The complete source for building, designing, and remodeling green homes
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The State of California’s Zero-Energy Goal
Once upon a time (in 2008), the King of California (Governor Schwarzenegger) decreed that "By the year 2020, all new homes built in my Kingdom shall be zero-net-energy." Even with…
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Farewell!
Transitions. Back in June, 2008 I started writing a weekly column on energy for the Brattleboro Reformer, our local newspaper. I thought it would be fun to write a regular…
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Testing Building Assemblies for Moisture Resistance
When I was in Portland, Oregon, the week before last for the Living Future Conference, I had an opportunity to visit a facility in nearby Clackamas where building assemblies and…
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Yes, the Living Building Challenge is Overreaching
I’m just back from Portland, Oregon where I attended the annual Living Future Conference. The Living Future Conference was created by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI) initially to provide…
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Can We Power Our Car With the Sun?
I’ve written about a lot of the features we included in our new house in Dummerston, Vermont, to reduce its energy use and environmental footprint, but there’s another one —…
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High-Tech Ceiling Fans for Low-Tech Cooling
Winter has barely ended in Vermont, but as I write this the forecast is for 82 degrees tomorrow. This makes me think about strategies for keeping cool in the months…
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Resilience as a Driver of Change
Readers of this column have heard me argue in the past that resilience can be a motivation for taking actions that will not only make us and our families safer,…
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Taking Action on Climate Change
In my previous blog I described the international effort to understand climate change. The United Nations’ IPCC is leading the charge, and efforts like the Kyoto Treaty have grown out…
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Earth Day 2014 and Climate Change
With Earth Day having been this week, I’ve been musing about the state of our environment and where we’re heading.
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How Much Water Does it Take to Turn on a Light Bulb?
In last week's blog I took a look at some of the water conservation features in our new house, but I began the blog by addressing the relationship between water…
