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. […]
Paying Solar’s Fair Share
May 1, 2014 by /
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 […]
Spring Into Green 2014
April 3, 2014 by /
It’s time to spring into green again. Several green events for Southern Nevadans are underway or coming soon. To be clear, green events have become so popular that they happen all the time in our community, it’s just that some major ones tend to occur at this time of year. Creating a sustainable community requires […]
Looking Back at a Green 2013
December 26, 2013 by /
Green Living covers a lot of territory. Let’s take a look back with a recap of the topics we covered in this Green 2013. Winter We kicked off the year with “Liking Las Vegas,” highlighting some great green things that have been happening in the valley. The topic of “Solar-Ready Homes” revealed the logic of […]
The Human Race – Can We Win It?
November 14, 2013 by /
It is interesting how some words have more than one meaning. Race is one of them. It can be a form of competition where the fastest one wins, but it can also be a group of people, such as the human race. The irony of this juxtaposition is that the human race is in a […]
The Devil is in the Details – Support Clean Energy!
October 15, 2013 by /
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 […]
Using Solar Around the House
September 5, 2013 by /
Solar energy is wonderful and I like to use it around the house a lot. It provides the electricity for our home, including enough energy to charge an electric car. It provides illumination, most of our hot water and we even use it occasionally to cook delicious meals. Even though it all comes from the […]
How Fresh is Your Energy?
June 27, 2013 by /
There are many ways to heat water but in the end, it really boils down to how we make use of the sun’s energy. Consider these two scenarios: Scenario One: Ancient Energy The process starts hundreds of millions of years ago. The sun shines down on our planet providing energy for plants and animals to […]
The Importance of Leadership
May 16, 2013 by /
Good leadership is important. It can make or break a community, a nation, even our world. As citizens we depend on leaders to establish policies and standards that make our community safe. They must balance the immediate needs of many while keeping an eye on long-term trends that will shape our future. It’s not an […]
Clean Energy: Renters Can Do It Too!
May 2, 2013 by /
One of my recent columns prompted a reader named Paul to write, “I want to move toward a greener lifestyle, especially want to incorporate solar. But since I am renting a house, I’m concerned there’s little I can do without installing things on a house I don’t own. Any ideas?” This is an excellent question […]
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