Recently returned from a tour of five countries in Europe with my wife and oldest son.  Besides enjoying the historic and contemporary sites, I was also impressed by the variety of trashcans and recycling receptacles that I encountered.   I noticed that several bins designed openings in such a way as to match the recycling materials desire for dispoal.  It seems like a common-sense approach that may go a long … Continue Reading

Let’s re-localize our food!  In November 2008, Heather Carter, editor of www.greenguru.org, and  previous contributor to our blog, inspired her readers with her story about a local food connection that she helped to establish in Wimberley.  May you be encouraged by her insightful comments.

“TBS is a huge success proving many hands make light work

The Bountiful Sprout is in essence a web-based, local food co-op that allows its members to shop from home. Linking farmers and producers directly to customers, TBS keeps … Continue Reading

Back when we still lived in Chicago I made the switch from gasoline-powered mowing to a manual cutting.  Since we had a fairly small “postage-sized” yard, I thought this “low-tech” solution might make more sense and require less upkeep than my conventional mower.  Now that I’m settled in my new Texas Hill Country home, I am finding my manual reel mower to be working out just fine for my larger lawn, especially after I had the blades sharpened by a local machine shop.  It only cost me $10 and now the mower cuts … Continue Reading

A few months back I posted a blog about drying clothes by means of the sun and wind.  In writing the article I uncovered some suprisingly significant benefits for both the environment and the practitioner adopting this ancient method of drying clothes.   For instance, I learned that there are approximately 224 days a year that are sufficient for solar drying in my community.  Want to learn more encouraging reasons to embrace natural drying?  If so, click here to read … Continue Reading

I suspect that most of us have positive feelings about energy sources that are renewable and don’t contribute to pollution and climate disruption.  But I doubt that many of us have thought very much about the role that insurance plays in this emerging energy market.  For the last year I’ve been attending monthly Transportation and Hazard Mitigation committee meetings for Fredericksburg and Gillespie County and at these gatherings I’ve gotten to know Todd Willingham, a local insurance agent, who has a … Continue Reading

Ever thought about how expensive it is to travel by automobile?  Autombile expenses can really add up, especially when you factor in the cost of fuel, insurance, maintenance, repair, taxes, interest and depreciation.  Consumer Reports has an excellent article on what it really costs to own a car.   On my 2009 taxes IRS allowed me to write off $.55 a mile for my business travel.  This tells me that even the federal government thinks it is pretty costly … Continue Reading

A few weeks ago, as an officer of FBG CARES, I had the privilege of being part of an awards ceremony to honor Harper Middle School’s recycling events.  Fellow officers and I came away from our experience in Harper so encouraged by the enthusiastic efforts of both students and faculty to bringing such positive environmental change to their campus.  Recently I’ve talked to teachers from area schools who also have interest in … Continue Reading

David and Teresa Fransik, green builders with Sierra Homes, will be talking about their recent LEED Platinum local home project.  For this project, the Fransiks received the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)’s 2010 EnergyValue Housing Award (EVHA), the nation’s preeminent energy efficiency award honoring builders who voluntarily incorporate energy efficiency into all aspects of new home construction.  The EVHA challenges builders to elevate standards for energy-efficient … Continue Reading

I’ve been completely “rethinking food” for the past two years.  While still residing in Chicago I was able to help bring a Winter Farmers Market to our urban church and help launch a Summer Farmers Market to the Andersonville neighborhood.  Since living in Fredericksburg I’ve been working since October/November to bring a farmers market online to our community, an extension of an operation in Wimberley.  Without further ado, I’m including an excerpt of a soon-to-be published … Continue Reading

I always welcome the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded people and organizations whenever circumstances allow.  Next week I have such an opportunity and have including details about this occasion from the press release distributed by Christy Muse, executive director of Hill Country Alliance:

“Celebrate the Stars at LBJ Ranch June 2

Learn about preserving the beautiful night skies of the Texas Hill Country  

Enjoy an evening of star gazing and a presentation on what you can do to preserve the night skies starting 7:30 pm, Wednesday, … Continue Reading