housing

Energy Subsidies and the “Free Market”

June 5, 2011

Time and time again, I hear people say that renewables should be subject to the “free market” and should not receive government subsidies. After all, if renewables such as solar, wind and geothermal are viable, the consumer should decide, not the government. And while I understand (and even to a point agree) with those comments, [...]

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NewWood – A Revolutionary Idea

May 14, 2011

As a stark contrast to the Numi toilet I recently panned, I’m totally excited about the concept behind NewWood. Starting with a nuclear power plant in Washington that was never completed or brought online, some very resourceful entrepreneurs have come up with what just could be one of the most revolutionary ideas to come along [...]

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Envision Eugene

April 22, 2011

I recently wrote an op-ed piece for our local newspaper, The Register-Guard. here it is in its entirety: The Envision Eugene draft document, which is poised to create “A Legacy of Livability,” is open for public comment; a public hearing is scheduled for Monday before the City Council. I know some have expressed frustration that [...]

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Kohler Numi Toilet

April 16, 2011

Unbelievable. Technology is going to save us once and for all. For a price. As seen in USA Today, a new customizable “smart toilet” is being brought to the US market the end of this month. Called the “Numi”, Kohler’s new toilet is billed as “a perfect blend of technology, performance, and design.” It comes [...]

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Roland S. Martin – CNN Guest Blog

March 12, 2011

I have never posted verbatim another blog post until today. With the recent events in Libya, gas prices soaring (again) and the nuclear meltdown in Japan, I was going to write something, because I just couldn’t keep quiet. Then, I came across Roland Martin’s post on CNN today (March 12, 2011) and decided he said [...]

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Deep Green – Movie Review

February 24, 2011

“All I know is, I’m alive now and I can do something today, and I can’t in good conscience wait for somebody else to do it. I think the time is now; for me the time is absolutely now. It’s the only time anybody has”. Kathy Bash, Architect with DMS Architects in Portland, Oregon. Of [...]

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The Lawrence Street House – Bidding and LEED

January 30, 2011

I know it’s been a little while since I gave you all an update on the Lawrence House. With the holidays, I took a bit longer finishing the drawings and we really didn’t want to have to be doing open houses during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Open Houses are actually kind of a pain. [...]

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Van Jones and Green Jobs

January 25, 2011

Van Jones was appointed by President Obama early in his presidency. After a short six months as Special Advisor for Green Jobs in the Obama Administration, amid controversy over several issues, Jones resigned. My wife and I had the privilege of hearing Jones speak Monday night at the University of Oregon in the EMU Ballroom. [...]

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Good Earth Home Show 2011

January 23, 2011

This was the second year, we were at the Good Earth Home Garden and Living Show. My architectural firm, Arbor South Architecture had a booth last year and we did it again this year. This was also the second year we did a seminar. In 2010, we talked about our award-winning LEED Platinum home, theSAGE. [...]

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The Carpet and The Dust Mite

December 2, 2010

For many years, the concept of wall-to-wall carpeting was marketed to us for our homes. The truly cool, hip homes had carpeting everywhere. Soft, warm and conducive to walking around barefoot, carpet was the status symbol of the 1970s and 1980s. I remember the house I grew up in. It had linoleum in the bathrooms, [...]

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