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 […]
Local Gardens – Organic Food
“Food and Hunger: Eating in America” was the topic of a panel discussion presented by the Black Mountain Institute last week at UNLV. The panel included celebrated chef and author Alice Waters, writer and organic farmer David Mas Masumoto and noted food scholar Raj Patel. The conversation was meaningful, thought-provoking, and at times, witty and […]
Transition Town
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 […]
Thoughts on Water
Home has meant many things to many people over time. From natural caves to stone cottages, cliff dwellings to modern tracts, homes have provided shelter and comfort throughout the ages. Early human dwellings were located near the natural resources necessary to sustain life, especially water. This is still true in many parts of the world, […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]