Vista Mirage in Rancho Mirage may look like any other upscale-gated community in the Coachella Valley, but at least one home and family in this neighborhood practices “Everyday Green” on a regular basis.  Gary Lange anad Robert Van Dyke have been life partners for nearly 33 years and lived in the desert since 1983.   In 2004, they purchased their Rancho Mirage home, and from the very beginning took steps to make it comfortable, energy-efficient and green at the same time.

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         Since the beginning of 2010,  the city of  La Quinta has taken a big step forward with a "Green & Sustainable La Quinta Program".  This program is a recognizable and pro-active step toward greening this somewhat conservative city beyond mere conservation.  A most recent quarterly report outlines the numerous steps being taken, and the effectiveness of certain programs already underway.  Besides keeping city leaders up-to-date, the report demonstrates that awareness, understanding and appreciation for green and sustainable practices are gradually being embraced by more and more city leaders, residents and businesses within the community.

        One of the most impressive actions of La Quinta continues to be the building of 80 units at "Vista Dunes" which was built with the specific goals of energy efficiency, water efficiency, smart design and green building efficiency and durability.  Vista Dunes is the first LEED Platinum Low Income Housing Project in not only the Coachella Valley, but also the entire country.  Some of these goals were accomplished by placing photovoltaic solar panels on the roofs, installing ENERGY STAR windows, tankless hot-water heaters, low flow toilets and desert landscaping. Vista Dunes is a wonderful project that illustrates how attractive such practical steps can be when utilized.

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         The Coachella Valley once again qualifies as the ideal test site for the latest in Solar Energy Systems—this time serving as the first private commercial rooftop beta test for the Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV) Rooftop Solar System developed by Soliant Energy.   The 28,000 square foot commercial property selected for the assessment is owned by Bernard White & Sons, and is located on the corner of Gene Autry Trail and Tachevah in Palm Springs.  After 60 days of operation, the trial array with patent-pending tracking system is believed to be producing above projections.  According to Bernard White & Sons General Manager John Burke, this rooftop was selected because, “it is a newer high profile commercial building in Palm Springs where the owner/landlord pays the utility bills on a lease to a government tenant with high energy needs.”

          Eric Corey Freed, author, speaker and environmental architect has been a Coachella Valley resident for over a year.  He has also published a new book, “GreenSense For the Home—Rating the Real Payoff from 50 Green Home Projects.” Besides providing the most practical and approachable book on our  “Top Four Green Reads for Summer 2010,” we at Coachella Valley Green thought we’d take the opportunity to catch up with Eric and see what has been going on with him during his first full year as a local CV “greenie.”

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By Kathy Gottberg  (8/4/10) 

       Summertime is usually a great time to get caught up on reading those books that have been stacking up all year long.  This summer we decided to make it easier on everyone by reviewing a few of the books on the CV Green Book List for 2010.  That way if you only have time to read one, you can select one best suited to your interests.

             #1  eaarth—making a life on a tough new planet by Bill McKibben.  This book published earlier this year by the author of the classic, “The End of Nature” qualifies as both a combination of the most disturbing and the most captivating of all.   To begin with, author McKibben explains the title, “Eaarth,” so named because we no longer live on the same old planet.   In easy to understand and read language, McKibben documents the many environmental changes and challenges now occurring around the globe, as well as predicting many potential difficulties we may face in the future.

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            Let’s face it—until recently few people purchased a home based upon its “walkability score.”  But that might be changing.  With increased emphasis on the benefits of living in a home where you can walk to community services like libraries, schools and shopping, plus California’s SB 375 Law which promotes sustainable regional growth strategies for both housing and transportation, attitudes may be shifting.  In fact, as more people attempt to embrace a more eco-friendly lifestyle, walkability is proving to be one of the best “steps” on the way to going green.

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By Kathy Gottberg (7/8/10)

            Signs By Tomorrow is a local sign company known for their overnight delivery and superior customer service.  However, now the “tomorrow” in their company name also points to the future—and that future is green.   Co-owners Al Keve and Larry Deitz recently made the significant business decision to replace their primary printing equipment with the latest commercial printer designed with the environment in mind—the HP L25500 Designjet.

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By Kathy Gottberg (6/23/10)

            A recent workshop sponsored by Desert Cities Energy Partnership was held at the UCR-PD Campus to provide information about the updates to the Title 24 Building Code in California, as well as the new CALGreen Codes that will go into effect January 1, 2011.  While primarily geared to building contractors, and city and county building code staffs, the workshop also offered vital information that will ultimately affect every resident of the Coachella Valley.

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By Kathy Gottberg (6/16/10)

            This fall the Coachella Valley will be part of a large-scale global experiment using what Popular Science Magazine says is one of the “Top Ten Inventions for 2010.”  According to Popular Science, the Groasis Waterboxx is “a box that quenches thirsty plants without irrigation.”  Even better, inventor Pieter Hoff believes that the box could promote reforestation on a large scale to address global problems like hunger, erosion and climate change caused by global warming.  To test the validity of those claims, students and teachers from Palm Springs Unified School District and other local volunteers will plant native desert trees in both our high and low desert communities this October.

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By Kathy & Thom Gottberg  (6/3/10)

            The Salton Sea may very well be the Coachella Valley’s Gulf Oil Disaster. Rick Daniels, former Director of the Salton Sea Authority put it bluntly at the Salton Sea Symposium on May 27th, “There is going to be terrible harm to the economy because of the terrible harm to the environment.  We all moved here because we were drawn to the quality of life—the views, the air, the open farmland, the sea, the wildlife—but all that is in severe distress and danger because the existing quality of life will be gone.  We will have in its place—odor, dust, visibility loss, asthma. You can forget sustainable growth and sustainable communities—you can forget it—because if no action is taken on the Salton Sea, then the ability to do anything about it will just disappear.  No one will move to a smelly and dusty place.”

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By Kathy & Thom Gottberg  (5/25/10)

             Most of us would like the ability, at least some of the time, to see through walls like Superman.  Beyond the obvious, that skill would serve our sustainable needs by allowing us to see into the walls of any building and observe where it is leaking energy—heat or cold, depending upon the season.  Fortunately, a person doesn’t need to be Superman or woman to examine their home or business for energy drainage.   All they need to do is to hire an inspector to perform an Infrared Energy Envelope Survey like those offered through HomeSafe Inspection Services here in the Coachella Valley.

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By Kathy & Thom Gottberg

             How big a house does a person need?  Just over a year ago, we decided to sell our former house and downsize in the name of green.   It’s easier said than done. Just like everyone we know, we’ve lived our baby-boomer lives on the fast track of upwards and onwards—toward ever bigger and better.  We started out small by buying any size house we could afford—one of our first houses was only 550 square feet.   But like all upwardly mobile yuppies, we persevered and our last house was 2,300 square feet with every upgrade we could imagine.  

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By Kathy Gottberg (5/7/10)

            The Spring Meeting for the US Green Building Council (USGBC) local Coachella Valley Branch Meeting was a great example of the importance and power of such a group here in the desert.   Held quarterly, the USGBC meets to discuss current trends in green building, to introduce the latest in green services and products, and to regularly bring together leaders and practitioners in energy efficiency design and sustainable building.

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By Kyri Freeman--Member of The Desert Cities Birding Club and The Blue-Footed Boobies  (photo credits below)

      It’s 3:45 AM in Palm Desert on April 24^th, 2010, and a lonely mockingbird is singing through the warm night.

     He’s bird number 1.

 

      This is the start of the 2010 Earth Day Birding Challenge, a fun and competitive 24-hour bird-a-thon to raise money for habitat protection via Friends of the Desert Mountains. Our team is called the Blue-footed Boobies, after a favorite bird of precocious seven-year-old team member Luke. Luke is in the back seat, next to his friend, the quiet, polite 13-year-old Julian.

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       In honor of the 40^th Anniversary of Earth Day, the Coachella Valley pulled out all the stops and honored the planet in a multitude of ways.   Every weekend, and nearly every day of the month during April, Coachella Valley Cties, communities and the people who live here, celebrated the environment and everything that makes the desert a unique and special destination.  It was also further evidence that the green and sustainable movement here in the valley is growing and thriving as well.

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           Stakeholder-driven event turns regional and state focus back to resolving the Salton Sea’s impending environmental calamity

        Despite California wrestling with its budget shortfall, water shortages, health care and other issues, an environmental disaster continues to simmer, waiting to blow up in a cloud of toxic dust.  The Salton Sea is drying up, leaving a dry lakebed of accumulated pesticides and heavy metals behind its receding shoreline that could be picked up by winds and create a threat to the region’s agriculture, tourism, real estate, bird sanctuaries and fisheries. But a group of dedicated stakeholders are putting the challenges of the Salton Sea squarely on center stage by hosting the Salton Sea Stakeholders’ Symposium on May 27, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Renaissance Esmeralda Hotel & Spa in Indian Wells. 

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By Kathy Gottberg (4/15/10) 

            Want to replace an old appliance with a new one and get money back?  Then get ready for “The California Cash For Appliances” rebate program starting on April 22, 2010 (Earth Day) and lasting for one month to May 23^rd or until the funds run out.   The rebate is limited to refrigerators, washing machines and room sized air conditioners—as long as those purchased are ENERGY STAR®-qualified and on the approved list.   Just like the Cash for Clunkers program took old gas-guzzling cars off the road, the Cash for Appliances program will help homeowners replace inefficient appliances and start saving on their energy bills immediately.

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       Have you ever wondered what happens to all of the glass bottles that end up in your recycling bin?  During the last year alone, tons of that glass is now being used by a company named Greenday Precast right here in the Coachella Valley.  Greenday uses waste glass in a way that is creative, fun and useful.  Best of all, by using the glass we all throw out on a daily basis, Greenday keeps it out of California landfills and puts it back to work in our valley and our homes. 

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              The Annual AEP (Assoc. of Environmental Professionals) Conference held in Palm Springs from March 14-17, 2010 offered education, resources and encouragement to California cities and other professionals to raise the bar on green and sustainable practices.  Made up primarily of city and public sector employees, planners and consultants, AEP meets every year somewhere within the state of California to educate and provide the latest in both technology and best practices for those who work within city governments.  The 2010 AEP Conference was hosted by the Inland Empire Branch who chose Palm Springs as the location for the conference to add special emphasis on the growing green movement and opportunities to be found here.  Best of all, the AEP showcased the work done by Palm Springs in the area of sustainability and raised the bar for other cities to follow suit—both within the state of California and hopefully here at home in the Caochella Valley.

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            The 2^nd Annual Climate Change & California Desert Conference was held Friday, March 12^th in the town of Yucca Valley.  Hosted by the Defenders of Wildlife and the National Parks Conservation Assoc., this free, one day conference brought together approximately 200 people to meet, discuss climate change, and talk about how warming temperatures will affect desert dwellers, including those with four legs and wings.  While informative, the conference seemed to suffer the same fate as similar conferences—that of attracting mostly those already in touch with climate change and its repercussions.  Still, the attendance also demonstrated an ethnical diversity and a scattering of ages—from school kids to grandparents—making it clear that a changing climate affects us all.

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