As I opened up my laptop this past week, a video popped up in my newsfeed from Mike Rowe of “Dirty Jobs” and the CEO of MikeRoweWorks Foundation. In this video, he tells grads explicitly to not follow our passions. The video provoked much thought because earlier in the week I met up with Gustavo Santander, a Colombian native, who has followed his passions by developing revolutionary sustainable and green building technology. Gustavo is the CEO of Green Magic Homes, a Mexico-based organization that started eight months ago and has blossomed into a global operation currently in over 40 countries.
Most interviews follow the progressive sequence of “who” (Gustavo of Green Magic Homes), “what,” “when,” “where,” and lastly “why,” but after meeting Gustavo and exchanging pleasantries, I needed to know “why” he was engaging in green and sustainable architecture. As we sat in a coffee shop across from a beautiful section of beach in North Miami, all I wanted to know about was the passion that drove Gustavo to come up with this technology. I covered as much literature as I could about Green Magic Homes (GMH) before our interview and the first thing Gustavo said was he designed this technology with saving lives in the forefront of his mind. The X-Phere was designed to be an underground shelter that could be constructed by novice builders in a short period in the event a major disaster was approaching. However, the market, and more importantly society, weren't demanding such technology.
Still inspired by nature and creating a more sustainable world, Gustavo didn’t give up on his passions, and after consulting with some friends, he began to create the idea of the GMH. The GMH is engineered with nature in mind following the natural curves of the earth, built out of fiber-reinforced polymer, and is waterproof. The design also contributes to its structural integrity in the face of natural disasters. For example, the GMH could withstand earthquakes, tropical storms, tornado and hurricane winds, and even fires because of the geothermal mass (earth) insulating the home. Furthermore, the GMH can be utilized in most climates and topography and could integrate well in desert, tropical, dry, and even snow-filled environments. My wife and I are moving to the California desert to build a sustainable homestead with some friends and family, and the GMH is going to be a real option. These amazing structures can be purchased at around $10,000 for a one-bedroom minimalist home and around $68,000 for a four-bedroom family home, all of which can be shipped worldwide for approximately $4 a square foot. Aside from the fact that these structures are extremely sturdy and durable, they can also be built within three to four days and are completely waterproof. The Green Magic Home comes at a most opportune time because we are looking for more sustainable options in terms of the way we live as a society and it’s my belief that society has become more socially and environmentally conscious over the past decade.
Initially, I thought I was doing this interview because I wanted to help inspire, show other lifestyle possibilities, and to get information for my family, but what ended up happening was I left inspired with more resolve than ever because of Gustavo’s wisdom and mindset. Gustavo and GMH left me with these ideas: we must respect each other and nature, we must respect the creator and the universe, and we must always try to live in balance and harmony with ourselves, our environment, and the universe. This technology is truly revolutionary and I was privileged enough to interview its creator, so I’d like to end this by saying thanks to Gustavo Santander and Green Magic Homes for providing the world with beautiful, affordable, sustainable, and structurally sound technology.
For more information on Green Magic Homes, please visit this website.
P.S. – Follow your passion(s) like Gustavo, because the world needs us!
