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...
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,...
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...
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...
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....
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Rules that make dishwashers, wash machines perform worse also illegal
Plaintiffs argue that the Department of Energy has no legal authority to impose its own water use limits on energy-consuming home appliances.
The federal regulations that make dishwashers and washing machines worse are also illegal....
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...
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...
