Category Archives: Uncategorized

Of rain barrels and rain gardens

July 30, 2008 – 8:16 am

I was turned on to the use of rain barrels and rain gardens by the Cannon River Watershed Partnership‘s spring 2006 education/grant program supporting stormwater run-off reduction practices. I received a cost-share grant from CRWP to get a rain garden full of native species established in my front yard, was inspired to launch a crazy [...]

By Bruce Anderson | Comments (1)

Opus on energy policy

July 6, 2008 – 4:38 pm

I’ve toiled in the energy vineyards since I did my first energy audit in St. Paul in the summer of 1984. I worked for several nonprofit organizations between then and 1991, doing energy conservation/efficiency work (residential and commercial energy audits for the general population, energy audits for the federally funded low-income weatherization program, neighborhood energy [...]

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Changing Gears

July 2, 2008 – 7:01 am

I was fortunate to connect yesterday with an interesting couple from Bloomington, Indiana who made a stop in Northfield. Andy Davis and Melissa Henige are in the midst of a cross-country bike tour from their hometown to San Francisco. Their trip is being documented on their website, Changing Gears: Shifting Into Sustainability. They describe their [...]

By Bruce Anderson | Comments (1)

The future may not be what you think: Light summer reading

June 25, 2008 – 2:27 pm

No day is complete for me without bed-time reading. I like to keep my reading diverse: I’ll go on a fiction jag for awhile (I was introduced to TC Boyle a few years ago, for example, loved the first novel of his I read, and subsequently read all of his novels in short order), then [...]

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Inspiring cohousing conference and Fenway to boot!

June 24, 2008 – 8:27 am

I had a great time in the Boston area June 12th through 15th at the 2008 National Cohousing Conference. I learned a tremendous amount from cohousing pioneers who have been working in the cohousing trenches (some for 20 years by now), living their ideals, and spreading the enthusiasm about this innovative approach to neighborhood living. [...]

By Bruce Anderson | Comments (4)