"Living like Ed" by Ed Begley Jr. is a good introduction to green living

"Living Like Ed- a guide to the Eco-Friendly Life" is an intelligent, understandable, introduction to the basics of sustainable living written by Ed Begley, Jr. and growing out of the HGTV series "Living with Ed".

The book is a tour through Ed's life with explanations and suggestions on how to become more efficient in housing, transportation, recycling, energy, garden, kitchen, clothing and skin care.

With just enough statistics to back up claims and sidebars by knowledgeable people, the book does a good job. Ed is no dilettante. He has experimented and implemented his ideas.

"Living with Ed" is among many books on green and sustainable subjects available free of charge from the San Antonio Public Library. Be sure to check them out and reserve a copy on line at the library website.

CHECK IT OUT - - "Water in Texas" by Andrew Sansom

This small 319 page volume, "Water in Texas" by Andrew Sansom, former executive director of the Texas Parks and Wildlife department and current director of the Rivers Systems Institute at Texas State University is a survey of Texas watersheds, water law and water issues.

Richly illustrated in color and printed on thick stock, this book is slightly too large for a pocket, and not a field guide. Rather it is a book for any Texan interested in water whether for recreation, protection of habitat or for consumption.

It is currently available as a new book at the San Antonio Central Library, and may be reserved on line. The library pays attention to which books are borrowed, so when you check it out you are increasing the chance that more books like it will be added to the colllection.

CHECK IT OUT! "Greasy Rider"-by Greg Melville, Two dudes one fry-oil -powered car, and a cross country search for a greener future

Among the new books at the San Antonio Public Library is "Greasy Rider"-by Greg Melville. Published in 2008, this is a road trip memoir of Greg and his buddy's adventures and misadventures as they travel across America in a worn out 1985 Mercedes converted to run on vegetable oil. Instead of taking their oil with them in a tank trailer, they set off with the goal of collecting oil from restaurants (and restaurant dumpsters) along the way.

In a fun, self-depreciating way Gregg describes what lead him to his long drive and explains what he learned about alternative fuel.

You can reserve this book online for free at the San Antonio Library website. By checking out these sorts of books we can encourage them to add similar titles to the library collection, and we can all save money for other things like workshops and energy efficient upgrades.

Austin's Rhizome Collective offers vision and methods of sustainable city living.

The Rhizome Collective was recently evicted by Austin code enforcement officials from the building they'd occupied and transformed since the year 2000. Their warehouse home featured wind power, rainwater catchment, aquaculture and a lush permaculture food forest.

In 2008 they published, Toolbox for Sustainable City Living, A Do-it-Ourselves Guide by Stacy Pettigrew and Scott Kellogg. Illustrated by Juan Martinez and Beth Ferguson .

From Radicalsustainability.org:
The Toolbox for Sustainable City Living is a DIY guide for creating locally-based, ecologically sustainable communities in today's cities. Its straightforward text, vibrant illustrations and accessible diagrams explain how urbanites can have local access and control over life's essential resources: food production, water security, waste management, autonomous energy, and bioremediation of toxic soils. Written for people with limited financial means, the book emphasizes building these systems with cheap, salvaged and recycled materials when possible. This book will be an essential tool for transitioning into a sustainable future threatened by the converging trends of global warming and energy depletion.

SASL member Joe Barfield writes" It has taken me around the corner in terms of a practical understanding of how much I can influence my immediate environment and destiny. "

He has pointed out links to interviews with Pettigrew and Kellogg.

Sustainable Building Conversations with People Involved with Sustainable Buildings.

Personal is Political: Toolbox for Sustainable City Living

Joe's favorite Kellogg recording is available on iTunes. It was recorded at Washington College in Chestertown Maryland, March 22, 2009. Toolbox for Sustainable Living, Scott Kellogg Cofounder of the Rhizone Collective. Album: Center for Environment and Society.

You can also download a short video about their clean-up a brown field site in Austin.

CHECK IT OUT- - Glorious Mud! by Gus W Van Beek. Ancient and Contemporary Earthen Design.

In "CHECK IT OUT" posts we'll spotlight books on green subjects available at our own San Antonio Public Library. First up is "Glorious Mud" by Gus W. Van Beek with Ora Van Beek. This 500 page book, profusely illustrated with black and white photos, documents the investigations of the former curator for anthropology at the National Museum of Natural History into earth built buildings the world over.

Unlike other books on natural construction this book also looks into the ancient history of earth buildings. This is not a how-to book, it is more of a survey of earth building methods and their history. It might well serve as an inspiration to a modern builder to see the multi-storied mud brick buildings of Yemen or the the rammed earth houses of Germany. To hear that the longest lasting structures of ancient Egypt were made of mud might be give confidence to someone interested in rammed earth building today. Though Mr. Van Beek suggests at one point that perhaps "adobe" would be a more attractive word to use than "mud".

Ora Van Beek, travelling with her husband, was able to gain access to the female only interior quarters in muslim countries which her husband could not, this gives a new insight into daily life in present day Pakistan and elsewhere.

The sustainable building enthusiast will find much to enjoy in this book and will come away with a much broader understanding of the many methods of using earth for building. If only the pictures were in color. Black and white photos do not do justice to the beauty of these buildings.

This book is currently in the New Books section of the Central Library. It was given to the library in honor of Library Foundation board member, Lamar Spencer. Considering the book sells on Amazon for $99.95 checking it out free from the library is quite a bargain. You can even reserve it online.

Glorious mud!; ancient and contemporary earthen design and construction in North Africa, Western Europe, the Near East, and Southwest Asia.
560 pages, Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press (December 28, 2007)
ISBN-10: 0978846001, SBN-13: 978-0978846008

San Antonio Roger Rasbach Mansion for sale (with pictures) (Post updated 12/2010)

(As of December 2010 this realtor still has the photos up and apparently it is still for sale.  With that beautiful little lake why doesn't the city buy it and make a beautiful park just where it is needed!).

Several years ago Roger Rasbach spoke at SAC and many members of our group were able to attend. In the 1950's and early 1960's his designs were frequently featured in House Beautiful, including several homes built in San Antonio. His homes at that time were classic mid-century modern with many features we would consider elements of green building today, including careful siting, passive solar, use of local materials and use of natural ventilation.

A 1961 San Antonio mansion of his design is currently for sale. This allows us to take a peek at it by way of the realtor's site.  Of course if you can talk your way into a tour of the $1,600,000 six thousand square foot, 5 bedroom 7 1/2 bath then that's another option.

Though the house near Callaghan and Vance Jackson has been renovated and changed quite a bit inside you can still see the exposed roof rafters, open floor plan, generous use of glass and local stone that marked his designs at the time.

Mr. Rasbach passed away July 30, 2003. Throughout his career he continued to develop his ideas. He became a pioneer of green building. His book "The Provident Planner" published in 1976 contrasted the improvident wasteful, inefficient and hard to maintain with the provident. He showed how to transform an improvident home into a provident one.


His newly built  Provident Homes included Thermasave SIPS for insulation and steel framing to deter termites.

December 2010 Addition.
This post is getting some hits this month perhaps due to the offer for sale of a 1965 Rasbach home in  Rollingwood Texas.

So I thought I'd add a little bit to it off the top of my head.

I'm no Rasbach expert but I did hear him speak, look at some of his House Beautiful designs and read the Provident Planner. Advertisement for the Provident Planner in Texas Monthly via Google Books.


To my knowledge, Mr. Rasbach's designs from the beginning to the early 1970's seem to have included lots of glass in a typical Mid-Century style.  His rule of thumb for a Provident Home though was that it should have l0% or less fenestration, which is a far cry from his early work.

He advocated built in furniture, which is in line with his modernist background.  He argued that built ins made for easier cleaning.  Ease of cleaning is also why he advocated wide baseboards and door casements.  He suggested that light switches be placed in the woodwork surrounding doors because such glossy painted surfaces would be easier to clean of the inevitable finger prints.

He didn't like the idea of people taking time out of their lives to paint and repaint walls.  

His advice on flooring differed from today's green architects.  While he advocated for permanence in driveways, he did not seek permanent interior flooring. (He wanted permanent concrete drives rather than temporary asphalt ones.)

Inside he suggested that a sacrificial surface be used in high traffic areas.  Vinyl or rubber floors in the kitchen and hallways which could be replaced as needed while providing an easy to clean and relatively soft surface was his suggestion.