Energy Slaves of Modern Culture

When I explain to people that I have not purchased electricity for ten years, they are envious. When I tell them I have not bought gasoline or oil or a smog check for four years, they are amazed. When I tell them they can do the same thing simply by shifting their priorities, they yawn. […]

More Humans, Less of Everything Else

The extraction of “unconventional” fossil fuels, whether through fracking, deep-water drilling or the unimaginable waste of Canadian tar sands, has provided much of the motivation in my personal life to methodically reduce our family’s CO2 footprint. Since the baseline year of 2000, we have managed to reduce our contribution to greenhouse gasses by approximately 90%. […]

The Real Value of a Solar Home

Solar energy systems are becoming increasingly popular. Many factors are driving the trend: lower system costs, improved performance, environmental awareness and new options for system acquisition. I’ve received a ton of calls and emails about the issue lately, especially regarding the topic of solar leases. People want to know if they are making the right […]

Southern Nevada Solar Home Tour – 2014

The largest climate change march in history recently took place in New York City. Over 400,000 people joined together to demand genuine action on the issue. Hundreds of thousands more participated in coordinated events around the globe. This is no longer considered the radical fringe. It is time to stop using fossil fuels. Even those […]

Adapting Las Vegas

For over eight years, I have shared ideas about Green Living in this space. The intent has been to hasten a shift toward sustainable community in Southern Nevada while also addressing big issues like climate change. There are many who share my concerns and I am grateful for the significant steps so many have taken […]

Paying Solar’s Fair Share

New changes are going into effect for NV Energy’s net metering customers, mostly those with solar electric systems on their homes. I’ve received several calls about a letter that NV Energy sent out last week that outlines changes to the way certain fees will be assessed. The changes are a result of the passage of […]

How to Find a Solar-Friendly Home

Nothing beats a solar-friendly home. The explosion of interest in solar energy continues and for good reason. Harvesting clean, fresh energy from the sun provides so many benefits that it is impossible to ignore. Systems are more affordable than ever, plus they are dependable, long-lasting, help the environment and make excellent home improvement investments. While […]

Learning from the Solstice

It is common to think of a solar-powered home as something new and unusual but people have been learning from the solstice for a long time. We’ve come to accept the idea that you cannot have comfort and convenience without paying a significantly large power bill. That is due to a lot of things, not […]

Las Vegas’ Green Decade Marked by Decathlon Success

UNLV’s Team Las Vegas brings lasting benefits to Las Vegas and visitors to the Springs Preserve with their award-winning DesertSol green home.

The Devil is in the Details – Support Clean Energy!

Guest post by Lydia Ball, Clean Energy Project The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) is holding a Consumer Session on October 16th. The purpose of the Session is to take comments from ratepayers about the merger between NV Energy and MidAmerican. If you care about clean energy in Nevada, this is important, and I […]