Today’s post is the fifth installment of the Wednesday Phoenix Tree and Shade Masterplan Series.  Today’s installment is about the second step outlined to implement the Masterplan – Preserve, Protect and Increase.  As you might recall, Raising Awareness was the first step which I discussed two weeks ago.  The final step is Sustainable and Maintainable [...]

This is the third installment of a month-long Wednesday series on The Phoenix Tree and Shade Master Plan.  Part I was all about what an urban forest is and Part II, last Wednesday, was about the multiple benefits of a healthy urban forest.  Today I’m going to talk about the first step that the Master [...]

Yesterday, I posted this quote on the Blooming Rock Facebook Fan Page: ‎“One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade.” – Clarence Darrow and I learned from Jo Marie McDonald, vice president of the Phoenix Community Alliance, that there is actually a Tree and Shade Master Plan in place for the City of Phoenix.  [...]

“Beginning in the early 1930′s, Chicago architects Fred and William Keck began a decade-long investigation of south-facing windows in residences that became the first to be called ‘solar houses’.  During this same period, two internationally reknowned modern architects, Walter Gropius and Marcel Breur, both applied climatic analysis as major design determinants, as evidenced by generous [...]

I was very excited when I got invited to an open house by Sunday Studio a couple of weeks ago to check out the eco-flip they did on McKinley and 16th St. in the Garfield Neighborhood.  The photo of the end product was gorgeous and it intrigued me.  I was duly impressed when I got [...]

I met Jerry Ufnal while volunteering for the Greenbuild conference last year.  He was the chair of the media and public relations committee for the local effort behind the national conference.  Jerry is a leader in the green building community and is a wealth of information when it comes to energy efficiency.  He was kind [...]

The Community Solar Garden Bill is about to be signed in Colorado by it’s governor, Bill Ritter. This bill essentially allows homeowners to buy into a share of a Community Solar Garden.  A solar garden is similar to a windmill farm, but on a smaller scale.  It’s a place that houses a number of solar [...]

The Cash for Caulkers bill, or the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act, was approved by the House on Thursday May 6 and is expected to pass the Senate this summer. What is it? Cash for Caulkers is similar to Cash for Clunkers where you get an instant rebate for making energy efficiency improvements to your [...]

Have you heard about the $25 mil grant the City of Phoenix received in partnership with ASU and APS as part of the Stimulus Bill?  You need to know about this! This grant is intended to make the Green Rail Corridor into a model of energy efficiency and sustainability.  Now what part of town is [...]