If you know my wife Katie, then you’re probably aware that she brings a certain energy and initiative to life… in other words, she’s a real “go-getter.” This was on full display when she 1) had 3 chicks living in the guest shower within 2 days of making up her mind that we should get [...] Read more »
Beginning summer 2011, The makers of South Main are bringing the Cedar Street Cottages to Buena Vista’s historic downtown. This unique infill project features 12 beautifully-designed and built one and two-bedroom “Katrina Cottages” originally used as emergency housing after hurricane Katrina. With the majority offered for long-term lease, the cottages will offer downtown living [...] Read more »
True to their name, Sundance Sheepskin and Leather has installed South Main’s first solar panels- and just in time for Earth Day! Sundance’s Jean Anderson says they estimate that the 3.5 KW photovoltaic array will generate around 80% of the buildings electrical use, and they’re expecting a 12-15 year payback on the investment. Combined with [...] Read more »
“The best way to recycle a 2 x 4 is to leave it in place.” -Andres Duany A lot of resources go into any home, not to mention a neighborhood, so it better be good. It better be built in such a way that it will be loved and last far beyond the 30-year [...] Read more »
Good urbanism has a hard time competing with solar panels and wind turbines as a symbol of sustainability. So it often takes one of those light bulb moments to realize the truth about Urbanism: it’s probably the most comprehensive way we can address climate change in this country.
With home energy usage accounting for 17% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, South Main has always embraced green building as an important element of what makes the neighborhood sustainable. Particularly in our colder climate, a well-insulated, tight building envelope is crucial.
Last night I was reading David Brower’s Let the Mountains Talk, Let the Rivers Run. This is a guy who founded the Sierra Club and The League of Conservation Voters, helped prevent the damming of the Grand Canyon, and was designated by the New York Times as ‘the most effective conservation activist in the world.’ [...] Read more »
We love eating local food, and we love that every year we have more sources for delicious, local and organic food in Buena Vista. Aside from the root vegetables, greens, strawberries, peas, onions, tomatoes, peppers, squash and more that we harvest from our urban vegetable garden, we get our food through Weathervane Farm’s community supported [...] Read more »
I opened the green house door, and old school hip hop filtered through the warm, humid air. A crib sat adjacent to a children’s play area with various toys nestled amongst potted banana and fig trees. Erin was tending her starters which sprout from beds heated by copper pipes carrying geothermally heated water which emerges from the earth beneath the greenhouse.
Although there are, of course, a lot of things that make up a green home, one of the simplest- and therefore often overlooked- components is the continued care and maintenance of a home. People are less likely to love and maintain a home that they are not emotionally vested in. For instance, it is common [...] Read more »
