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
November 1, 2014 by /
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%. […]
Southern Nevada Solar Home Tour – 2014
October 4, 2014 by /
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
May 15, 2014 by /
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
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 […]
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 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 […]
A Sense of Urgency: It’s Too Late to do Nothing for Earth
March 21, 2013 by /
I try to keep the tone mostly warm and friendly here but what drives me to write is very serious. We are facing… no, strike that. We are creating a planetary emergency. Let me state a few facts and then tie them all together. The Earth has an energy imbalance due to added greenhouse gasses […]
Learning to Live in Place
December 29, 2011 by /
I love the concept of Green Living. For me, it is a simple, common-sense approach to life that improves our daily lives while acknowledging and addressing major issues like climate change and the overall sacred balance of life on Earth. Glancing back over this year’s past columns confirms that it is a topic with great […]
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