SFGail's Profile

I think you forgot the most profitable one.

By nature, weeds are plants that overtake other plants, specifically natives. If you're afraid that some of the plants in the lot are rarer natives (unlikely) I would suggest doing some research and identifying the plants. If they're just weeds--prevalent plants--it's not going to ruin the environment to replace them with other plants. However, weeds usually spread their seeds really well, and if you do use the soil, you will probably be pulling those weeds out again and again. Planting some native is a great idea, specifically if they are host plants to rarer insects, animals, etc.

Move to San Francisco!

I recommend using the grill as much as possible. For me, first off, it means my husband will share in the labor because he's the grill guy. It's also good because it frees up kitchen real estate, and you don't have to clean a pot or pan.

Well I don't have a matrix, but I do know that NO ONE needs a 3000 square foot home.

Thanks for all of the comments, too bad we didn't make it into the finals! To answer your questions...
The skylights are made by Velux and were installed by my husband and a roofer. We've never had any problem with them (they close automatically if it rains), and they're wonderful. The large blue artwork is by a SF artist/photographer named John Chiara. Each work is made in a trailer sized camera and is unique. We do have a TV, which is on a danish wall unit which is against the wall that you can't see in the photos in the great room. There is a rain chain outside the shed (but I don't know what a water butt is), and the cabinets are cherry veneer.
Thanks so much for all of the compliments, it made our day!

Frozen foods take a LOT of energy to produce. Chances are that carton had to be shipped in a freezer truck from miles away, then kept in the freezer in the store for a while. The packaging is also energy absorbent, as is the processing of the food. It's better to buy a pizza at your local pizzeria (if you have one) and give the local business a boost.

Sorry I don't buy it. Just because someone can do something doesn't mean they should. Honestly, that's what being green is all about, doing things because they make sense, not because you can afford something else. And NOT because you're looking for the latest chic ecogreen status symbol.

I have enough money to buy plastic plates and utensils every day of my life and never wash a single dish. Even if I was using special bamboo recyclable plates this would be a waste. The planet cannot sustain such lavish uses of resources. Period. The people that insist on wasting them like this are killing us all, because they can. It's not until we get indignant and start passing some laws against it that things will change. Wake up y'all!

Riverbed, please!

I'm not sure any large home built in the Oakland Hills is sustainable. The land is prone to fires, earthquakes and landslides. Sometimes I think this Leed certification is just a name, like Gucci, or Prada--something for the elite to attain as a status symbol.