Personal
updates, random thoughts, and stuff that I resist emailing to everyone
on my contact list so I'll just post it here.
08.19.2008
We've
returned from our trip to Germany and Switzerland. Anna was thrilled
to play such an important role in Tanja and Jochen's wedding as
the flowergirl, or as she sometimes referred to herself: the "little
bride". While away, we tacked on some sightseeing and a sidetrip
to Switzerland, but most of our activities were still tailored to
the interests of our youngest traveller. We visited playgrounds,
went to the zoo in Munich, and rode a ferris wheel in Zurich. Anna's
favorite part was probably all the swiss chocolate. Click
thru for photos...
07.25.2008
Two
weeks from today we will be in Munich for Tanja's wedding, on 08/08/08.
And today, nothing could have gotten me more excited for our trip
to Germany than watching Barack Obama speak to thousands of cheering
Germans in the center of Berlin, many of them waving American flags
and cheering USA. I was in Berlin in '95, and it was under massive
reconstruction at the time, rebuilding itself after the Berlin Wall
had come down. There were cranes everywhere, and there was a great
feeling of renewal throughout the city. Today the city of Berlin
probably feels much different, although I can imagine that standing
among the crowd of 200,000, listening to the man who may very well
rescue the world from the tyrany of the Bush years, that spirit
of change and the feeling of renewal is just as strong as ever.
There
are some great photos on Daily
Kos of today's events. Click
thru to see more.
06.15.2008
It
seems like everyone is claiming they're 'green' these days, and
homeowners are overloaded with information on green products and
materials for the home. Often times, it's hard to make a simple
comparison between products, and it's unclear which choice is the
'greener' option.
To
help clear up the confusion which I suspect a lot of homeowners
are faced with, I put together these 1-page checklists on the most
popular green building materials and products that are available
today. These were included in the talk I gave at the Residential
Design and Construction conference in Boston back in April, for
a presentation to homeowners on 'How to Green Your Home'. The idea
was to take all the information that's available on these topics
and boil it down into an easy-to-read checklist of the pros and
cons, that compares the "green" options available today.
This
all started with a question I was asking myself that I suspected
others might be asking as well: Which is 'greener': cork or bamboo?
Which is 'greener': Cellulose insulation or spray-foam? Of course,
the answer isn't that simple. There are a number of environmental
factors, pros and cons, that you have to weigh, from the manufacture,
the use and maintenance, and eventual reuse and disposal. Hopefully
the format of these pages allows you to quickly zero in on the topic
that is of interest to you, providing the information that you need
to make a comparison of the green properties, in a brief, single-page
chart.
There
are 7 pages, each on a specific topic:
- Stuctural
Systems
- Roofing
- Thermal
Insulation
- Renewable
Energy
- Lighting
- Flooring
- Countertops
|
>Click
to download the full PDF (3 Mb) |
04.17.2008
It
is convention season again, and we're planning a few trips this
spring. If
you are planning to attend any of these conventions, and you think
you are a person who we would like to see, let us know and maybe
we can make a date.
The
AIA National Convention
is in Boston this year, May 15-17. We will both be attending the
expo on Friday, and will be around for the weekend. There is also
a Carnegie Mellon Alumni Reception Friday night at the Lenox Hotel
in Boston. We may also finally get around to visiting the new ICA
- the Institute of Contemporary Art museum - on the South Boston
waterfront.
Matt
is planning to attend the Lightfair
International trade show and conference, which is in Las Vegas
this year, May 28-30. It will be good to get the latest scoop on
the rapidly changing world of lighting, especially in terms of energy
efficiency and new technologies. (and we get to hang out in Vegas,
Baby)
Soon
after, Matt will be going to NeoCon
World's Trade Fair at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago to check
out the latest in office furnishings and to visit the showrooms
of some of our favorite vendors. This one is June 9-11.
In
July we get to stay home. Then, in August we're hopping on a plane
again, to go to Tanja's wedding in Munich, Germany. This will be
Anna's first trip out of the country. After 5 days in Munich with
the whole family, the three of us are going to take off for Switzerland
and spend another 4 days on our own somewhere - to be determined
- in the Swiss countryside. We'll be sure to bring our hiking boots.
01.13.2007
| Today
we brought Anna ice skating for the first time. The rink was
packed for the 2 hours of open skating. With some help from
Karen and a couple of milk crates, Anna was soon standing on
her own two feet and had a great time on the ice. |
 |
11.12.2007
After
ignoring this site for the better part of 18 months (apparently,
we had better
things to do), we're now making a renewed effort to keep it
up to date with new photos and updates about what's going on in
our lives. I'll start with these 3 unrelated topics:
1.
Last weekend, Matt spent two days with 200 other randomly-selected
Vermonters and took part in a forum on Vermont's Energy Future.
About two-thirds of the electricity we use in the state is purchased
from the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant and Hydro Quebec. Both
of these contracts are due to expire starting in 2012, so the state
has a unique opportunity to reshape its energy portfolio. The Vermont
Department of Public Service retained the services of a polling
firm in Austin, Texas and held what is referred to as a 'deliberative
poll'. 200 Vermonters were selected at random and invited to the
UVM campus to learn and discuss these energy options. We split our
time between small discussion groups of about 15 and large plenary
sessions with a panel of policy makers and industry reps. At the
end of the 2-day session, we all completed surveys on what we thought
would be best for the state. By randomly selecting people and immersing
them in the issues for 2 days, the result of the surveys are believed
to be a more useful and accurate picture of public opinion.
Vermont
has one of the lowest carbon footprints from its electricity generation,
a very aggressive energy efficiency program, and low electricity
rates in comparision to the rest of New England. The challenge will
be to maintain its low environmental impact in the face of rising
energy costs, while increasing the use of renewables that allow
the state to be energy independent.
More
info is on the Vermont Dept of Public Service website: Vermont'sEnergyFuture.info.
The background materials are available as a PDF, and the results
of the surverys will be posted soon.
2.
The Solar Decathlon
just completed its third iteration on the National Mall in Washington
D.C. For the first time, we did not attend the event, due to the
fact that we were in Las Vegas at the time, celebrating 10 years
of marital bliss in the City of Sin. (ironically, also perhaps the
most energy-intensive city in America)
Carnegie
Mellon didn't fare too much better this year, coming in at 14th
place (out of 20.) Not surprisingly, the Germans took the top prize.
The competition was the most international it has ever been, with
teams from Germany, Spain, Puerto Rico, and Canada. The next round
is in 2009, and there is a European version planned for 2010, which
may mean the Solar Decathlon could return to an event primarily
for American schools. (an appropriate move, in my opinion)
3.
It's only early November and the first Vermont ski area is open
for business. Mount
Snow has three runs open. Welcome winter.
11.06.2007
Here,
now, are some photo albums from the past season:
 
August:
Idlewild Park in Pennsylvania
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Sept:
Apple picking at Shelburne Orchards
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October:
Weekend getaway to Las Vegas...
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...with
a day trip to Hoover Dam
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11.01.2007
The
old photos from our renovation of our Burlington house can be found
here 
10.29.2007
Your
patience is about to pay off. After almost a year, we're finally
posting an update. New photos coming soon.
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