Aug 9, 2021 | Energy & Water, Green Home Building/Remodeling, Green Home Living, Landscaping, Toxins & Chemicals, Water
We depend upon bees for so many things that bring joy and comfort to our lives: cotton, coffee, flowers, berries—about 1/3 of our food supply needs bees for pollination! We can all do something to help save the bees. But transforming your lawn into wildflowers does so...
May 5, 2021 | Green Home Building/Remodeling, Green Home Living, LEED Certification, Location
This ninth and last article in this LEED for Homes 101 series I wrote for Rise focuses on how a project can earn more points through innovation (and includes some great ideas!) and why it’s important to understand your region’s natural resources. Whether...
Apr 22, 2021 | Green Home Building/Remodeling, Green Home Living, Healthy Home, LEED Certification, Toxins & Chemicals
How often have you walked into your own home and noticed a specific smell? With people spending more time at home, indoor air quality is more important than ever. This blog post written for Rise dives into the best practices (according to the USGBC’s LEED rating...
Aug 4, 2020 | Expert Contributor, Green Home Building/Remodeling, Green Home Living, Healthy Home, Landscaping
April, 2020 Thanks to Marnie Dachis Marmet and Stephanie May Potter for the fun conversation (which we were able to do in person, pre-quarantine), and for airing their wonderful podcast! Listen online »
Jul 1, 2019 | Energy & Water, Green Home Building/Remodeling, Green Home Living, Landscaping, LEED Certification, Water
The fourth in my monthly series that I write for Rise, translating the LEED rating system into what it really means for homeowners, this is all about water efficiency–both inside your home and outside in your yard. Read on BuildWithRise.com.
May 22, 2019 | Green Home Building/Remodeling
For a long time, I’ve been talking, writing, and consulting about the importance of sustainable building design, construction, operations and maintenance. But given the flooding, fires, tornadoes, and other natural disasters that are more and more frequent, is...
Mar 3, 2019 | Energy, Green Home Building/Remodeling, Green Home Living
After reading John Doerr’s Book, Measure What Matters, I decided to use OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) to decrease my own carbon footprint. Electrification is the new efficiency. We all need to get on board. See Rise’s From the Editor column.
Feb 4, 2019 | Energy & Water, Green Home Building/Remodeling, LEED Certification
Since installing our faucet aerators about 8 years ago, we’ve saved about $50 per year on our water bill–that’s $300 so far–plus more on our energy bills, since we’ve used less hot water too. We went from 2.2 gallons per minute (gpm) to...
Feb 1, 2019 | Energy, Energy & Water, Green Home Building/Remodeling, Green Home Living
Sustainability metrics? What’s that? Where do you begin? See the From the Editor article I wrote for Rise for some big, aspirational metrics to get started.
Jan 18, 2019 | Energy, Green Home Building/Remodeling, Green Home Living, Healthy Home
As the temperatures in Minneapolis plummet, well insulated homes are certainly more comfortable! Learn what a “passive house” is all about, and how Kathryn and Chris Johnson built their dream home in Minnetonka.
Jan 1, 2019 | Energy, Green Home Building/Remodeling, LEED Certification
This one-hundred-year old home in Minneapolis was remodeled to be net zero, meaning it produces as much energy as it consumes over the course of a year. Truly a role model for what can be done–and needs to be done–for our existing building stock.
Dec 4, 2018 | Energy, Energy & Water, Green Home Building/Remodeling, Green Home Living, Green Intention, Healthy Home, Landscaping, LEED Certification, Location, Materials
I had the honor of visiting with Mark and Kate Hanson and touring their home and gardens earlier this year. Here’s the story I wrote about their inspirational home and site–and how it serves their community in Roseville, Minnesota.
