Posts Tagged ‘phoenix’

May 12, 2010

Why Solar Gardens are a Perfect Fit for Phoenix

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet 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 arrays that generate enough power that can be distributed to many different households. It’s aimed at people who can’t install solar panels on their rooftops for whatever reason. They may be renting, may live in a condominium, may have a roof that’s in shade,…

May 11, 2010

Help Cash for Caulkers pass the Senate!

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet 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 home. There are two levels of rebates you can get: 1. For the the Silver Star, consumers would be eligible for rebates between $1,000 and $1,500 for a variety of home upgrades, including adding insulation, sealing leaky ducts and replacing water heaters, HVAC units,…

April 21, 2010

How Sprawl could help Phoenix become a Pioneer in Solar Power

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet In honor of Earth Day 2010 (tomorrow!) I’m focusing on sustainability issues in Phoenix. Monday I touched on 3 of the biggest sustainability challenges in Phoenix and yesterday I focused on the over abundance of parking in our city center. But we can’t talk about sustainability in Phoenix without talking about solar power. So today, I’d like to talk about this issue and discuss some creative ways we can incorporate solar power within the existing fabric of our city. Ever Wonder Why Solar Power Isn’t more Prevalent? There are 2 major drawbacks of solar power production. First, photovoltaic (PV)…

April 20, 2010

Why Making Parking a Problem is the Solution for Phoenix

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet In honor of Earth Week (Earth Day is only 2 days away), I’m reflecting on some of the sustainability challenges in Phoenix. In yesterday’s post I outlined 3 of the biggest sustainability challenges we face. Today I’d like to focus in on one of them – our dependence on the car. Specifically I want to talk about parking and why it’s the root of so much evil here in Phoenix. First, let me applaud the small group of people rising up against the car in Phoenix, making an effort to explore other ways of getting around town. People like Tony…

April 19, 2010

The 3 Biggest Sustainability Challenges We Face in Phoenix

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet With Earth Day (April 22) just around the corner, let’s take this week to reflect on the sustainability challenges here in Phoenix. What are the biggest sustainability challenges we face in Phoenix? These are my top 3: 1. SPRAWL – The Problem: increased emissions into our atmosphere increased dependence on foreign oil an ever-increasing expansion of highways built on land that could be used more sustainably swaths of abandoned foreclosed homes in failed housing developments in far-flung suburbs such as Coolidge, Surprise, and Maricopa sprawl in Phoenix – photo from The Anthropik Network Suggested Solutions: telecommuting build work hubs…

April 13, 2010

Phoenix Mid-Century Modern Banks: Treasures in our Everyday Environment

by: Donna Reiner

Tweet Today’s guest post is written by Donna Reiner, PhD and Bank Maven. Donna spoke at last weekend’s Modern Phoenix Expo about Mid-Century Modern Banks in Phoenix. Some of the banks Donna highlighted are buildings you might drive by all the time and not give a second thought to. They are a part of our everyday fabric and we may not notice them, but on closer inspection, they are fantastic examples of mid-century modern Phoenix architecture. Donna’s work with banks is important because it helps raise awareness of these historic structures so they don’t fall into disrepair or worse, get…

April 06, 2010

Phoenix Mid-Century Modern Climate-Responsive Design

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet In yesterday’s post, I explained the basics of building orientation and the appropriate types of shade for the east, west and south sides of a building. Today I’m going to show you some examples of how shading is used brilliantly in some of Central Phoenix’s mid-century modern buildings. This mid-century modern beauty on Osborn and 4th Avenue uses these curved precast concrete panels to create shade for the windows on the south side. Not only does the shade work well, as you can see in the photo below, it’s also fundamentally integrated with the design of the building making…

March 17, 2010

Shade the Rocks to Cool the House

by: Doreen Pollack

Tweet Today, guest blogger Doreen Pollack talks about something we rarely think about and that’s shading our rocks and paved areas. She tells us why this is important and how it contributes to reducing our city-wide heat-island problem and how it can keep your own house cool. ________________________________________________________________________________________ Doreen Pollack is the Garden Goddess and owner of Down 2 Earth Gardens, providing garden consultations and coaching. Get gardening tips at monthly workshops, on her blog or newsletter. Visit www.down2earthgardens.com to learn more. Driveways, sidewalks, paved patios, and rock yards retain heat longer than planted areas after the sun goes down….

March 15, 2010

Money Just Might Grown on Trees

by: Doreen Pollack

Tweet This week on the Blooming Rock Blog, I’m excited to have guest blogger Doreen Pollack teach us about passive cooling strategies with planting. With our brutal Phoenix summer sneaking up on us, this information is a must know to guard against unnecessary heat gain inside our homes, whether it be for this summer or for summers to come. _______________________________________________________________________________________ Doreen Pollack is the Garden Goddess and owner of Down 2 Earth Gardens, providing garden consultations and coaching. Get gardening tips at monthly workshops, on her blog or newsletter. Visit www.down2earthgardens.com to learn more. It’s scientifically proven that when you…

February 23, 2010

Why Trex is Way Better than Wood, Especially for Phoenix

by: Taz Loomans

Tweet Wood warps, bulges, fades, peels, molds and eventually looks like hell here in Phoenix with our brutal summers. Plus it’s constantly expanding and contracting with the weather changes, causing all sorts of structural trouble. Here’s why Trex is way better than wood if you’re thinking of building an outdoor deck or a patio trellis: 1. Trex is made out of 95% recycled materials. It’s a composite material made from plastic shopping bags, reclaimed wood and sawdust. Trex hasn’t cut down a single tree during the entire lifetime of their business. Trex is an excellent example of “upcycling”, a word…