Who's House? Helios House!

Over the weekend during my visit to L.A. for a brief getaway, I was able to check out Helios House, a futuristic-looking gas station that offers sustainable alternatives for the future. Helios House which was created in February 2007 by BP, a global energy group, is made from recycled materials and is the first LEED certified gas station in the United States.

When I got a tour from Josh Weber, a BP employee, he explained that everything at Helios House had a purpose and way of contributing to the environment. "The little things add up. That's all this station is, it's a bunch of little things," said Weber.

The station's structure, made from 100% recyclable stainless steel, is solar-powered by the 90 solar panels sitting on the roof. Helios House also recycles all of its water through a graywater system to irrigate the bamboo plants and succulents scattered throughout the station's landscaping. Even the ground is recycled! The cement is mixed with recyled glass which not only gives it a nice sparkle, but sends back 70% of the sun's heat-causing rays which helps reduce heat island effect found in large urban areas.

During my visit, I realized that the gas station didn't even smell like gasoline. Weber later explained that all gas pumps in the state of California must have to use a special device on their pumps which siphon out the carbonmonoxide and CO2 vapors emitted while pumping gas. These pumps in particular catch between 98-99% of all of the vapors which eliminates the usual smell of gas fumes that are inhaled. You can even watch the screen while you fill up your tank, which flashes green tips with little things everyone can do to improve the environment.

Sitting between pumps are stations offering hand-sanitizing wipes with natural oils and lavender on 100% recycled paper, and mini paper postcards with snippets of information from the greencurve.com that raise awareness about sustainability. After you read the card, you can water it, plant it, and grow wildflowers.

There are also three cans - one for trash and two for recycling - between every two pump stations for customers who want to clean out their car while they fuel up. "if we make it available, if it's right here, people will do it," said Weber.

Marissa Sanchez a local resident said she's been coming to Helios House for the past four months becuase of convenience and because it's green. "The prices seem to be a little bit more expensive, but I think it's worth it overall," said Sanchez. "They make it really nice they have hand-sanitizer here and they have recycling here so you can get a lot done."

Everything at Helios House comes together full circle. "They [BP] really built it with the idea of 'can we take this back apart and reuse it' becuase we know it's not going to be here forever," said Weber. "Sustainability is they key to everything."