Blog
Hail Damage!
On May 10th, hail pummeled parts of Minneapolis, as you can see in this short video. It was very loud, and I knew it could dent our aluminum flashing around the edges of the roof as well as around our windows. If you look closely in the picture of the green roof,...
An Unexpected Benefit of a Green Roof
We had some major hail damage in Minneapolis back on May 10th (which I write about in a more recent post), and the areas that we have a green roof are the only ones that do not need replacement! I write about the benefits of the green roof in a blog post on a...
Pesticides in Produce
Now that summer is finally here and we are seeing its bounty in the grocery stores, the question arises as to which fruits and vegetables are the most important for choosing organic. If you can afford it, I would say always go organic. Even if it is a little more...
Solar Panels are Humming (except one)!
Our solar panels were installed and became operational (not the same thing; see solar saga story) on October 30, 2010. We had just missed a most beautiful, sunny October, weather that did not require heat or air conditioning and therefore was potentially a month in...
Home Energy Squad? Finally!
Someone took my business idea! A few years ago, I had written a business plan for "Green Squad" -- a company I wanted to start to help homeowners green up their homes. The reason I wrote the plan was that I felt there was a great need for a more comprehensive...
LEED for Homes Recap
Now that we finally are LEED Gold Certified, a lot of people have asked me how we got the points to get to the gold level. As a quick recap, LEED is an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a rating system developed by the U.S. Green Building...
At Last….LEED Gold!
I just found out yesterday from our LEED for Homes Provider that on Monday, May 16th, he had the certification call with the U.S. Green Building Council. As he had expected, we are certified at the gold level with 94 points! Hooray! I'll get an email certification...
Does home size matter?
It seems that some people have a hard time grasping how a larger-than-average home can still get LEED Certified. I'd like to address this issue directly, because it's not the first time it has come up. First, the LEED for Homes rating system does address size. To...
A Passion for Green
The Minneapolis Star Tribune will be featuring our home, and my work on getting it LEED Certified, in the Sunday Homes section tomorrow, May 8, 2011. The reporter, Lynn Underwood, interviewed me for 3 ½ hours and made several follow-up calls to get the story right. ...
Extra LEED point for Energy Monitoring!
Last week, our Green Rater told me about a "pre-approved" Innovation and Design point for LEED for Homes regarding monitoring our electric, gas and water usage over time. All we have to do is sign up for the Building Performance Partnership through Earth Aid, connect...
To Compost or Not to Compost?
In 2010, one of my goals was to begin composting our kitchen scraps. The city already picks up our yard waste and composts that, but I cook a lot, and all that waste has been really bothering me. In working through all the LEED certification documentation and...
Re-adding up the LEED the points
Since my last post on "Final LEED Meeting," a few things have come to light that have delayed our pending certification. As a starting point, we were at 90 points, including the exemplary performance points for our irrigation system and efficient clothes washer. Two...
Photo credit: Paul Crosby