A date with the planet

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When Mitch Thomson began searching on the Internet for a vacation rental this summer, he never imagined his stay at Kaweah Cottage, a two-bedroom retreat in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, would end up changing his family’s lifestyle.

“It was a work of serendipity,” said Thomson, who was not specifically looking for a green home, though he happened to be taking a green building class at the time. “We wanted a week of peace and quiet and hiking with the kids, so I Googled ‘Sequoia Cabins,’ and then this house popped up that looked fantastic with close proximity to a river. In fact, you can hear the river from the house.”

Thomson, his wife, Cheryl, and their two daughters and a son ended up spending four days hiking in the mountains, swimming in the nearby ancient rock holes, and practicing what he called “off-the-grid living.”

“We all unplugged,” he explained. At night instead of watching television or surfing the Web, they played the board games provided at the house and sat under the stars talking as a family. “Since the trip we have decided to spend one week each month not using electronic devices,” said Thomson, who lives in Orange County, California.

Kaweah Cottage (www.KaweahCottage.com), with its American clay interior walls, formaldehyde-free plywood, dual-pane glazing and sustainably harvested wood, is just one of a growing number of green homes around the world now available for vacation rentals. Just as Kaweah Cottage is situated on a hillside near the Kaweah River with views of the Sierra peaks, most eco homes are built into breathtakingly natural settings, so guests can enjoy both an indoor and outdoor green experience. Kaweah Cottage even has an organic garden where guests can pick fresh arugula, squash and tomatoes.

James and Kathleen Seligman, with their now grown daughter, have lived on the property for the past 20 years in a house about 150 feet from Kaweah Cottage. The couple built the cottage in 2006 as a two-bedroom overflow for family and friends but then decided to rent it out to offset some of the costs.