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...
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...
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...
The time to speak is now
Plato once stated, “Silence is Consent.”
Currently the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is updating their criteria for Rev. 05 of the ENERGY STAR Multifamily New Construction Program (MFNC). You can review the list of changes...
As irrigation season arrives, adapt to the weather
As we cruise into summer, we anticipate it being warm, hot, or perhaps even stupid hot, depending on where you live in the country. Regardless, summer means that we tend to increase our irrigation...
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....
LEED’s bold green overhaul
After more than 10 years, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is putting out a new LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system.
According to the authors, LEED v5 is more than just...
Finding the low-hanging fruit of efficiency retrofits
I get asked a lot what are the top opportunities for efficiency retrofits. I never answer that question because there are always SO MANY opportunities for retrofit. Let’s face it, we are only limited...
Utility Management Advisory: An Origin Story
“No matter how hard I try, I can never, ever know everything about utility management.” I was a single contributor in my company and felt I would never get the experience necessary to be...
Does daylight savings save?
When I was in California, I had a famous quote by Albert Einstein on a sign by my door: “Energy cannot be created or destroyed.”
And underneath it in wiggly handwriting I wrote “But it...
INFOGRAPHIC: Appliance payoff models explode
^58 percent increase in requested quotes to thousands of appliance repair businesses y/y (2022-2023)
^43 percent increase in appliance spend in 2023 compared to 2013—rising from $390 to $558 over the decade
Why? 1987. Home appliances...
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...
The good stuff is at the bottom
As a child, I loved it when my grandmother would pick my brother and me up for an afternoon playdate. It was the best. My grandmother was indescribably beautiful, exuded love, spread laughter and...
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...
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,...
