Sustainable

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2008 Santa Fe Green Building Expo

Santa Fe Green Building Summit & Expo logo

What: 2008 Santa Fe Green Building Expo
When: Nov. 21 2pm-6pm; Nov. 22, 10am-6pm; Nov. 23, 10am-5pm
Where: Santa Fe Community Convention Center, 201 W. Marcy Street, Santa Fe, NM
Cost: FREE to the Public

The $15 Water Heater Upgrade

Water Heater Insulating Blanket

I have a cheap, inefficient water heater. Why? When I had the old water heater replaced I wasn't thinking about efficiency. So, the plumber installed an average, natural gas water heater. Buying a new, more efficient water heater can cost at least $500, plus installation. Being a creative and frugal guy (read: cheap) I found a way to upgrade my water heater for only $15.

Santa Fe County Holds Public Hearings on Oil & Gas Ordinance

Timber Oil Derrick circa 1888

Santa Fe County has announced several opportunities in November and December for public involvement in the revision and adoption of the Oil and Gas Element, Oil and Gas Ordinance and Growth Management Element. The following meetings and hearings of the County Development Review Committee (CDRC) and the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) will be open to the public, and participation is encouraged.

Why I Garden #10

Green Tomatoes, Chiles, Tomatillos, Sage & Arugula

Fall is definitely here in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. We've already had a couple of light frosts, but the forecast last night was for a hard freeze. My wife and I went through our garden for the last harvest of the season. We harvested plenty of green Tomatoes, Ancho and Serrano chile peppers, Tomatillos, some of the more tender herbs like Mint, Sage and Basil and a bale of Arugula.

Training for Windy Work in Tucumcari

Wind Turbine Under Construction

New Mexico is windy in the spring. The wide open plains of Eastern New Mexico are even windier. Power utilities are putting up wind farms across New Mexico and the Great Plains to take advantage of all of the free wind. One question hasn't been answered yet - Who will operate and maintain these turbines? Mesalands Community College in Tucumcari, NM is establishing the North American Wind Research and Training Center to educate Wind Turbine Technicians to fill that need.

Happiness is a Full Rain Barrel

Rain Barrel overflowing with rain water

I love living in the Desert Southwest. We have hundred-mile views, low-humidity and 300 days of sunshine per year. But, the other side of all that sunshine is an average of 14 inches of rain per year. Unfortunately, the rains come mostly during the late summer monsoons, not evenly throughout the year. What little rain we do get is precious and worth saving. The easiest way to harvest our irregular, seasonal rains is with rain barrels.

Southwestern National Parks Tour

Colorado River - Sunrise at Drinks Canyon Campground near Moab, Utah

Americans are lucky, or more accurately, fortunate. We are fortunate in the incredible beauty, diversity, wildlife and wilderness that is set aside and preserved by the National Parks Service. My wife and I recently took a week-long tour of National Parks, Monuments and Historic Sites in Colorado, Utah and Arizona. While our trip was short we camped, hiked, explored and absorbed a huge amount of nature, history and culture of the Southwestern US.

Stuck in the Middle With Utah

Stuck in the Middle - Stealers Wheel album cover

New Mexico is stuck in the middle, tied for 25th place with Utah, in the ACEEE 2008 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard. States were rated on eight factors including: Utility and Public Benefits Efficiency Programs and Policies, Transportation, Building Codes, Heat and Power, and Appliance Standards among others. Unfortunately, New Mexico's score of 15 points falls well behind California's score of 50!

Food for Thought

A discussion on how to feed the world at Zeitgeist '08: The Google Partner Forum titled 'Body 2.0 - Creating a World that can Feed Itself'.

Larry Brilliant the Executive Director of Google.org moderates a panel discussion including:

Are Sand Dunes the Future of Skiing?

Sand Skiing - Getting the Hang of it

One of the many reasons I love winter is skiing. Well, I just tried another surface for skiing that doesn't need cold weather - sand dunes. While I fervently hope that the snow keeps coming each winter (and I'm working to make sure that it does) I've found a new place to slide on some old skis - The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

I'm definitely no expert, so I went with some new friends who are old hands at sand skiing. From what I've learned the basics of sand skiing are:

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