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I recently received a notice from the Southern Nevada Watering Authority that spring watering restrictions are in effect from March 1st through April 30th. I’m part of “Group B” so that means I get to water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
It’s important to keep to your schedule so that we can help conserver water. You can also receive a “water waste” citation if you’re caught watering outside of your assigned day!
Las Vegas was recently recognized as the American City of the Year by the World Leadership Awards committee. We were the only American city to receive this honor. From the official website:
The World Leadership Awards are given to cities whose leaders have shown exceptional imagination, foresight or resilience in a number of key fields - especially cities that have reversed trends, shaken off traditional images, and acted as an example and inspiration to others.
Specifically, the Centennial Hills Master Planned Community and the city’s Alternative Fuel Program were cited as examples of innovation and responsible government planning.
Today I’m visiting the satellite exhibition center at the Sands Expo center (right behind the Venetian). This location houses the interior design exhibits including art, lighting and textiles. This is also the home of the Living Green Pavilion which was the real reason I came here.
I have to say that I was disappointed with the presentation. It is of course a noble cause and I was happy to see a section devoted to sustainable home furnishings. However, the collection was widely publicized leading up to the show and did not live up to the hype. There were perhaps a dozen manufacturers of eco-friendly furniture and home decor but these mostly consisted of uniform looking bamboo panels and processed wood construction. There were other sellers of furniture made from recycled products and re-finished wood but these were scattered through the market and not part of this display. I found met one alternative lighting retailer but the only items on display were a few fluorescent bulbs and one LED fixture.
In the end, the most notable display was from Channel Logic. They had several attractive bedroom furniture sets that appeal to consumers who are conscious of design and the environment.
Visit Channel Logic’s blog to learn more about their efforts to promote sustainable home furnishings. Unfortunately, you cannot buy directly from them since they only sell to retailers and dealers.
Does it seem like the summers are getting hotter and hotter here in Nevada? They are.
KOLO (channel 8 in Reno) is reporting that Nevada has seen a marked rise in temperatures over the last 30 years. Increased temperatures bring with them all sorts of nasties: drought, brush fires and heat-related deaths. If you’re cynically saying to yourself “what else is new?” think back the last few weeks.
It was my first summer living here Las Vegas but all the old-timers (residents with more than five years of tenure) remarked about how it got hot this year in late June instead of early July. Remember how the week of July 4th was super-hot and we had record temperatures, some days hitting 118 degrees. Now imagine the unbearably hot days of summer lasting beyond Labor Day instead of ending mid-August (as I’m told they should). Not good. Back in dinosaur times Southern Nevada was covered in lakes. Now only a few remain and we yet we continue to use an abuse them.
We all need to do what we can to fight global-warming on a small, local scale. Recycle, conserve electricity and gas, try to reuse things instead of throwing them away. Individual efforts and awareness can breed responsible communities. Responsible communities in turn can foster more conscientious nations and make a real impact.
One of the things that comes with buying a home is junk mail. There are companies out there who troll public records to create databases of names for marketing purposes. Likewise, your information will probably be sold by the credit bureaus since they know how much you make, owe, etc.
Since moving to Las Vegas and buying a home I’ve been inundated with flyers, pamphlets and credit card offers. It’s a big waste of paper since I seldom read any of this mail (it just gets shredded and goes into the recycling bin). Today I learned how to stop the credit card offers by submitting my information on the official Consumer Credit Reporting Industry’s website.
Visit http://www.optoutprescreen.com to stop getting credit card and insurance offers by mail. You can opt-out for five years or forever. It’s a great way to reduce the amount of junk mail you get and helps reduce paper waste.
I received a small pamphlet from the Las Vegas Valley Water District today which contained some helpful reminders and tips for saving water as the summer heat kicks in:
The pamphlet also reminded me to water my lawn only on my assigned day of the week (Group B: Tuesday). The restriction, enforced between 5/1 and 8/31, is new to me but makes sense. In Los Angeles we were in perpetual droughts but no one ever seemed to do anything about it. I can live with watering only on Tuesdays.
As we prepare for our move to Las Vegas in May I have started learning more about Southern Nevada. The region is in the middle of deep and prolonged drought. Energy is a major issue with the swelling population taxing limited resources. With so many problems plaguing this desert city what can new residents do to be more environmentally conscious?
For starters, the home we bought is EnergyStar certified. This means it comes with lots of insulation and double-paned windows to stay cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter thus cutting down on our energy consumption. We’re also looking into having solar panels installed. There’s plenty of sun here year-round and it makes sense to try to use this energy vs. fighting it with air-conditioning.
Stay tuned to this topic of future posts on what you can do to reduce your energy consumption, recycle and conserve. It is appropriate that I’m starting this column today - Happy Earth Day!