On the Ranch

I won’t even try to summarize this list - GRIST does a great job all on its own, so I’ll just list their top 5 here. See the link below for the entire list. They’ve also got a great RSS feed if you’re interested!

Cover the Waterfront - 15 green books you can actually read at the beach
by Michelle Niijhuis

So maybe you’ll finally have a chance to catch up on some reading this summer. But so many of those books about the environments seem kind of…well, homework-y. What’s a vacationing enviro to do? Turn to Grist for advice, of course! Here are 15 recent page-turners just perfect for stuffing in your beach hemp tote.

1.  The Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring
Richard Preston, Random House, 2007

Think nature writing is boring? The Wild Trees is about as boring as a car chase. Master storyteller Richard Preston follows a motley group of professional and amateur botanists into the canopies of the tallest tree in the world, where they explore a sky-high ecosystem almost entirely unknown to humans. A great tale of science and adventure — and a love story to boot.

2.  Farewell, My Subaru: An Epic Adventure in Local Living
Doug Fine, Villard, 2008

A breezy journal of Doug Fine’s attempts to live a low-carbon life in rural New Mexico, despite his lack of gardening and electrical skills. After a year of wrestling with weather, goats, and tax assessors on the Funky Butte Ranch, Fine concludes that “…the greatest impact we can have on crafting a sustainable future is not just by buying ‘green products,’ but rather by actively understanding that every part of life can and should be infused with carbon reduction.”

3.  The Zookeeper’s Wife: A War Story
Diane Ackerman, W.W. Norton, 2007 

During World War II, Antonia Zabinski, the wife of Polish zookeeper, rescued Resistance fighters and Jews by hiding them in her Warsaw villa — and in the empty zoo cages surrounding it. In this real-life historical drama, Diane Ackerman shows how Antonia’s love for the animal world inspired heroism, even as Nazi romanticism about nature led to grossly different acts.

4.  Winter Study
Nevada Barr, Putnam Adult, 2008

The 14th installment in Nevada Barr’s reliably entertaining National Park Service mystery series is one of her darkest and scariest yet. Winter Study takes our heroine, park ranger Anna Pigeon, to a wolf study at Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior, where she contends with all sorts of mayhem, from interagency rivalry to bitter cold to a canine — or human — with murderous intent.

5.  World Made By Hand
James Kunstler, Atlantic Monthly, 2008

An absorbing and disturbing novel about the near future. After a constellation of plagues — war, disease, declining oil supplies, climate change — fracture U.S. society into isolated outposts, former insurance salesmen and software executives are forced to grow their own food, build their own houses, and defend their communities against violence and fanaticism. As dark as Kunstler’s world gets, hints of rural romanticism keep the reader guessing.

Try our locally owned bookstore Sundance Bookstore for these and other environmental books.

Amazon.com, of course, has its own list Enviro Books. Take a look! Amazon.com/Environmental

–Stacey Crowley, Director of Master Planning and Environmental Initiatives - scrowley@kileyranch.net 

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Road improvements to Pyramid Highway are scheduled for this weekend. Kiley Ranch Communities is completing the roadway improvements to accommodate future traffic issues and increase safety on the Pyramid Highway in Spanish Springs.

Pyramid at Lazy 5, Friday, July 25, 9 p.m. to Monday, July 28, 5:30 a.m.
Traffic will be reduced to a single lane in each direction on Pyramid Highway beginning Friday, July 25 at 9 p.m. through Monday, July 28 at 5:30 a.m. for improvements. Activity will include construction of a trench to bring underground utilities across Pyramid at Lazy 5. In addition, Sierra Pacific Power Company will be installing a hot gas tab.

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(Reno, Nev.)—Today Ion Drive, a major new interconnection between Sparks Boulevard and Los Altos, opened to traffic. The interconnection provides direct access to Miguel Sepulveda Elementary School.

The interconnect, designed and paid for by Kiley Ranch Communities, is a safety measure that will provide a crosswalk and traffic light for students walking to the school.

Kiley Ranch Communities is completing the roadway improvements to accommodate future traffic issues and increase safety on the Pyramid Highway in Spanish Springs. Construction on the improvements began the first week in June and will continue throughout the summer months.

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It’s that time of year - when all I want to do is enjoy the long days and warm evenings in my backyard with friends. The work that goes into an enjoyable backyard gets full compensation for the time spent lounging in it. I’ve looked into some unique ways of making the backyard activities as green (and as fun) as possible. Here are a few:

1.  Why mow when you can peddlemow?

The alternative to the gas or electric powered mower has always been the hand mower, but recently creative individuals have turned their daily commute into a mowing machine.

2.  Solar Burger

We all know that the “charcoal briquettes with combustible lighter fluid” grilling method is somewhat passé and emits more carbon monoxide into the air. Now, with propane, electric and even solar powered grills, you can reduce your footprint and still enjoy an outdoor BBQ.

* Don’t forget that grilling leaner meats can reduce the carcinogens that get released from the fat when grilling at high temps.

3.  Repel naturally

Use DEET-free repellents and avoid the harmful chemical that has been linked to neurological problems in children. Although you may need to apply more frequently, natural bug repellents are safe, kid-safe, and a good habit to get into.

• While grilling, throw sage or rosemary on the rack to repel mosquitos.
• Try mixing one part garlic juice to five parts water in a small spray bottle. Shake well and spray lightly on exposed body parts for an effective repellent lasting up to six hours. Strips of cotton cloth can also be dipped in this mixture and hung in areas, such as patios, as a localized deterrent.

Try an herbal repellent, found in stores and online such as Burt’s Bees Herbal Insect Repellent.

When having friends and family over for backyard fun, think about how much waste can be accummulated from paper plates, napkins and plastic cups. Invest in cloth napkins, earth friendly, recyclable or washable plates, cups and silverware and limit the waste. Buy locally, recycle bottles and cans and compost what you can.

Cheers!
scrowley@kileyranch.net

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We are very excited to announce the first harvest of 2008 for the Kiley Ranch Garden! Last week, we were able to donate four large bags of Swiss Chard to the Food Bank in Northern Nevada just in time to take advantage of the huge cooler space in their brand new facility! Other crops that will be ready for harvest in upcoming weeks are beets, beans, cucumbers, squash, carrots, peppers, tomatoes, and corn…and once again we will have pumpkins available for food bank doantions in October. Check back for more details.

If you would like to get involved with the Kiley Ranch Food Bank Garden, feel free to email abarnes@kileyranch.net for more information.

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Motrists traveling on Pyramid Highway have noticed large earth-moving equipment along the west side of the highway across from the Kiley Ranch development.

The work is part of roadway improvements that will widen Pyramid Highway and “acommodate future traffic issues and increase safety on the Pyramid Highway in Spanish Springs,” said a press release from Kiley Ranch.

Work began during the first week of June and is expected to continue for several months.

“Appropriate access from Pyramisd Highway into Kiley Ranch is vital,” said Paul Curtis, Kiley Ranch Communities CEO, in the news release.”

“It has to be done in a safe fashion with an eye toward future traffic conditions. We’ve worked closely with Washoe County, the city of Sparks and with RTC to comply with NDOT’s requirements to improve and meet state and national standards for safety capacity on Pyramid Highway.”

In cooperation with RTC and the city of Sparks, Kiley Ranch has set aside approximately 25 acres of prime commercial land for the future construction of a potential freeway along Pyramid Highway.

Immediate improvements to Pyramid Highway will include:

• Widening Pyramid Highway to add deceleration and acceleration lanes for ingress and egress to the commercial portions of Kiley Ranch.
• Intersection safety improvements at Lazy 5 Parkway - such as dual left turn lanes and infrastructure for a traffic control signal.
• Installation of center lane median islands from Sparks Boulevard to Dolores, with a break at Lazy 5 Parkway. This will eliminate conflicts from left turns on Pyramid Highway, and is a safety and capacity mitigation initiative.
• Landscaping.

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If you are a frequent reader of the Kiley Ranch blog, you have undoubtedly caught one of Stacey’s informative and insightful “Green Byte” posts. If not, you should definitely make it a point to read one or two…or ten.  You may not know that aside from serving as the Kiley Ranch Director of Environmental Initialtives, Stacey possesses many other qualities that make her an outstanding candidate to receive this honor.  Stacey sits on the board of the Nevada Land Conservancy, Scenic Nevada, Reno Tahoe Young Professionals’ Network, and the Kiley Ranch Preservancy Foundation. She was a 2005 Scenic Nevada “Hero”, won a 2007 “20 Under 40″ award, vice-chaired the Truckee Meadows Growth Task Force and chaired Nevada’s first Governor’s High Performance Building Summit. Stacey is a graduate of the University of Michigan and received a masters from the University of New Mexico. She is an architect, a LEED Accredited Professional, and is the Director of Master Planning and Environmental Initiatives for Kiley Ranch. She was an All-American swimmer in college but now spends her free time cycling and skiing with her husband, Tim.

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The 2008 Sparks Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Luncheon, sponsored by Kiley Ranch Communities, was held on May 15th at John Ascuaga’s Nugget. In memory of the late Sparks Mayor, Tony Armstrong, this luncheon was a well attended success. Six students from the three high schools located in Sparks received the traditional Tony Armstrong Scholarship for $500 each year of their education and renewable up to four years.

Each student was invited on stage to receive recognition certificates and proceeded to inform the audience about which university they would be attending, their education goals, and how they intended to use the Tony Armstrong Scholarship money.

Education outreach and community involvement is very important to Kiley Ranch Communities who also participates in the Education Collaborative of Washoe County. As education partners with Miguel Sepulveda Elementary School located on Ion Drive in the Spanish Springs Valley, Kiley Ranch Communities presented Principal Debbie Martino with a $500 donation check to be used towards the immediate needs for student education.

The luncheon speaker, Washoe County School District Superintendent Paul Dugan, spoke about the funding challenges the school district currently faces. He explained that a large percentage of the school district funds are derives from property taxes and local school support taxes. Washoe County School District continues to look for ways to maximize efficiency while trying to meet the community needs.

Kiley Ranch Communities congratulates this year’s scholarship recipients and wishes them continued success with their education goals!  

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Thank you to everyone who came out on Saturday to help us plant the Kiley Ranch Food Bank Garden. We are very excited to be able to donate fresh vegetables to the Food Bank! If you would like to volunteer in the garden to pull weeds and help us harvest we would love to have you. Please contact abarnes@kileyranch.net to sign up for a week or for further information.
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

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The Nevada Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup awards were announced at a fundraising dinner on Friday, April 25th. Seven out of nine awards were given to students whose ideas were focused on sustainable living, alternative energy and waste reduction. Seven out of nine! Student teams from around the state are encouraged to develop viable business plans that would make it in the real world. The winners receive a cash prize as well as chance to win at a tri-state competition between Arkansas, Oklahoma and Nevada in May. The Governor’s Cup is presented by Nevada’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology.

A quick glimpse at some winners….

• 1st Place Undergraduate - WATTs - Waste Alternatives Transformation Technologies (UNLV)
  By utilizing a multi-faceted approach that maximizes usable products extracted from municipal, commercial and industrial waste, WATTs will reduce the ecological burden on traditional landfills while producing clean, sustainable energy and energy products that do not rely upon fossil fuel sources.
• 3rd Place Undergraduate - KG BioSolutions (Sierra Nevada College)
  KG BioSolutions is a company offering a self-sufficient co-gen product marketed towards restaurants. The fully automated system will process crude vegetable oil at the push of a button and then burn processed biodiesel in an industrial generator providing supplemental electricity to the restaurant on location.
• 2nd Place Graduate - Go Green Outdoors (UNR)
  Go Green Outdoors, LLC connects people to green culture, green businesses and a green way of life. We are an online resource for green culture news, information and conversation. We provide daily updates of environmental and outdoor recreation news as well as a guide to green products and services.
• 3rd Place Graduate - More Water Company (UNR)
  More Water Company uses Atmospheric Water Generation technology to produce drinking water from the air. The company will produce water regionally to sell into local markets diminishing the reduction of natural resources such as lakes and streams and reducing pollutants caused by transportation.
• Lt. Governor’s Award Winners Graduate Winner - Bio-Grounds LLC (UNR)
  Bio-grounds LLC is turning waste streams to profit streams. Our company uses spent coffee grounds to produce high quality eco-friendly and low cost biodiesel.

In other news, the American Institute of Architects and the Committee on the Environment (COTE) announced the winners of the 2008 top ten best examples of sustainable architecture last week. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to see that nine out of ten winners were academic or learning based projects. History shows that most innovation comes out of the academic environment and more and more students are coming to expect sustainable design as the norm for their environments. Universities are listening and setting the bar for other public projects.

Here is a quick summary and link of the winners’ projects.

• Aldo Leopold Legacy Center - The Kubula Washatko Architects, Inc., Cedarburg, WI
  The Center was envisioned as a small complex of structures organized around a central courtyard. This design provides flexibility in the managing energy use based on program requirements, creates outdoor spaces for work and gathering, and reduces the scale of the buildings on site. The Aldo Leopold Legacy Center is the first building recognized by LEED as carbon-neutral in operation.
• Cesar Chavez Library - Line and Space, LLC, Tucson, AZ
  In order to protect the outdoor and indoor space from the sun’s radiation, the building uses extensive overhangs to create a ‘hat’ in the desert. The scarcity of water led to roof top rainwater collection for irrigation, while water reducing fixtures are used indoors.
• Discovery Center at South Lake Union - The Miller/Hull Partnership, Seattle, WA
  A primary program element for this particular center, alongside numerous other environmental goals, was to create a building and core that could provide adaptable exhibit space, capable of being reconfigured and reused for the presentation of multiple residential neighborhoods throughout the South Lake Union Region over a lengthy period of time.
  
  Photo credit: Lara Swimmer Photography
• Pocono Environmental Education Center - Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Wilkes-Barre, PA
  The building is a flexible, multi-purpose gathering space for dining, meetings, lectures and other environmental learning activities. As part of the site design, native grasses were planted to provide a landscape that is low maintenance and integrates the project into its natural surroundings.
  
  Photo credit: Nic Lehoux
• Garthwaite Center for Science and Art, Cambridge School of Weston Architerra, Inc., Boston, MA
  The facility is designed to advance sustainability, creating an exemplar and educational tool through a design process that engaged the entire community. Fifty-five detailed sustainability goals included renewable energy, no water to be discharged to the local sewer, 100% storm water infiltration on-site, artificial lighting designed to less that one watt per square foot and minimal maintenance for 20 years.
• Lavin-Bernick Center for the University Life-VJAA, Minneapolis, MN
  The exisiting building was stripped to the concrete frame, expanded by 33% and redesigned with a variety of environmental systems. Despite its high ambitions, the project had a modest budget and was completed for $189/sf, fourteen months after Hurricane Katrina. Since then, Tulane sees the project as a new model for sustainable design in New Orleans.
• (only project not academic in nature) Macallen Building Condominiums - Office dA Inc. and Burt Hill Inc., Boston, MA
  In looking to the future, the garden has propelled itself into the front ranks of its field as the first botanical garden in the country devoted to sustainable environmental stewardship. A water channel surrounds the building and weaves through the garden, fed by rainwater that cascades off of the sheltering roof canopy.
• The Nueva School, Hillside Learning Complex - Leddy Maytum
  Stacy Architects, San Francisco, CA
  The 33-acre campus, located in the semi-rural coastal hills of the San Francisco Peninsula, features a thriving coast live oak woodland ecosystem, a variety of dispersed structures and dramatic views of San Francisco Bay. The design is grounded in the desire to integrate straightforward, appropriate and cost-effective sustainable design solutions within the broader language of contemporary architectural expression.
• Yale University Sculpture Building and Gallery - KieranTimberlake Associates LLP, Philadelphia, PA
  Situated on the former brownfield site, the new complex is comprised of three new buildings. To provide maximum daylight and exceptional energy efficiency, a wall system was designed that incorporates solar shading, a triple glazed low-e vision panel, 8-foot high operable windows and a translucent double cavity spandrel panel.
  
  Photo credit: © Peter Aaron, Esto

Keep learning!
Stacey Crowley, Director of Master Planning and Environmental Initiatives - scrowley@kileyranch.net

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