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...
Study and prepare to dominate the test
I am different from my family in many ways. To me the most striking difference is in our disparate aptitudes. If you conduct a quick internet search on Buzz Nitschke or Bear Nitschke you...
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...
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...
Learning humility through EV charging
I must admit openly, I have been spoiled by the simple payback of sustainability. With some energy efficiency upgrades having less than a three-month payback, I can make upgrading to granite look like a...
Adapting to the changes
I could be a James Bond villain; I have a white cat. His name is Buddy, and he is a magnificent mouser. He is very well behaved except that Buddy hates car rides (admittedly...
Energy Is Sexy
When I was at Prometheus Real Estate Group, I used to have a bumper sticker outside my office door that said, “Energy is Sexy.” It was a slightly “blue” statement for a corporate office,...
DoE defines zero
The U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) has released a document defining what qualifies a building to be called “zero emissions”. The DoE states that they intend their definition to “support the buildings sector moving...
Water management is elemental
Since California got a hose-in-the-sky rain this week, it is a good time for us to think about water. Right now, California has loads of water, possibly more than its infrastructure was designed to...
Shakespeare asks the question
As we approach Labor Day weekend, in addition to looking forward to BBQ, the pool and celebrating the people I adore, I will admit I am also very much looking forward to the cooler...
INFOGRAPHIC: Grinding housing into votes
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Landlords rarely escape the machinations of politics. Just how far will tinkering with free markets go this election cycle?
In an election-year effort to shift responsibility for the nation’s high costs of living away...
Future-proof with level two
In 2013, the developer/operator that I worked for built our first project equipped with the ability to provide EV charging for our residents in Mountain View, California. For every unit, there was the ability...
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...
Wherefore art thou sustainability
So last week, we talked about Caddy Shack. It is a perfect segway into Shakespeare.
In Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” Juliet from her balcony contemplates her love for Romeo despite her family’s feud with his...
Consider the value of reclaimed water
It is time we talked about reclamation and the value of the purple pipe in our modern world. Reclamation is not some hippie term involving open toed sandals, your aura, and hallucinogens. Rather reclaimed...
