Shopping. We all do it. We all buy stuff we need, stuff we want, and some stuff that, honestly, we could probably do without. But it’s a fact of life, we live in a dispersed and increasingly global economy, and shopping isn’t going away. And all that stuff we buy impacts the planet. So what [...]

So you want to buy green, but you don’t know what to look for? It’s true; the array of “green” claims is dizzying, and it can be hard to cut through the green marketing hype to make truly informed sustainable shopping choices. Don’t become a victim of eco-stress! Use these six common-sense guidelines to help [...]

“The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades.” – Timbuk 3 Dynamic window technology may soon have buildings singing a new tune – one that’s dramatically more energy-efficient. While it seems almost sci-fi, it makes perfect sense: eliminate unwanted solar gain and heat loss with a dimmable window that changes color to match light conditions. [...]

I had the great fortune to hear Robert Hass, this year’s Pulitzer Prize winer in poetry and a former US poet laureate, read and lecture at the 2008 Rosenberry Writer’s Conference at the University of Northern Colorado. With a sensitivity that relies on the senses themselves, Hass’ work can take on political subjects that even [...]

After five months with the InPower PowerView system, a software / hardware application that monitors our energy consumption and the production of our solar array on a minute by minute basis, I finally understand a comment Yvon Chouinard made at the Rocky Mountain Institute 25th Anniversary panel discussion. He was asked what was one thing [...]

Walking around to the side of the house and watching your electricity meter spin backwards is sweet. But checking your energy production and consumption from the comfort of your couch is even sweeter.  We just installed a 6.8kW PV system on our house 

Welcome to 2008. Now make one resolution. Make one simple decision, about one thing in your life that you can change to reduce your impact on the planet. Make it something achievable. Make it something that’s important to you.

I stayed home from school the day John Lennon was shot in December 1980. I was 11 years old and probably more idealistic— and at times, I think, smarter—than I am now. This Christmas I heard “Happy Christmas (War Is Over)” while I was playing