Our county can conserve more energy. Let’s pledge and win the $5,000.
As of 11/3, Washoe County is only a couple hundred pledges behind Volusia County, Florida in a national competition to conserve energy. Please help us win the competition by signing the pledge and getting your friends and neighbors to sign up by November 30th. Our goal is to capture the $5,000 first place prize to make energy conservation improvements.
We have less than thirty days to go and only 350 more pledges to win! If you haven’t taken the conservation pledge please visit www.greencounties.org/changetheworld.
Also, send this message to your friends, special interest groups, and families. Other than the prize of $5,000, we will receive national recognition and the satisfaction of beating Florida!
Thank you all for your support!
Popularity: 1% [?]
TOOT TOOT
Not always the happy sound welcomed by all. Residents of Verdi, Mogul, and West Truckee Meadows met at their Citizens Advisory Board Meeting (CAB) in September to find out how the train horn is controlled. Some residents had voiced enough concern in the past that the CAB invited representatives from the Federal Railroad Administration, FRA, and the Union Pacific Railroad, UPR, to attend the meeting to discuss the issue. The frequency and duration of the train horns is the issue. This meeting allowed an interaction with homeowners and the railroad. As always, the issue is not simple. Safety is the first concern of the railroad. The horn must be sounded at all crossings and if the engineer sees anything he considers a hazard. An almost two hour discussion was held with all parties. New liaisons were formed, and connections were established. There are continuing issues with the establishment of a quiet zone in the area. To review the minutes of this meeting check the county website http://www.washoecounty.us/comdev/boards_commissions/cab/cab_index.htm
Awareness of the CAB meeting agenda is always useful. This link will keep you up- dated.
Popularity: 1% [?]
Nationally, housing prices have been in free fall for two years. According to the Altos 10-city Composite Price Index, there are some fragile signs of stability, although the hardest hit markets such as Las Vegas in particular, has not seen any slowing in the housing bust.
The Altos 10-City Composite Price Index increased by 1.1 percent during both March and the first quarter of 2009. Prices of properties listed for-sale increased in 18 of 26 major markets, according to the Real-Time Housing Market Report, jointly published by Altos Research and market analysis consultancy Real IQ.
Asking prices fell at the fastest rate during March in Salt Lake City, followed closely by Las Vegas – down 4.0% and 3.9% respectively. Listing prices of single-family homes rose at the fastest rate in San Francisco-up 3.8% in March. Prices in seven markets-New York, Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, San Diego, Miami and Charlotte-are now showing three months of sequential listing price increases.
This information gives us inclings of good news in an industry hit so hard over the last couple of years.
Popularity: 2% [?]
New Yorkers have been given a reason to love their trash. Recently a public art project TRASH: anycoloryoulike, launched by the artist Adrian Kondratowicz, replaced traditional black trash bags with bright, colorful bags. Kondratowicz hopes that, in addition to making city streets look a little better, piles of flashy pink and white polka-dot garbage bags will get people thinking about how much they throw away.
The colourful (and biodegradeable) trashbags come in numerous colours, such as pink with white polka dots, blue with silver polka dots, glow in the dark, etc. In an effort to draw attention to people and their trashy habit, the artist asked residents and businesses to sponsor their block by buying the trashbags for $10 each ($20 if you opted for the limited edition pink with gold polka dot bags) and decorate their block with piles of colourful garbage bags.
Over in Tokyo, Rabbit-kun aims 
to inspire a more responsible attitude toward waste by providing a cute and stylish way for people to carry their trash home after a day outdoors. Whether it’s a picnic in the park, a hike in the mountains, or a day at the beach — or any place without public trash cans — Rabbit-kun is charming enough that you might actually enjoy carting your garbage all the way home.
Another bag, which features a life-sized illustration (by Lily Franky) of trash-loving Oscar the Grouch, was designed in collaboration with Sesame Street as part of an environmental awareness campaign for children. For now, these bags are being distributed free of charge at select outdoor events, as well as to volunteer cleanup groups and schools.
To buy your own “any color you like” bags, go to the artists site at http://anycoloryoulike.biz/arp/.
Here are some more sources for bags, not pink, but biodegrable!
http://www.ecoproducts.com/Home/home_bio…
http://www.kokogm.com/Green_Market/Biode…
http://www.biodegradablestore.com/pp/bag…
http://www.greenhome.com/products/housek…
http://www.groworganic.com/item_GP310_Bi…
http://www.fiorijanitorial.com/c-44-bags…
Popularity: 4% [?]
I’ve been thinking about some easy ways to go green for 2009. Not that I want the easy way out but it’s a change in routine and I figure baby steps will get me to my goal without getting myself overwhelmed. Just a few thoughts that come to mind…
1. Use reusable shopping bags. I know they have a few varieties at Trader Joes, including an insulated one. Keep them in my car and remember to carry them with me into the grocery stores.
2. Cut back on the driving – walk or bike more, consolidate trips and errands so that you can drive less, and investigate telecommuting and public transportation opportunities – even carpooling or taking public transportation one day a week can make a difference. I carpooled this last summer for a while from Carson to Reno, it saved a lot on gas (and that was when it was over $4) and I made some new friends!
3. Drive smarter to help reduce the amount of fuel that you use when you do drive. Proper maintenance on your car can make driving safe, use less fuel, and make your car last longer. So I guess that means cleaning my trunk which is full to the brim with boxes of books.
4. Replace old appliances with more energy efficient ones, including Energy Star certified appliances. OK, this one is not necessarily budget friendly, but it’s on the to-do list!
5. Buy locally grown and organic produce – look for local farmer’s markets and stands, organic sections in your grocery store, locally grown produce signs and labels, and natural food and coop stores in your area. You’ll eat healthier plus you’ll benefit your local economy with food choices from local growers.
6. Recycle – learn about local recycling programs. You can find local recycling centers in the United States at Earth911.com. Most neighborhoods in the Reno/Carson/Tahoe area offer recycling with your Waste Management.
7. Donate unused and reusable items to your local thrift shops or other places that can use them. Give others the chance to use those clothes that no longer fit you, those toys your children no longer play with, those strollers and cribs that you no longer need, those books that you’ve read and won’t look at again, and many other items around your house that you may have stored away and won’t use again. Yikes, I guess I have to attack my garage.
8. Get informed about, and use recycled paper products for your home and for your office. Dickson has committed to using only recycled paper products in all of its offices.
9. Use green and non-toxic cleaners for your house, your clothes, and your car.
10. Learn about and participate in community conservation and cleanup projects. Check out your city sites: Reno, Sparks, Carson City, South Lake, North Lake, Truckee.
11. Adopt a park or outdoor place to keep clean.
12. Start a garden, even if its just growing your own herbs for your apartment, and learn how to compost. Find out if you city has a community garden.
13. Insulate your home hot water heater - save money and energy.
14. Fix leaky water fixtures and investigate low flow toilets and showerheads.
15. Replace water system filters your home as recommended. The water pressure in your home will be stronger, and the water you drink will be safer.
16. Replace light bulbs with more energy efficient and longer lasting bulbs such as compact fluorescent light bulbs or LED light bulbs. And learn how to properly dispose of them.
17. Stop receiving junk mail using a free service like Catalog Choice, and paid services such as Green Dimes or 41pounds.org.
18. Use less water. You can do things like take shorter showers, turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth, and watch how much water you use when washing dishes, but you might want to measure your water footprint first. And read this CNN article on Measuring your Water Footprint to learn why this is so important.
19. Conduct a home energy audit
20. Calculate your Carbon footprint.
21. Unplug or use power strips that can be turned off for appliances and electronic devices such as computers, chargers, printers, televisions, cable set top boxes, microwave ovens, and coffee makers, to avoid energy vampires.
22. Learn about local, regional, national, and global environmental issues, and participate through donations, advocacy, volunteer efforts, and employment.
Any others that you would suggest?
Popularity: 3% [?]
As an agent in the Reno/Sparks Real Estate Market, I am constantly asked what is the easiest/best way to keep home operating costs down (i.e. the power bill). This of course is somewhat of a loaded question. The ways in which to reduce your utility bills are numerous. Nonetheless, I usually start by asking how old their appliances are and how efficient are they?
For a standard residence, lighting and appliances (i.e. washers, dryers, refrigerators, stoves and dishwashers) account for roughly 45% of a homes energy cost. With this in mind it’s easy to see that this cost represents a substantial portion of your homes operating cost. So the question really becomes: How can we keep this number as low as possible?
Now obviously, we could clean our clothes in a wash tub and cook our meals in a fire pit in the backyard (most Reno/Sparks HOA’s would probably have a coronary). However, that may not be conducive to our lifestyles. So essentially, we need to use more efficient appliances. But how do you tell what is good and what is bad?
Fortunately, the Federal Government requires that “Energyguide” labels be place on all new appliances
1. Refers to the estimated energy consumption for the model you are looking at as it relates to other like units.
2. Refers to the estimated annual cost to operate this appliance. The cost per kilowatt hour used is based on a national average. Your local utility bill will have the exact cost. In order to calculate your yearly cost, simply multiply the KWh/year (#1) by your local KWh per hour cost.
You may also wish to be on the lookout for “Energy Star” products. As a general rule these products are 15-20% more efficient than standard appliances:
For a list of “Energy Star” products see: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=find_a_product
Initial cost for Energy Star may be higher than the standard brand. However, the average lifespan of a home appliance is 10 to 15 years; as such, you can easily recoup the higher initial cost in a short period of time.
Popularity: 5% [?]
There were so many things to choose to do on Mother’s Day from watching the River Fest in downtown to Arts in Bloom in the Sparks Square. My husband and son chose to get permission to take me to The Fly Ranch, north of Gerlach (map), not far from the Burning Man entrance.
We drove on I80 east past Painted Rock (home of the Mustang Ranch Museum and what we call the Men’s Day Spa), one of the entrances into the Reno Tahoe Industrial Park. Getting off at the Wadsworth exit you are on tribal lands until you practically get to the town of Empire which is a company town owned by the US Gypsum company. This mine is the longest continually operating mine in the US. Traveling through the canyons on the east side of Pyramid Lake you can track the history of the land that is etched upon the canyon walls. It is a fascinating landscape with a unique combination that displays the history of volcanic lava flows, ash and ancient shallow sea floors (just to name a few).
Eventually you come to the town of Gerlach, population around 500 people, home of Bruno’s Country Club, the famous Italian restaurant where arguably the finest raviolis in the state are made. Although we didn’t stop this trip, if you have not eaten there you should. A great day trip is to travel to Gerlach, visit Planet X Pottery studio and end the day at Bruno’s. Continuing on Route 447 through Gerlach, you will pass the entrance to Burning Man as well as Soldier’s Meadows Ranch (a working cattle ranch and lodge), and pass private hunting preserves all bordered by the Black Rock Desert which is the second largest flat region in the northern hemisphere and home to Burning Man.
The Fly Ranch was homesteaded in the late 1800s by Fred Gerlach. Fred was the son of Louis Gerlach, who the town was named after. Later it became part of the John Casey estate and is now owned by a local corporation. Once you enter the ranch (only by permission or by contacting the Sierra Club or Friends of the Black Rock Desert, who occasionally get permission to enter and hike around the geysers), straight ahead are a cluster of geysers that at first look like bad yard art. If you can’t get permission to enter the Fly Ranch, the geysers can be seen from the road. Bring a pair of binoculars and be prepared to be amazed. They stick up in an otherwise flat field, spewing warm water on a constant basis.
The geysers are not actually natural. They were created in 1964 when the Western Geothermal Company drilled a test well site while exploring for potential places to tap steam generated power. (Think it might be time to start thinking about this again?) Either it was never plugged or improperly plugged allowing superheated groundwater to continually sprout from the ground. Over the years, calcium carbonate deposits caused the gradual growth of “tufa” mounds, porous rock that built up at the rate of several inches per year. Single celled, blue green cyanobacteria, ancient oxygen-producing microbes leave blue-green streaks on the flanks of the mounds, creating a moist and mineral-rich environment. I am awed considering this environment resembles the setting where life first evolved on earth about 3.5 billion years ago when these same cells began to flourish in the sunlit parts of the oceans. Over time these cells captured the energy of the sun to make food, releasing oxygen as a waste product. Little by little they turned the atmosphere into breathable air, opening the way to the diversity of life that followed. For more information about this see the December 2006 issue of National Geographic. This is just one of the several national publications that have featured the geysers.
Hiking around the Fly Ranch we find a “dead” geyser as well as a “baby” geyser forming nearby. Around the ranch the owners have created reservoirs that hold water with a temperature about 105 degrees farenheight, not as hot as some of the nearby geysers in the area. I have to laugh thinking about one of the Burning Man participants that might come see the geysers during the festival. The geysers would surely fit right into the modern and wild art that is displayed during the festival.
Driving home I can’t help thinking how lucky we are to have so many beautiful and diverse places to explore not far from home. What a great Mother’s Day present.
Popularity: 4% [?]
Wednesday, November 4, 2009 By: Trudy Brussard
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