Here’s a summer riddle for you: What’s clear and fresh and very clean, all blue but still completely green? If you guessed a swimming pool, you’re right. But what’s green about a clean pool? The green isn’t from algae but from the energy saved by using a variable-speed pool pump. Most swimming pools use a […]
House Like a Tree
Hiking is one of my favorite activities since I love reconnecting with the natural world. Safety is always number one so I try to avoid paths that get too close to dangerous cliffs. Call it self-preservation. I’m also not a speed demon, preferring to savor the experience – noticing the details. Did you know that […]
Desert Water Solutions
I love a good challenge. The bigger the problem, the more fun it can be to solve. The most elegant solutions are simple, effective and often right before our eyes. Such is the case with water. For decades, we’ve focused on engineering “more is better” solutions that “improve” nature and bend it to our will. […]
Blowing in the Wind
Back in the 60s, Bob Dylan sang “The answer my friend, is blowin’ in the wind. The answer is blowin’ in the wind.” At the time, I don’t think he had renewable energy on his mind, but wind energy is certainly a large part of the answer to today’s energy puzzle. All across America, homeowners […]
Godzilla Water Users
Remember the old Japanese monster flicks? Godzilla wreaked havoc on the city, stomping cars like they were ants. That monster had one serious footprint! We are the new Godzilla. Our footprints have been stomping the planet and it seems we’ve only recently looked back to realize the destruction. Can progress that leaves a trail of […]
Read a Book, Kill A Watt
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 […]
Energy Audits Make Sense
There are now new homes on the market that are getting greener with every passing week. While that’s great for those in the market for a new high-performance home, what about the thousands of us with existing homes, condos and apartments that weren’t built to the newer green standards? There are many ways to “green” […]
Green Options for Homebuyers
It’s exciting to see the transformation taking place in the home building market. Perhaps the best example is the new Villa Trieste development by Pulte Homes. Located in Summerlin, this community of 185 homes is leading the way when it comes to responsible building in Southern Nevada. The community has gotten some good coverage recently […]
Going Beyond Green
It’s safe to say that green has hit the mainstream in a major way. Newspapers cover it, radio shows talk about it and there are even entire cable television networks devoted to the topic. Green living is the new paradigm that will continue to progress until it has become standard operating procedure. After all, it […]
Let the Sun Shine In
I love winters in Southern Nevada! In fact, just about anytime from October to June is fine by me, but deep winter is special. I suppose it’s a stretch to call our relatively mild and brief period of cool weather “deep winter” but hey, it’s all we’ve got! One reason I like it so much […]