Special Issues & Guides

Install a Smart Irrigation timer: The latest irrigation technology allows you to program your system to target specific plants and soil types, making it less likely that you'll over water. Some timers can sense moisture levels and precipitation, i.e. no more watering in the rain.
Kill Your Lawn: O.K. put down the blowtorch. We don't mean it literally. But many homes around Central Oregon have an over abundance of turf. Consider scaling back on the bluegrass, expanding natural areas with rock and native plants. Remember, the desert look is right at home in the desert.

I have a confession to make, I'm not composting – at least not in the way that I know that I'm supposed to. I'm mulching my grass and all, but my orange peels and coffee grounds are still going down the drain or into the garbage.
It's not that I'm not aware of the benefits of composting, or that it's too much work. Like most people, I'm just too lazy and cheap to make the initial investment of time and money.
Don't get me wrong, I actually care about the waste I'm putting into the landfill – an issue that was hammered home during a recent visit to said landfill for a story about a new methane gas conversion project.

Save money! Pollute less! You can dramatically improve your home's energy efficiency with these key tips.
Weatherize: Get yourself a caulking gun and some weather stripping and go to town sealing all the little air leaks around windows and doors.

1. Avoid preheating Most modern ovens are so well insulated that preheating isn't as necessary as it used to be. Unless you are baking bread or something very heat sensitive like soufflés, you can generally skip the preheating step, or only preheat for a few minutes.
2. No oven peeking Once food is in the oven, don't open the door. Each time you peek, you risk leaking as much as 50 degrees of heat. Use the oven light instead.
3. Use the right burner for your pan The coil of an electric burner should not extend beyond the bottom of your pan. Flames from a gas burner should not lick the sides of a pot. If these things are happening, you are using more energy than necessary for the pan you are using.

You should be buying local food! When you do, you help ensure that lands in our area will be devoted to food cultivation and protected from more intensive development. And you cut down on food transportation costs that, according to some studies, now account for about 10 percent of the world's carbon emissions.

Water in our area comes from streams and aquifers. Every gallon you use means one less for fish, and one less gallon in our underground reserve for future generations.