I was reminded lately of the great food and travel writer M.F.K. Fisher. She traveled extensively and wrote about not only her travels but her fascination with the people and places in which she lived. She created great simple recipes from locally grown and harvested foods wherever she was. I was rereading her description of her apartment in France with it's tiny kitchen and the delight she took in describing how efficient it was.
She retired to a one room studio in a vineyard in Sonoma County in northern California. She could have choosen a large home with multiple subzero freezers and all manner of amazing appliances but she did not. She chose to live simply in a small,light, airy and place. We should all be so wise.

Cooling Your Home

Okay, so natural ventilation is always the best.Place your windows and doors to allow for the cross ventilation that keeps you cool. Opt for low e glass. The next level would be fans. The effect of moving air on the skin is a wonderful thing. Remember, fans can be used to help circulate warm air in the winter as well.
The question is whether evaporative cooling is better than refrigerated air. The answer is not really that clear to me any more. Refrigerated air is getting more sophisticated and less expensive both to install and to operate.Old fashioned evaporative coolers did sometimes cause problems with humidity and inefficiency. Refrigerat ed air used to be much more expensive and the benefits of going from a hot outdoor environment to a downright chilly one and back again were questionable. Now, programmable thermostats and a new breed of air conditioner that essentially combines the best of both worlds may provide a good compromise for all of us. Check out the Coolorado at www.coolerado.com

Green Remodeling ideas

Remodeling is always an adventure. Green remodeling offeres an opportunity to make a major difference by doing small things and not getting overwhelmed. If you are going to get new carpet or flooring, consider carpet from recycled plastic fibers. The stuff is indestructible and no one will know the difference--unless you tell them, which you should so they can consider doing the same. Tile is a good flooring choice and now you can get tile made from recycled glass. If you are considering wood floors, you might want to consider bamboo or recycled wood of many varieties. Look for sustainably harvested woods for floors and cabintes. Use recycled windows and doors to give your home character.
You do not have to do everything at once. Small changes add up.
Don't forget to use compact florescent lightbulbs!

STORAGE SPACE SOLUTIONS

It always seems like there is never enogh storage space in older houses. It occurred to me that the real problem is that we have too much stuff. How many of us actually wear all the clothes or shoes that we own? How much of that clothing have we not worn for a year or more? Why do we need to keep it and have a place to store it?
In the 1950's the average home was a two bedroom, one car garage 1200 square foot affair. By 1974 it had grown to 1600 square feet. I just read today that by last year it had expanded to 2400 square feet of living space. If we are honest we know that a lot of that space is rarely used. The additional space that is used is most often for a home office....or storage.
How many people do you know like me? I almost never have used my garage for parking my vehicle. Why? It is full of stuff.Granted, a lot of it is woodworking tools and sports equipment that might go into a workshop if we had the time and money and space to build a real one.
There are a lot of innovative storage systems on the market tohelp us get organized. The real solution is to take a look at our stuff and make some decisions about what we really need. Me, I'm using up all years of hoarded fabric and old clothes in making crazy quilts and patchwork that I will actually use. The Goodwill should be able to stay in business for another year or two if I really get honest with myself and get rid of ALL the stuff I really don't need! And I'll have tons of storage space!