Over the weekend, Greening Oakland Homes held a fair at the Montclair Women’s Cultural Arts Club. After months of consideration and contributions by many volunteers, this Saturday event invited all neighbors to dip their toes into the world of energy audits, green retrofits and alternative energy.
Yes, saving energy is inherently local. As a homeowner, it’s pretty natural to ask neighbors what they did or who they used when making improvements in their energy and water consumption. It can be daunting to embark on a project, when you haven’t been swimming here before.
Rather than some overwhelming event, there were selected vendors who served Oakland. Many of them said things like “well, we did a place that…” and proceeded to share projects that happened nearby.
Of course, going to the Women’s Club is always a treat. The room on the left, a dark and richly covered place, was used for presentations. And the main ballroom showcased all the vendors, along with info from local utilities and the City of Oakland.
I don’t really want to play favorites but the cool windows and coverings caught my eye. One group that trains young adults to do energy audits and improvements seemed pretty terrific, too.
Missed it? You can check out info about greening initiatives and more at their website.
Today in Montclair, 94611 
Missed it, but appreciate the site-link and will adapt some more ideas. In our renovation we used two on-demand water heaters, in-floor radiant heat, bamboo flooring (it’s grass, not wood), fans instead of A/C, light-tubes, and all sorts of occupancy/motion sensors for lighting. We haven’t piped for grey water, but manage many gallons’ savings by using a couple of narrow buckets to collect shower water for flushing. Global warming may be based on politicized science ( http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article7026317.ece ), but who wants to risk finding out that it’s a legit threat.