Working with a good friend of mine Greg Koss, we have developed a design proposal for Casey Middle School in Boulder.  Please check out their website www.solarlivingdesign.com as well as the design renderings attached.  Very cool stuff!

The theme of this gathering: we face exciting but heavy times.  The agenda of the summit overall was very positive, eclectic and ripe for the low hanging fruit.  I have yet to be just awed by pure ingenuity and people thinking BIGGER.  It is the easy picking that people are focusing on:  I understand the tangible need, the quick return and the “feel good” that comes with that but WOW Let climb the tree and jump.  That being said I first want to fill the knowledge pool, so when I land it makes the biggest splash, that creates a swell so big that everyone can ride and it’s endless (renewable).   ENERGYSWELL!

I attended these seminars: peak oil, building science evolution, lean is green, selling high performance homes, zero carbon homes, a builders panel on energy star, energy-carbon connection, small town revolution and understanding energy code.  Some of which held value and definite intrigue, and some that fell flat.  Most exciting and challenging were the building science evolution (building as a system), small town revolution and the energy-carbon connection. 

Thoughts and themes that stick and hopefully will not peel:

·         IT’S ABOUT THE ENERGY…referring to the fact we have green-washed building practices and forgotten about the fact we MUST save energy!

·         Small, rural and secluded places on this planet (FRASER) are home to creative, weird, lean and conscious thinkers.  So Let’s start an ENERGY revolution!

·         “Don’t swallow the sweater” referring to how we insulate the ribs and not the exterior envelope, funny but true.

·         We can all benefit from the Energy Star code (among others) and movement, yet we cannot have competing ratings, codes, regulations and values, so get together to FOCUS on what matters-ENERGY!

Thinking beyond the horizon I believe that WE must progress with focus, ingenuity, creativity yet patience and willingness to sacrifice the consumptive and wasteful lifestyles we all know (and love to some extent).  As a whole this energy crisis comes down to the “ALL ME” and not “what about them (us).”   WE are all in this together so OUR future depends on the ability we each have to recognize, change and live a different but equally great lifestyle.  Yikes, that being said I will step down from the pulpit and continue to learn, educate and share.  I love this!