04/08 - Energy Saving Articles (download Adobe PDF documents below)

Energy Investments Reduce Your Monthly Expenses

Evaporative Air Conditioning

Getting Ready for the Cooling Season

How Much Can You Save on Home Heating Costs?

Hydronic Heating - Great for Remodels and Additions Too

Living Solar - A Report From the Front Lines

Save Money This Winter on Heating Costs

Solar Water Heating Choices

Spring Cleaning Time for Energy Systems

Sustainable Household = Sustainable Future

The Resurrection of Solar Water Heating

The Solar Component of Sustainable Design

What is a Green Household?

03/04 - Other Voices a Hoax?

A letter to the editor of my local paper written in response to an "Other Voices" column someone wrote suggesting global warming is a hoax.

01/03 - Make Your Next Car Choice Responsible

Another letter to the editor of my local paper written in response to the fact that I constantly see a large number of new (and larger still!?) SUVs driving around.....I simply couldn't contain my disbelief, so off went another letter to share my thoughts with the community.

03/00 - Oil and Climate Change Crises Are Coming

A letter to the editor of my local paper, written in response to the recent hike in gas prices and the fact that I still continue to see such a large number of brand new, giant SUVs driving around - you can tell they're brand new because they don't have license plates yet, just the paper advertisement for the dealership that's getting rich over this continuing fad...

I should note that the local paper selected the sensational title . . .

10/99 - Dialog with USA Today Weatherman Jack Williams

I had read several articles in USA Today about climate change, all of which provided misleading interpretations of the issue, They were not based on opinions reflecting the current scientific consensus. I decided to research USA Today further, to see if they've provided a more balanced view of current thinking on the climate change issue in the past. I came across the "Ask Jack" section of their web site, and discovered a variety of answers to questions that were similar to the articles I'd read in USA Today.

I wrote Jack Williams a letter in September but did not get a response. This isn't unusual, given the large number of questions he must receive. But because of the importance of the issue, I wrote again and - to my suprise and delight - I received a very nice reply on October 28th. In the course of responding to my letter, Jack suggested I might provide some mainstream links to more current sources of information on the subject. I wrote back to say "thank you," that I will send links of the type he suggests, and to let me know how many he can accept. Thank You to USA Today - the links are coming! (Update - links to a number of mainstream, defensible sources were delivered to USA Today and a subsequent check of their links page confirmed they have used the material - success!)

10/99 - Environmentalists Can Be Hyprocritical Too

A letter to the editor of my local paper, written in response to another letter ("SUVs More Efficient Than You Think"). The letter I responded to said that some environmentalists drive SUVs because they are more efficient when you consider that the extra space they afford saves trips. The letter also said people shouldn't criticize those who drive SUVs because, after all, we all purchase things that aren't good for the environment anyway (like coffee pots, dog leashes. . . . .etc).
I should note that the title I'd selected for my reply was "SUVs Less Efficient Than You Think" - the editor of the paper came up with the title "Environmentalists Can Be Hypocritical Too" . . .

9/99 - SUV's Threaten Environment and Economy

Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) have become the latest trend in transportation. Unfortunately, this trend is diminishing propects for a healthy environment and economy - both in the short term as well as the long term. It's happening at a time when the public needs to be moving the markets in the opposite direction, towards more, not less, efficient transportation and use of materials. This column debunks the popular myths surrounding SUVs popularity, and provides sound reasoning for making better choices for the environment and economy. Published in the Grass Valley Union, Other Voices Column, September 25, 1999.

10/98 - It Takes More Than Recycling To Slow Down Global Warming

So much has changed since the oil crisis of 1973. After a brief (ten year?) love affair with efficiency and renewable energy following the last energy crisis, public awareness and interest has all but evaporated. This article uses recycling, the only popular manifestation of environmental ethic carried over from that brief love affair, to raise awareness about larger, less-recognized environmental issues that face us, and what people can do about it. Published in the Grass Valley Union, Other Voices Column, October 31, 1998.

10/98 - Salute To Evolved Thinkers

A letter to the editor of my local paper on the subject of heroes. Published in the Grass Valley Union, Letters To The Editor, October 30, 1998.

7/98 - Make Responsible Energy Decisions Now

Energy fuels progress in our modern society, yet there is so little thought and effort given to the non-sustainable way in which we waste so much of it. By wasting energy like we do, we are comprising the quality of life for future generations in a variety of ways. This article addresses the problems and offers solutions. Published in the Grass Valley Union, Other Voices Column, July 4, 1998.

3/98 - Thought Provoking Columns

A letter to the editor of my local paper on the subject of global warming. Published in the Grass Valley Union, Letters To The Editor, March 19, 1997.

12/97 - An Ounce Of Prevention . . .

A letter to the editor of my local paper on the subject of global warming. This letter was written in response to a number of attacks, directed at myself and others, wherein our concern about climate change was twisted into a questioning of our values, political motives, and the likelyhood of a "conspiracy" afoot to ruin the American economy. Published in the Grass Valley Union, Letters To The Editor, December, 1997.

11/97 - Ask Who Benefits

A letter to the editor of my local paper on the subject of global warming. Published in the Grass Valley Union, Letters To The Editor, November 25, 1997.