Submitted by admin_green on Fri, 09/11/2009 - 13:00
It all comes down to air and water and where they do and don't go. There used to be something known as "Chinese restaurant syndrome." The idea was that you enjoyed eating the food, but you really didn't want to look in the kitchen to see how it was cooked. We suppose in these days of Bizarre Foods and such that this may no longer be the case, but you get the idea.
Submitted by admin_green on Fri, 09/11/2009 - 14:50
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, and we say…it's all right. You need to know the angles. That's how you get the most from your solar photovoltaic system. Roof mount or pole mount? Roofs provide large amounts of otherwise wasted space, and are usually pitched at a pretty good angle to catch the sun. Poles provide maximum energy efficiency, but put your panels in places you might have used for something else...like a garden.
Submitted by admin_green on Fri, 09/11/2009 - 14:00
We knew we were going to get into hot water sooner or later. But sometimes, hot water is a good thing. Like in baths and showers on a January morning in Wisconsin. Or in the jacuzzis that are such an integral part of the B&B experience.
Submitted by admin_green on Tue, 08/25/2009 - 14:28
What goes up must come down. What comes down must go…where? It's not nice to fool Mother Nature, but sometimes you have to. Wisconsin gets a fair amount of rain…enough to cause statewide flooding last year…and in recent years we've added near-record levels of snow, as well. That water is naturally going to head wherever gravity takes it. And it's going to carry whatever is lying around at ground level with it.
Submitted by admin_green on Fri, 09/11/2009 - 15:07
Waste water treatment is going to be an important issue for the Green Leaf Inn, as we intend to be "off the grid" of the local sewer system and deal with all waste water issues on site. This is nothing new for us; the current house is not on a sewer line, and the local sewer system won't reach us until well after the Inn has been built.
Submitted by admin_green on Fri, 09/11/2009 - 15:44
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind... There was a time in America's history when the backyard windmill was pretty much ubiquitous here in the heartland. Pulling water from wells, helping to power small machinery; more than that, helping to draw every last bit of use from the resources that were given to us. What's that line about everything old being new again? Wind turbines are back, and they're better than ever.
