Recent Green Living Posts
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By Steve Rypka on November 3rd, 2011
 Seven years ago, Southern Nevada experienced its first Solar Home Tour. At the time, I was involved with a great non-profit group called Solar NV, the Southern Nevada chapter of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES). I had attended a few solar home tours in Arizona and they were always a great experience. Our group decided it was time for folks in our local communities to have that same opportunity. That first tour was a resounding success and everyone had a great time. Thus, a tradition was born.
This year marks the seventh anniversary of the Southern Nevada Solar Home Tour. It will take place this Saturday, November 5th from 10 AM until 4 PM and is open to the public. Organized by the dedicated volunteers at Solar NV, this year’s tour will be another great opportunity to meet face to face with neighbors around the valley who live with renewable energy on a daily basis. Sponsors include Bombard Renewable Energy, Geary Company, and Southwest Gas.
Continue reading Tour of Solar Homes.
By Steve Rypka on October 20th, 2011
 I enjoy writing this column and sharing ideas about living lighter on the planet. I think it works best when I write about real experiences, especially my own. Several years ago I set a goal to install a solar domestic hot water system. This week, I checked that one off the list.
Now, most of the energy it takes to provide our home with hot water is clean and fresh. Bursting from the nuclear-fueled depths of the Sun, it makes the 93-million-mile journey to our roof in just eight minutes. We put it right into our hot water system, ready to be used immediately, eliminating the incredibly inefficient 300-million-year process of turning ancient sunlight into fossil fuels. Like I said, solar energy is clean and fresh – and it works great!
Continue reading Bathing with Sunlight.
By Steve Rypka on September 8th, 2011
Photo Credit: Josh Lopez
Last week’s National Clean Energy Summit provided a partial snapshot of the status of our nation’s shift toward clean energy. It featured a wide range of presentations representing green building, military, commerce, transportation, utilities, manufacturing and labor interests.
The message was strong and clear: Renewable energy along with a vast array of innovative technology is here and vital to our future. The concept of clean energy includes everything from …(more)
Continue reading Taking Back Our Future
By Steve Rypka on July 28th, 2011
 Think about this: We are living during an incredibly unique period in the ongoing history of humanity.
How often did that same thought cross the minds of our ancestors? Did the first generation of farmers realize the profound impact the agricultural revolution would have on the formation of modern society? In the early years of the industrial revolution, did anyone have even an inkling of what they were setting into motion? These key turning points in the development of our species have dramatically changed the world. As important as they were, they will pale in comparison to the Next Big Thing. I’m talking about the new Green Revolution.
Continue reading Green Revolution and the Clean Energy Summit.
By Steve Rypka on June 30th, 2011
 Nothing is more important to the human spirit than freedom. People sacrifice their lives so that others may experience it. As we celebrate our country’s independence this weekend, friends and family will gather for barbeques and many homes will display the flag. In addition to displaying a symbol of our patriotism, our homes and businesses represent a vital opportunity that, if we choose to take action, can do more to strengthen and enhance our freedom than almost anything else.
Continue reading Celebrate Independence.
By Steve Rypka on June 16th, 2011
 I’ve done energy surveys on hundreds of homes to determine their suitability for renewable energy systems. One thing that I’ve learned is that many people are out of touch with energy reality. This is especially true in the U.S. where we’ve experienced more energy abundance (and waste) than any other generation that has ever lived. We want our power all right, and we want it cheap and unlimited.
Continue reading Can’t Have it Both Ways.
By Steve Rypka on May 5th, 2011
 My wife and I live and work in a solar-powered home. I’m writing this from my office using a computer running on the freshest electrons you can get, produced just a few feet away, from photons only eight minutes old. That’s how long it takes light to travel 93 million miles from the sun to the photovoltaic panels on our roof. Everything we do here that uses electricity is powered by them. 100%.
A small device called a Sunny Beam sits on my desk displaying information about our energy production. As I write this, there are some high clouds so we’re not at maximum but the system is still cranking out nearly five thousand watts of clean, renewable energy – much more than we’re currently using. The extra power is going to the grid, spinning our meter backwards.
Continue reading Solar Increases Home’s Value.
By Steve Rypka on March 24th, 2011
 Lately it’s difficult to think about anything except the recent horrific events in Japan. My heart goes out to everyone involved. Disasters like the earthquake and tsunami are mostly unavoidable; they are a natural part of our planet’s evolution. The ongoing nuclear disaster is another story.
The world would be quite a different place without modern technology and I enjoy most of it as much as the next guy. But when a technology holds so much potential for severe, long-term damage, we must know when to alter our course. Even without accidents like Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and now Fukushima, many have known intuitively that nuclear energy is just too risky.
Often wrongly touted as a carbon-free source of energy, it is actually far from it. The life-cycle of nuclear energy production produces tremendous amounts of carbon emissions from plant construction, mining, fuel processing, plant decommissioning and waste handling, including transportation and storage (over both the short-term of decades and long-term of thousands of years). Renewable energy is orders-of-magnitude cleaner and infinitely safer.
Continue reading The Insanity of Nuclear Energy.
By Steve Rypka on January 27th, 2011
 Timing is everything, as the saying goes, and that certainly applies to act of purchasing a renewable energy system. There seems to be a constantly changing landscape of costs, rebates, incentives and supply that influence the final price of these systems. It would be great if we could gaze into a crystal ball to determine the precise moment of maximum benefit. The next best thing is to stay informed and that’s where this column can help.
The trick is to act like any self-respecting business, taking advantage of market forces, tax credits and other incentives to maximize shareholder return on investment. In this case, you and your family are the shareholders. Companies plan for the long term and that’s a strategy that certainly applies when it comes to investing in renewable energy.
Continue reading New Solar Thermal Incentives.
By Steve Rypka on January 13th, 2011
 I got to the gym a little late yesterday and it was already dark outside. After checking in at the desk at Sun City Anthem’s Liberty Center, I headed for the locker room. As I opened the door, the lights were out and it was pitch black inside. It wasn’t that late and the place was not closing down. The lights had been shut off automatically by a sensor that had not detected anyone in the room for several minutes. I smiled at the reminder that this was a LEED certified facility. Energy efficiency is part of its DNA. After one step through the door, the lights came on, acknowledging my arrival.
Continue reading Getting a Green Workout.
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Seven years ago, Southern Nevada experienced its first Solar Home Tour. At the time, I was involved with a great non-profit group called Solar NV, the Southern Nevada chapter of the American Solar Energy Society (ASES). I had attended a few solar home tours in Arizona and they were always a great experience. Our group decided it was time for folks in our local communities to have that same opportunity. That first tour was a resounding success and everyone had a great time. Thus, a tradition was born.
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