement. As such, all Kalia homes are constructed with green building practices and materials using local labor, and each home is carefully placed in a location that requires little disturbance of the lot’s natural Costa Rica terrain. We have already discussed Kalia’s commitment to the ecofriendly green roofing practices, and this week we are putting the spotlight on the community’s use of sustainable galvanized steel structures.

Galvanized steel framing of the Tierra model located in Kalia's Black Beauty Village.

Galvanized steel structures are covered in a coating of 98% zinc metal, which is what gives the steel its sustainable properties. The galvanized coating is 100% recyclable, protects the steel structure from corrosion and rusting for over fifty years, eliminating the need for additional energy, materials or environmental impact to maintain the structure. Thanks to the building material’s worldwide availability, low environmental impact and maintenance-free upkeep, galvanized steel is fast becoming a go-to supply for green building.

Interestingly, galvanized steel structures are not only better for the environment, they are also better for the homeowner. Galvanization protects all structural steel, handrails and decks from rusting and corrosion for a safe living environment that always looks sleek and modern. Since it requires no maintenance, the homeowner reaps the rewards of the great appearance and safety without having to pay a dime in upkeep. Painted steel and concrete might look good at first, but they cannot hold a candle to the staying power of galvanized steel structures. Thanks to its green benefits and nonexistent maintenance and clean, modern appearance Kalia uses galvanized steel in all its sustainably luxurious Costa Rica homes.

Source: VTT Building & Transport Study

Construction crew laying the special water proof foundation for green roof landscaping.

Green, leafy shrubs and flowers are usually admired while walking through gardens. But if a new sustainable trend has its way, the beauty of gardens will take to the skies. Green roof landscaping, an impressive new trend sprouting up in ecofriendly real estate developments, is providing residents of these green homes with a garden in the sky that not only looks magical, but has numerous ecological benefits to the surrounding nature.

What Is Green Roof Landscaping?

Eye-catching green roofing is characterized by a specially constructed roof that supports plant life. The hallmark of these remarkable rooftop gardens is the minimal maintenance required thanks to hardy, drought-resistant plants and

A special mixture of soil is placed on the roof and then a variety of native Costa Rican landscaping is planted.

utilization of annual rainwater to keep them growing. Green roof landscaping is traditionally done on a flat roof to keep the plants in place during rainy season and to reduce the amount of maintenance required, although newer technology has now enabled green roofing to have a slight slope as well (source: ThisOldHouse.com).

What Are the Benefits of Green Roof Landscaping?

Green roof landscaping is not only visually impressive, it also plays a key role in improving the environment. The lush native greenery covering the roof reduces storm-water runoff that would have likely polluted nearby rivers and streams. In a delicate ecosystem like Costa Rica, reducing the negative environmental impacts of storm water runoff goes a long way toward preserving the country’s beauty and pristine wilderness (source: EPA). Green roofs not only help keep surrounding rivers and lakes clean, they also minimize a housing development’s impact on the local bird population. Every building in Kalia will be covered in natural Costa Rica vegetation to reduce the community’s impact on natural bird life in the area. Green roofing also helps purify the surrounding air by absorbing pollutants and creating more oxygen in the air for cleaner breathing.

This landscaped roof on one of Kalia's model homes in Costa Rica will grow into a lush green roof cover in only a few short weeks.

The other tremendous benefit of green roofing is its ability to insulate a home against weather conditions. Green roof landscaping stays ten to twenty degrees cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter, reducing the use of energy to power air conditioners and heaters, and subsequently lowering the power bills for the resident. Sustainable, stylish, and cost-effective – precisely why Kalia has chosen to create green roof landscaping for all the homes in in each of its stunning new Costa Rica luxury ecological resort communities.

This model home, known as the Lush, features a green landscaped roof and special water features to cool the home, solar energy to regulate the pool’s temperature and a gray water recycling system to water the landscaping.

Rooftop gardens overflowing with lush local vegetation, sprawling modern pied-a-terres and oversized lots are just some of the features in the sexy new wave of luxury green living. What was once considered a frivolous, hippie driven movement has become the preferential way to live – eco-friendly and fabulous; minimal impact on the natural environment paired with maximum comfort and luxury for the home owner.

Green living may have had Spartan beginnings, but the sustainable trend has since reached the upper echelons of society. Luxury green living is a status symbol embraced by eco-conscious celebrities, aristocrats and business moguls who spare no expense or luxury while living a green lifestyle. Celebs with major star power are building and buying green homes including: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Rachel McAdams and Daryl Hannah, to name a few. The luxury green living movement is also spreading like wildfire beyond the borders of North America and Europe, taking countries like Costa Rica by storm.

This home is currently under construction in Kalia's Emerald Woods Village in the area of Marbella in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Renowned for its unspoiled biodiversity, abundant national parks and stunning vistas, the effort to keep Costa Rica’s natural beauty intact has resulted in a number of luxury green living options for natives and foreigners alike. Gorgeous new socially responsible housing developments are popping up across Costa Rica, promising eco-friendly luxury homes, condos and apartments. Many of these Costa Rican luxury green living communities are catering specifically to a discriminating foreign clientele with rich on-site amenities, exclusive gated communities and stunningly modern home designs. Included in these luxury amenities are sprawling golf courses, tennis courts, spas, restaurants and fitness centers that are designed using sustainable, local materials, native plants and built in low density to maintain the natural surroundings. Kalia is lucky to be a green luxury living community  located on Costa Rica’s Pacific Northwest coast. For more info on Kalia’s eco-luxury lifestyle, please visit our main website, kalialiving.com.