inconvenient truth

I’m not sure the pervasive poignancy of Al Gore’s infamous title ever rang in my ears so loud and clear as it has in the last couple of weeks. I mean, isn’t it just the shear inconvenience of change that keeps use from doing the blatantly obvious right things? You know, like bringing our own bags, trying to reuse as much as possible to reduce waste, walking or riding a bike instead of driving, being mindful of where we shop and what we buy, cooking more foods from scratch, growing food, using appliances less often, recycling, the list goes on. So the irony of all of this is that these things are actually really easy and will eliminate the long-term, long-lasting inconvenience of climate change, economic breakdown, famine, water-shortages, fuel shortages, land fills, disease; not to mention short-term inconveniences like having to take the trash out too frequently, paying for parking and gas, paying those big (and growing) utility bills. So let’s ask ourselves the next time we go for a quick convenient, but wasteful fix… “Is it worth it? Will we suffer the inevitable negative repercussions of our actions?” And trust me, you’ll feel good about rinsing out your ziplock bags or using washable fabric sacks, carpooling, turning the lights off. These things force us all to slow down. And that is always a good thing.

Okay, enough of the philosophizing and on to the rant part of todays’ program: The Bank. What a ridiculously inconvenient mess we found ourselves in with our local bank in the last couple of months. It’s about the value of our home after putting so much efficiency work in and using the most sustainable and durable materials available for our Deep Energy Retrofit. The short version of the story is this…

Last October we refinanced our first mortgage in order to fund Phase One of our project. At that time the appraisal company put the value of our home at $210K. Keep in mind we had a tarp on the roof, the basement was quite damp, the siding was clearly in need of updating, and we had little to no insulation. And even though that value was $15K less than the last time we had our home appraised four years ago, we let it slide because of the roof and the notorious housing market crash. We managed to finance Phase Two of the project, completing everything but the windows and figured we could now extend our home equity line of credit, since things like roofing and siding play heavily in the home appraisal system. We know that insulation isn’t really taken into account (how stupid is that?) and that things like our ventilation system are too new to be part of the appraisal as well. But we had invested a lot of money and see and feel the benefits of those improvements every day. So guess what? The bank’s appraiser came out in July and put the current value of our home at $183K. Is that a f***ing joke? $27K less than when it had a failing roof and moldy basement? $27K less than when the housing market was at rock bottom? So I told the bank that the appraisal was wrong, and in fact, the new siding was never mentioned, and of course the bank has no interest in trying to see value in some of the new and innovative efficiency work that’s being done these days. They didn’t care to correct anyhting or pursue our case any further.

According to the banks, the value of homes is based primarily on square footage. That used to make sense I guess, although there are some pretty hideous big houses out there that could just burn down as far I’m concerned. And even though in the Real Estate market there is value in the quality of workmanship, location, details, amenities, the banks see none of that. It’s as if they haven’t taken into account why their system has failed them. Why do you think the housing market crashed? Well, because big giant pieces of crap were over-valued for their size alone. And what about us little guys with modest efficient homes? To be honest, I don’t think the homes in the $200 range have been hit as hard as those above $500K. Downsizing is a big trend now, and if a one bedroom apartment in a big city can go for millions of dollars for the desirability factor alone, than it stands to reason that there should be value in super-insulation, fire-resistant siding, and a roof that will never have to be replaced again. With rising fuel costs and fuel shortages, these features are going to be more and more desirable every day. So if I was in charge of a bank (that sounds like a nightmare), I guess I would be looking for ways to be innovative and lead the way in a changing market and a changing world. Many of the old-school local banks seem resistant to change, but I have confidence that some of the larger ones, or newer ones can see the cutting edge.

Moving on now, what other conveniences have become extremely inconvenient? How about eggs at the grocery store? Is it really a big mystery why big shipments of foods from massive factory farming operations become tainted? Well, in my mind it’s karma. But scientifically speaking it’s because of the unnatural coexistence and over-crowding of too much livestock, foul, and crops in one place. These contaminations are going to happen, and there are no regulations that are going to change that, other than forcing the farms to be smaller. The fact is, as far as eggs go, small chicken farms can exist in practically any climate, in our own backyards in fact, in cities and suburbs, and we can all get our eggs from down the street. The concept of more and smaller farms could even offer jobs. JOBS. hmmm.

Plastic is an ironic convenience. I’ve talked about plastic before, but how funny that this modern innovation has turned out to be such an unhealthy truth. We’re back to basics again, using glass for food storage, saving and reusing jars, looking for compostable disposable containers, and removing the awful gas-giving vinyl materials from our environment. Did you know that many states don’t recycle number 5 plastics? Check out this company that recycles those yogurt containers and water filters to make toothbrushes and dinner ware. I applaud the motivation and the innovation.

It’s time to get creative and resourceful and change the way we think of the concept of convenience. Convenience should be a long-term idea. No more quick fixes. No more ignoring the results. No more laziness. More mindful thinking. More big picture.

Oh, one last thing… on the local news here in western Mass this morning they kept talking about the controversial wind farm in the works for Nantucket bay. They kept emphasizing “the pros and cons.” It’s laughable really. I mean, when you consider the pros of renewable and sustainable energy, the cons seem pretty insignificant. I mean, what could they be? I guess some rich people don’t want their views of the ocean impaired. Some people are worried about the bird population. So what if we don’t use wind power and stick with this fossil fuels plan? Then the ocean views and the bird population will be wiped out anyway, along with everything else because of the climate change. That would be seriously inconvenient.

keeping up with the eco-Jones’

A funny thing is happening here in our neighborhood. There seems to be a little competition in green living. We have several close friends who live nearby and we all see eye to eye on this environmental thing. So one weekend somebody plants a garden. Then the other person does. The compost systems get upgraded, the clotheslines go up. It’s not that we all need to be the best necessarily, but if one household is doing the right thing the others don’t sleep too soundly until they are too. We share ideas and goals and simultaneously experience the benefits of green living. It’s fun and challenging at the same time. But in the midst of trying to keep up with one another, we have all improved our lifestyle in the best possible sense.

So bye bye to outdoing the neighbors’ new garage or in-ground pool. Now we compete for the least amount of waste, best organic gardens, and smallest carbon footprint. This is where the change occurs, household by household, community by community.

And on that note of living greener day to day, let’s talk about what we’re doing here at the Deep Energy Retrofit Ground Zero. Still in a waiting period regarding the windows (we’ll get to that later), we have been very focused on our own behavior and habits. The dryer has been retired for about a month now and I can’t wait to see how much is saved on the next electric bill. It may not be significant, but every little bit counts and holds much more value than the price the utility company gives it.

The meditative solace I experience while hanging laundry in the fresh air with sunshime beaming down on me is something I can’t put a price on. For years I lived in Queens, NY, and used a clothesline that ran across the courtyard of the building. I appreciated the air-dried freshness and the rudimentary process, but I still remained inside the apartment, leaning out the 4th floor window for all of it. I never imagined how incredibly joyful I’d feel with my feet in the grass and the breeze at my back, letting nature deside when the laundry is done.

So what else? I’ll tell you… the thing that eats at me, wears away my environmental armor… PACKAGING! I mean really, the amount of plastic that comes home in every load of canvas tote bags from the grocery store is just plain disturbing. Not only are these plastic toxins in our food a big issue right now, but it’s just so much waste! We had a long discussion the other night with our eco-Jones’ neighbors and couldn’t really figure what could be done about the whole thing with current FDA standards and our own expectations of fresh uncontaminated food. I mean, we could just switch to glass and metal, but these still have to go through the whole recycling process and be re-manufactured. Getting produce from the farmers’ market or farm shares is part of the solution. But what about food that must be packaged?

I don’t have any all-encompassing answers, but I do have some tips and the example of what we’re trying to do here in our home. First, order yourself some re-useable fabric produce and bulk grocery bags from ecobags.com. Then just start buying in bulk whatever you can. I went to the market yesterday and bought several kinds of beans, rice, quinoa, nuts, spices, peanut butter… and brought my own bags and containers for all of them. Now I’ve transferred them all to mason jars where they can be stored indefinitely, and I didn’t have to discard a single container or plastic bag. Plus, as an added bonus, the store I went to gave me a nickel off for every single bag/container I brought.

The other thing we’ve been exploring around here is called Skin Deep. It’s a non-profit online database of all of the hair, skin, makeup, and general beauty products out there. It rates them according to their toxicity. I’m not really sure how the whole thing works as it’s a little vague, but we had a great time the other night plugging each item in our bathroom into the search field and reading the results. You’d be surprised how many so-called natural products have significant levels of toxicity. Let’s not all get super paranoid now, but I imagine that fewer potential toxins in our products is not only healthier for ourselves and families, but also healthier for our drainage systems and the air around us. A friend recently told me that after he switched from his regular hygiene regimen to a set of more safely rated products his allergy attacks instantly disappeared. Just a little food for thought in our chemically-driven society.

So I promised you all some numbers about our oil savings. I looked it all over today and decided that it’s still inconclusive with the horribly inefficient windows still in place and the fact that for a good part of the winter there were literally holes on the house being re-insulated on a day-to-day basis. Don’t get me wrong, there was still significant savings, but too hard to measure right now. I can tell you that with some very hot days this summer, and when we were actually diligent enough with keeping the windows closed, it was noticeably cooler in our home than before. Windows, windows, windows… that’s the barrier we must overcome now.

But while we work on figuring out how to finance that monstrous portion of our Deep Energy Retrofit, we are content working hard to shrink our carbon footprint a little more every day.

two down

Two down, many more to go I hope. We had a wonderfully successful and energized Open House yesterday in the midst of many passing storms and downpours. It was kind of like a Deep Energy Baptism. Thanks to the Daily Hampshire Gazette posting an announcement and everyone involved spreading the word, we ended up with many curious families and homeowners from across the community. Everyone was interested and motivated to learn how and where they can make their homes more efficient. This is everything we hoped for… spreading the word, fighting for the cause, setting an example, being the guinea pigs. It hasn’t been easy, but it sure has been rewarding on so many levels. In case you missed the numerous memos… we all have to do this. We have to improve the efficiency of our existing homes. It’s the only way to avoid those imminent catastrophic and irreversible effects of global warming.

Okay, enough preaching… it was so encouraging to see the amount of interest in living more efficiently from everyone who attended yesterday. Gives me so much optimism. A reporter from the Gazette was here to take some photos and write an article, so stay tuned for some more solid local press. And to those of you who know people, help us get our story in the national press… This Old House, Dwell, Fine Home building, whatever. It’s a message that people need to hear.

This week I’ll go over the last 6-9 months of oil bills and have some real numbers to share. We really won’t have a clear picture until we go through the coming winter months, since our Deep Energy Retrofit was in progress this past winter, but it’ll still be interesting. And I can’t wait to see what kind of impact retiring the dryer has had on our electric bill. Sam’s out there right now turning the compost, just picked some blueberries, pulled the clothes off the line before the rain started. Does it get better than this? Not really. Simplicity is everything, the source of happiness and fulfillment. That’s not too hippie dippie is it? Well, too bad, it’s true.

green weekend

So it’s been awhile. What can I say? Summer is in full force and I’m doing my best to enjoy it, to savor the sunshine and cram as many swimming hours into each week as possible. Needless to say, extra blogging time in front of the monitor doesn’t fit into my plans for summer fun.

But I don’t want to drop off the radar completely, so let’s talk a little about the extremely green weekend we’re having here within our almost-done Deep Energy Retrofit adventure. As the work on the house itself stands still for awhile (waiting for windows), we decided to finally put some of the long-procrastinated outdoor plans in place.

First, the compost! I know, right? Why haven’t we done this yet? It’s a combination of finding the right compost plan for us, plus plenty of regular old laziness. But in the height of our current heat wave in the beating hot sun, my husband built a beautiful compost container from recycled palates. Now we can dump all of our vegetarian food scraps at the back end of our yard and enjoy the benefits of reduced waste and earthly symbiosis.

Second, the clothesline! This was also something we put off while trying to come up the most efficient plan. So we decided on a simple pulley system that runs from one deck post to another post that Sam placed in the ground behind some our evergreens. It’s a safe height and good length, plus one end can be detached when not in use. I can’t tell you how pleasurable it was for me to hang a load of laundry in the fresh July air yesterday. Some many of my little dreams have come true this weekend.

Next on the green weekend agenda… we’re headed over to the Hampshire Bike Exchange to look for a nice commuter-style bicycle with a kids seat for Sam and Lucy to ride to work and school. Reduce reduce reduce! The bike paths here in the Pioneer valley have had a renaissance this past year as work continues to connect all the towns via old rail trails. It’s exciting and the time has come for us to take advantage.

After the bike search we’ll be heading up to the Green River Fest in Greenfield (double green). It’s a local music festival, but notoriously attended by the green-minded, earth-loving, local-shopping, waste-conscious, energy-conserving population from all over Western Mass. I’d say it’ll be the perfect finale to our hard work (well, mostly Sam’s hard work) and environmental dedication. We can bask in the knowledge that here on our little 1/3-acre of the planet, there are few stones left to be unturned in terms of sustainable living.

And what are the next set of plans brewing at our HERS 30 or Bust! site? Sometime soon a greenhouse and maybe a chicken coop! We’ve talked to our neighbors about doing a homegrown veggie and egg share. Share the work, share the bounty.

And of course, we’re gearing up for our next Open House: This coming Saturday, July 24th, 11-2. So don’t miss the chance to tour the Deep Energy retrofit and talk with experts in green building, waste reduction, transition towns and more. Details at hers30orbust.com.

we’re doing it again

If you didn’t make it to our first Open House, you’ve got another chance! Saturday, July 24th, 11-2, we’ll be opening our doors for self-guided tours of the Deep Energy Retrofit. We’re almost there… just a couple appliances and a bunch of windows to replace and we’ll make the 70% mark.

More details on the recent work completed at hers30orbust.com.

a couple things: progress at home and a giant WTF

First thing: LOOK!

It’s really a thing of beauty. Siding. Who knew I’d ever be so attached to siding! I guess I just had a hard time believing it would ever actually happen. It’s been a long road (as you know), and here we are in the home stretch. The roof and siding installation will be complete next week, and I think I might be a little bit sad. There won’t be anyone here banging on the walls and tramping through the basement every morning. They’ve really become like part of the family and the morning routine at this point. I think it’ll be as big a transition getting used to the absence of the Beyond Green team, as it was getting used to their daily presence in the beginning. And maybe even more difficult.

When we commenced this Deep Energy Retrofit in an effort to reach a 70% energy reduction, I really had no idea how emotionally involved we’d all become. But we ended up on quite a journey. For us, it’s our home of course. The investment is obvious. And for them it’s their work, their livelihood, and ultimately, their pride. These are some pretty heavy duty connections that we all have to this project. In my mind, that’s what really makes it all so beautiful. In the beginning I figured the environmental benefits were the most beautiful, but now that seems like kind of a giant bonus on top of a true feeling of community. We really feel driven to help others gain access to this consumption overhaul.

I know I just made it seem like the project is complete, but that situation is only temporary. You might be thinking, what about the windows and the solar hot water? So here’s the deal. The windows are next, but we have to raise some money to avoid that too-much-debt problem. Our plan is to get the windows in before winter, of course. Our new deadline for the utility incentive program is December 31st, so that’s a motivator. And we won’t get the other half of the incentive money until we complete all the steps of our project.

So fundraising is the current task at hand. We’ll be setting up a paypal account to accept donations online. They won’t be tax deductible, because we’re not a non-profit; but we’ll send shwag like bumper stickers and tote bags. And folks who contribute a more substantial amount will have their names on a sculptural plaque that will hang on our house as a big giant thank you to all who helped, and a reminder to us that we didn’t do this alone. We also have some event planning in the works for dinner/silent auction. Truly, our long term goal is to get our feet wet in local fundraising and then be able to pay it all forward. We’d like to have annual events and form a trust that contributes to future local retrofit projects and green improvements. It’s funny how the path to progress can just snowball into more, better, bigger ideas. And a little progress on the home front can be a wordly motivator.

The solar hot water will probably be postponed for now and rolled in to our longer term goal of using renewables 100% to heat and power the small amount needed for our efficient home. Honestly, besides the expense, it was the idea of cutting down trees that convinced us to take our time and strategize this portion of the project. We love trees!

For more details and photos of the recent work please visit hers30orbust.com.

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So that was the sappy, politically correct part of today’s programming.

Now onto the second thing…

The biggest WTF that I’ve seen in a looooooooong time. Can you guess? Right, the F’ing oil spill. I mean, seriously? Who thought this wouldn’t happen? Why wasn’t there a plan? And most of all, what are they going to do? And I do believe THEY, meaning BP, have to do something. It’s one thing for the feds and humanitarians to step in after a natural disaster (this doesn’t qualify as natural) or an act of war or violence. BUT THIS? This is 100% completely BP’s fault. Well, it’s the fault of whoever regulates this ridiculously reckless and short-sighted off-shore drilling process too. But BP just happened to get the ever so shameful opportunity to be pioneers in the underwater oil spill fiasco.

So what are they going to do? I’ve heard that deploying some nuclear device(s) or a hydrogen bomb are some ideas out on the table. Hmmm, not good ideas. Nobody knows what the outcome of those extremes could be. It’s likely to be so much more catastrophic than anyone could imagine. The whole situation really sickens me, because, like most human-caused destruction, the incentives were money, greed, selfishness. Now the world is changed forever. And those effected span the entire food chain, only to await a lifetime of ugly surprises. I can’t even think about what the long term repercussions are from an event like this. People, animals, fish, amoebas, plants, water, air, dirt, sand, currents… changed forever. I don’t like to judge or anything, but I wonder if anyone high up at BP is religious at all. Maybe causing major environmental havoc should be added to the list of commandments. Thou shalt not destroy the earth. Thou shalt not destroy the air we breathe. Thou shalt not contaminate the water. Might be fun to have some new ones, since that whole adultery thing seems to have fallen by the wayside.

global warming!

It’s too hot to blog. So I’ll just post some cool recent pics of the Deep Energy Retrofit progress. Roofing! Siding! Need I say more?

And a quick note regarding these extreme temperatures we’re having here in the Northeast this week… yesterday we closed all the windows before the temperatures started to sky-rocket. And you know what? It was easily 20º cooler than outside when I got home. That’s 75º instead of 95º. Not bad for 2 inches of rigid foam and a whole lotta dense pack cellulose!

And our first Open House went really well! Visitors were interested and excited about the project, and we were happy to promote this type of home improvement. I’ll post some picks and share some of the details this weekend.

Raise the Roof

Before we get into the roof and other facets of our ever-looming Deep Energy Retrofit, let’s talk about where I was supposed to be right now. Barcelona! I seriously had every intention of blogging from a relaxed Spanish cafe, sipping wine and enjoying tapas. And after so much planning and bending over backward to carve out some time for myself, my mom, and my daughter to get away for 10 days, we were thwarted by the volcanic ash cloud. Oh, the environmental drama! I know we can’t exactly blame global warming for the Icelandic volcano eruption, but it never hurts to consider how much the earth, weather, and environmental conditions affect our daily lives. I mean, this stubborn old ash cloud may very well put airlines out of business.

So I’m here, and having mourned the loss of my much-needed and deserved vacay, my sights are on the next steps of our DER project. First, the roof goes on this week! I think. We have geared ourselves up for this process before and discovered that other issues had to take precedence. But I think it might actually happen for real this time. So to celebrate our slate grey standing seam icing on the already space-aged shiny silver foam insulated cake, we’re having our first Open House!

Come one, come all, and see the mythical DER beast for yourselves. Stand face to face with the legend of 70% energy reduction! A week from today, Saturday, May 22nd, 10-2. And more details on the invite below:

This event is going to be super fantastic! Our home is in just the right staight of flux for visitors to get an accurate sense of what these energy efficient improvements really look like and how they impact our daily life. We’ll have experts on hand from Beyond Green Construction, National Fiber, Holden Humphrey, Harvey Building Products… and of course we, the homeowners, will be there. And if you ask us any questions we promise not to sugar coat the answers.

Now, the dilemma. I will tell all of you that the money we are spending is really starting to freak me out (see what I mean about not sugar coating?). I have a ton of faith in this work, though, and that’s what’s getting me through. I also have a ton of faith that fuel costs will raise considerably, and now with this oil spill, maybe faster and sooner than expected. But we’re already tipping our financial scales and maxing out every resource to get this project done without even a plan for how to pay for the windows or solar hot water.

Based on recent blower-door tests that BGC has performed, I (and they) would say that the windows are going to have one of the biggest impacts of any of the other puzzle pieces. Futuristic insulation is great, but if the holes in your walls aren’t properly sealed and protected by efficient windows, then the insulation doesn’t count for much. So the window plan will require some fundraising efforts (stay tuned to be hit up for some cash). And the solar thermal? We might have to nix it altogether. The consensus from the building science gurus involved is that it just won’t have a huge impact with our lifestyle.

So how do we save that extra 2.5%? Here’s a novel idea that we’re seriously considering. We may retire our dryer. Turns out the dryer is the biggest energy sucking appliance of them all. It makes sense, of course, but we all think the dryer is a necessity. I actually lived for about fours years in Queens, NY with only a clothes line that ran the distance of the courtyard, and it was totally fine year round. Sure, sometimes the clothes came in a little icy, but it just requires some planning, checking the weather forecast, and maybe having a backup, like a sizable rack in the basement for that relentless rain and snow that we sometimes endure in New England.

So I’m really excited about this idea, and I hope the utility company will allow this strategy to be part of our building science model.

Think that dryer plan is a good idea? Check out the movement and learn more here. When you stop to think how much conservation can be so much more effective, affordable, and realistic, it’s really quite eye-opening. Doesn’t make more sense to get rid of the giant appliance, rather than use the resources to create alternative energy systems in order to keep them? It’s summer and we all love to grill, right? So use some hardwood charcoal and skip the gas grill or indoor stove. Fire good. Gas bad.

And for all of you loyal environmentalists and waste-haters, diligently toting your reusable bags everywhere you go, check out ecobags.com for small washable produce bags and all sorts of waste-resistant everyday vessels.

Now I can’t wait to post photos of the roof and the siding going up. The hardieplank is going to be totally awesome, by the way. So stay tuned for some more frequent updates. And save your change, ’cause we’re gonna need it for the windows.

from green machine to silver bullet

Have you always wondered how to get that space-aged Tudor look and feel for your home? Here’s how:

Silver Bullet 05.03.10

Simply encase the outer walls with 4 to 6 inches of sexy silver rigid foam and add wood strips for that hip striped effect. I suppose it wouldn’t be the worst looking siding in the world, but don’t worry, we’ll be putting that fiber cement board on top.

We are planning to leave the foam exposed for a little while, though, so we can invite people from our community to come down and get a glimpse at the underworkings of our Deep Energy Retrofit. Once the siding is up it’ll be hard to get a complete and clear view of what super insulation really looks like. And leaving this muscular layer exposed also emphasizes the precise work on the window and door frames, as well as the roof line trim.

Roof Line Trim 05.03.10

That’s what the guys are working on right now in fact. No really, we are getting a roof one of these days. And it’s going to be awesome! I always secretly (or not so secretly) snickered at those homes with exposed Tyvek and tarped roofs for extended time periods. Now our home is one of them. And I totally understand why that happens. There are often unforeseen difficulties along the way that can include budget issues, contractor availability, weather, materials, or just simply human behavior.

I will say in our case it’s mostly budget-related. Being part of the utility company’s pilot program, there are unavoidable delays involving paperwork, contracts, checks, etc. And we don’t want to get in too far deep debt-wise at any stage of the game, so sometimes it makes sense to wait until we’ve planned each phase properly on a financial level.

Oh the drama… perhaps I’ve mentioned the part where we have sought contributions to the project from materials manufacturers and suppliers. Well, that causes delays too. I’m not too sure why it takes a (small) company two months to say no, but maybe I’m just bitter, because I see the value in contributing to the community and the “the cause” in my own business as a graphic designer. These things really can be quite symbiotic. I’m sure companies look at our teeny tiny little project on our teeny tiny little 1/3 acre and think, “why bother?” but perhaps they underestimate the volume of the big green loud mouth. And no matter how small our home or community is, 70% energy reduction is HUGE!

We have had luck with some very local companies, either donating, discounting, or just being “involved” so I encourage all of you to check out our list of partners at our project-dedicated site.

So here we are in the beginning of May, cranking along with foam, flashing, trim, additional cellulose and other details. On the most humid day we’ve had this year, our home is a sanctuary, resisting the insidious moisture with every inch of insulation and vapor barrier. I can already see how the DER will improve our hot weather conditions and comfort as it did with the cold weather.

What’s next? Our very first OPEN HOUSE! Right here at our Easthampton home on Saturday, May 22nd, 10am-2pm. We’ll have light refreshments, self-guided tours with dynamic signage throughout the house, and a casual and optional Q&A with members of our Beyond Green Construction team and other contributors. For location details and more info please email info@hers30orbust.com.

listen up!

I know you all have been dying to hear 93.9 The River’s fabulous radio spot on our Deep Energy Retrofit…

So here it is: WRSI Sustainable Valley Feature