A Sonoma County couple turned their home into one of the most sustainable in the nation

When Jason and Kristin Nichols first met at the Sonoma Mountain Zen Center in 2017, they made group dinners together from scratch and washed dishes by hand. And while they worked side by side helping to keep flames from the Nuns Fire from destroying the center, they discovered they shared more than a spiritual path. Seven months later they were married.

Their origin story as a couple was the precursor to a handmade family life, where laundry is hung to dry in the breeze, weekends are spent on DIY projects...