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By Steve Rypka on August 12th, 2010 | Category: Events
An increasing number of homeowners in Nevada have something to smile about every month – their power bills. This is especially true during the heat of summer, when air-conditioning drives energy use sky high. The number of solar-powered homes is steadily growing, signs that the industry is heating up as the price of renewable energy continues to come down. Overall, interest in green building, energy efficiency and clean power has never been greater. The paradigm shift …(more)
Continue reading Clean, Green and Moving Forward
By Steve Rypka on April 12th, 2010 | Category: Events
Want to make sure that you don’t miss out on any of the events that are being scheduled for Earth Day? The Southern Nevada Group of the Sierra Club (Toiyabe Chapter) has created a special website just for EarthDay – check it out at EarthDayLV.com. The site is aiming to list all the local events that will be happening around Southern Nevada to celebrate Earth Day. Events are being added every …(more)
Continue reading Earth Day in Southern Nevada
By Steve Rypka on January 14th, 2010 | Category: Green Living Columns
They say the dream of the older generation was to pay off a mortgage, while the dream of today’s young families is to get one. In this economy, that’s no joke. That dream is now taking on new dimensions that include managing the ever-rising cost of energy and water.
In today’s home market, a lot of variables go into determining the price of a home, but some of the most common “features” are often only cosmetic: granite …(more)
Continue reading Appraising Green Homes
By Steve Rypka on October 8th, 2009 | Category: Green Living Columns
By now, the concept of sustainability is one that most people are familiar with. Though there are many ways to define a sustainable society, there is really only one alternative to it. Basically, you’re either on or off the bus. By definition, being unsustainable only lasts for so long. It’s the ultimate dead end.
What does that mean in the current context of our lives, our homes and communities, and life as we know it? There are …(more)
Continue reading Transition Town
By Steve Rypka on September 10th, 2009 | Category: Green Living Columns
I’m writing this column from the heart of California’s Sierra Nevada range near Yosemite National Park. It’s beautiful here and not as hot as Las Vegas in early September, but there is ample evidence of rising temperatures as the effects of climate change become increasingly obvious.
The wide-spread bark beetle infestation in the western U.S. has resulted in large numbers of dead or dying trees. And California’s fire season is now seemingly without end, with numerous wildfires …(more)
Continue reading Living Lighter to Save the Pika
By Steve Rypka on July 30th, 2009 | Category: Green Living Columns
Perspective is an interesting thing. If you’re too far away from something, you don’t see the details. If you’re too close, you miss the big picture. In my experience, the best strategy for maintaining a healthy perspective is to keep both in mind. Look at the big picture and use it as a guide as you handle the necessary details.
With regard to Green Living, the big picture is the health of the planet and its biodiversity, …(more)
Continue reading 2009 National Clean Energy Summit
By Steve Rypka on June 18th, 2009 | Category: Green Living Columns
If there’s one thing Las Vegas is known for, it’s change. Although our green building awareness got off to a slow start compared to some other cities, we’ve managed to turn that around. Many are surprised to learn that the rate of green building is accelerating rapidly in Southern Nevada, now home to some of the largest green building projects in the world.
While some have argued that the idea of a green casino is an …(more)
Continue reading Las Vegas Green Building Tour
By Steve Rypka on March 12th, 2009 | Category: Green Living Columns
I doubt there’s anyone who has not been affected in some way by the current economic crisis. This is a big deal – a game changer of major proportion. Things are tight and getting tighter, causing many of us to reexamine our lives and our assumptions about what we’ve so often taken for granted.
I’ve heard there has been an upswing in the use of public libraries. This makes perfect sense, since a local library is probably …(more)
Continue reading Read a Book, Kill A Watt
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