Tag: Sustainability
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Designing with Local Context
A few weeks ago I attended my first Association of Preservation Technology conference, held in Seattle. One of the keynote speakers at the conference was Yasmeen Lari, winner of the RIBA 2023 Royal Gold Medal. Yasmeen is Pakistan’s first female architect and has done amazing work to bring affordable home building to her home country.…
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10 Habits to Reduce Your Environmental Impact
We now have almost unanimous support in the scientific community that climate change is caused by humans. Dissenting opinions try to say weather fluctuates, which is true, but it does not mean climate change is not a threat. But there is a difference between climate change and weather. Weather is day to day changes while…
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The Net Zero Home: Eliminating an Energy Bill
Net zero homes produce as much energy as they use. A net zero home is not only great for the environment, but your wallet and health as well. While net zero is a method unto itself, similar programs that work towards reducing energy use and leakage in a home include Passive House, Energy Star, National…
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The Eco District
Scaling down further from my last post on the ecocity, this article dives into the ecodistrict. The ecodistrict, a concept that started in Europe, is based on the idea of achieving greater sustainability impacts through a district scale approach. These districts focus on the relation of energy, transportation, water, and land use and the most…
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The Eco City
Similar to my last post on sustainable cities, an ecocity is one that strives for sustainability and a healthy environment for its citizens and is modeled after the structure and function of natural ecosystems. Cities that strive for this label provide transportation networks for all travelers (transit, bike, pedestrian, and cars), integrate greenspace into the…
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Key Factors in Building Sustainable Cities
What makes a city sustainable? To me a sustainable city depends on a number of factors including land use patterns and growth, transportation, building reuse, energy and building code adoption, and green energy production. The most sustainable city would be one with a dense, urban fabric that supported public transportation as well as bicycle and…
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Solar Power Myths Dispelled
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to tour a large scale solar power array on the western edge of Lincoln, Nebraska. I have read about projects like this and have heard just about every negative misconception, but never have stood in front of one to see for myself. It turned out to be…
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Utility Scale Solar: A Nebraska First
Located north of Interstate 80 just west of Lincoln on a dirt road is Nebraska’s first utility scale solar system. To be classified as utility scale a system has to produce at least 2 megawatts of power which is roughly enough to power between 300 and 420 homes. The system was the first of its…
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Composting Toilets
One of my toilets is inconsistent in its ability to function as such despite repeated attempts to fix it. When I told my husband, in a mostly joking manner, that we should get a composting toilet to replace it, I’m sure he envisioned something old fashioned like a bucket with sawdust that was carried out…
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Celebrate Earth Day: 5 Simple Ways to Go Green
Today marks the 51st Earth Day which began April 22, 1970 as a way to bring environmental awareness to the masses. The idea started with Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, who was concerned about the deteriorating environment. He came up with the idea to hold a teach-in on college campuses and enlisted Pete McCloskey, a…
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The Planning Lady 