Clearing the air on gas ranges
If you have not watched the movie, “Caddy Shack” I highly recommend it. Not only is it one of Bill Murray’s finest performances, but it also contains one of the most hilarious scenes ever,...
The roots of sustainability
I was recently reminded of my early roots in sustainability in multifamily. Specifically, carrots. For my first major renovation, I wanted to do a toilet retrofit, which would replace over 450 toilets which used 1.8...
The double materiality payoff
The 1944 Film Noir, “Double Indemnity, gets its title from the insurance clause which doubles life insurance payouts due to death occurring in a rare way. Whenever I hear the sustainability term “double materiality”,...
Two myths of solar
There are a couple reasons that I am thinking about solar and the myths about its efficacy today. As I look out my window and watch the snow falling, I am reminded of the temperature...
Contemplating solar
My husband tells me this is a true event, although I do not have any memory of it. In 2017, I had surgery and underwent general anesthesia. When finally allowed to see me, my...
Shower the people …
There is no question that winter is here, which makes hot showers even more glorious. I must really watch my timer to ensure that my shower time is reasonable and not indulgent. Maybe my...
GRESB is where the action is
One of my favorite Elvis Presly songs, “A little less conversation” starts with the lyric, “A little less conversation a little more action, please”, which speaks to my soul. I like practicing sustainability and reporting...
A short guide to staying up-to-date
The first time I ever presented a case study purely on the economic value of sustainability was at the NWP Energy Summit in 2014. It was an amazing, nerve-wracking experience in which, prior to...
Requiem for sustainability?
As a practitioner of sustainability in multifamily, sometimes I hear things that crack me up. My all-time favorite was an article about a town in North Carolina which moved to ban solar because it...
Winter is coming
It is that time of year again! I know that some individuals are focusing on politics this week. This is understandable, but it is important for us to also focus on a critical aspect...
Keep them with stitches
I grew up in unincorporated Fresno, California (that is the part of Fresno, that Fresno does not want.) There were not a lot of extracurricular activities that were of interest to me, so I...
The perils of assuming
Assume is a hilarious word. It can make an “ass” of “u” and “me.” If you are using assumptions and not evidence in your decision making around sustainability, you could make some poor choices....
GRESB, like the tide, waits for no man
A friend of mine often uses the phrase “The tide raises all boats” when talking about sustainability. His beautiful focus is that we must work together to make any kind of achievement. That has...
Who’s afraid of the BPS?
I love that my neighborhood leans into Halloween. The witches, ghosts, and skeletons are filling the yards down our block. Some are animatronic/motion activated with limbs stiffly gesturing, saying phrases like, “I will be...
U.S. energy exports soar 50 years post-1973 oil embargo
It’s been just over 50 years since the 1973 Oil Embargo disrupted the nation’s energy supplies, sending energy prices soaring and creating long lines at gas pumps as drivers sought increasingly scarce gasoline. In the...
