Wind 1

I'm betting you've all heard a least a little of the controversy over wind turbine farms. Most of that controversy is based on a view that the turbines are "bird blenders". The other big problem is a perception of decreased property values.

Celsias has a post that does a good job presenting the animal vs. turbine arguement.

As with all new energy technologies, buying your own unit is expensive and may not ever pay itself off. I did some research for a foundry and, for any turbine smaller than the utility-scale 5MW jobs, the payback period was ∞. The cost of a 5MW unit is around $1.5 million.

For more info, check out The US Dept. of Energy Wind Power site, including whether wind power is even feasible in your location by searching for your windmap.

This Old House of Green

In February, This Old House will be doing a green renovation on a small bungalow in Austin. I found it on Ecorazzi, or get it straight from This Old House.

This is the kind of thing I love: traditional programs doing green features. If you're gonna do something (like renovate), why not do it as green as practicable? Same goes for just about any project, big or small. Take a few minutes to see if there are any greener options than what you would normally do.