I had been aware of how much watering all these flowers was adding to the water bill, but never really thought there was something that could be done about it. This weekend I found an article about collecting rainwater. I thought about it for a minute and couldn't quite comprehend how exactly one does this. Yet, even a small city townhouse the amount of water that goes onto the roof and down the spout would seem considerable. Placing a (covered) plastic barrel at the bottom of your downspout with an overflow hole or hose at the top would likely allow the collection of enough water to at least keep the plants watered. These systems could also help in seperating rain water from sewer water in a city that has only one line in most of it.

Collecting rainwater isn't new of course. I remember a house on Ohio River Boulevard that had a large barrel in the attic that held a water supply before the days of indoor plumbing. A windmill ran a pump that sent the rainwater collected to the attic. A large underground cavern held the rainwater. "Rainbarrels" were also commonplace yard "ornaments" before the days of indoor plumbing.

I haven't tried this yet and I don't have a good idea of where one can buy a large plastic barrel locally. There are a number on this web site starting at about $109.00 plus shipping. If anyone knows where to purchase a rainbarrel locally or has a rainwater-collecting system, please let me know.

The Wall Street Journal recently publiched an article about green building running head into historic preservation. I have two basic thoughts on this. First, you don't have to get carried away with either, and second, like historic preservation, green living is a mindset rather than a strict set of guidelines that must be adhered to.

Regarding the article the author fails to consider that restoration itself is a green practice because it involves recycling and hey, you can have a much greater impact recycling a home than you can a plastic bottle. More, in the case of townhomes, I would be an uninsulated townhome attached on two sides could use less energy per square foot that a fully insulated house with five sides (roof) exposed. Its also about the size of your living space. An uninsulated smaller space will use less energy than a green palace that's way oversized.

Saving energy is great, but I don't think we need to get really crazy with the energy-saving stuff. Putting windmills in the yard, solar panels on the roof and collecting rainwater is nice, but doing the little things, insulating the attic and filling cracks matters most. There's a diminishing return when you go too far beyond that. Remember by living in an old house instead of a new one you're already keeping alot of debris out of a landfill.

I had replaced some of the windows in my home, and while they aren't bad now I wish I hadn't. I wasn't aware of the alternatives available then, and as the article points out there are even more available now. A company called Jeld-wen will create a new sash for old frames that's insulated. A local company called Allied Millworks will also build a sash to fit an old frame. No, in terms of energy-efficiency, they might not be as good as replacement windows with frames, but in terms of historic preservation they're not as good as old single-pane windows with wavy glass.

They are a good way to embrace two worthwhile fields of thought.

Western Pennsylvania and Ohio dominate a new list of the most affordable towns to live in. This ranking doesn't deal with cities specifically. Smaller communities near Pittsburgh include Penn Hills, West Mifflin and Brentwood. Maple Heights, Ohio
outside Cleveland also made the list as did towns in New York State and Michigan. My advice? Why live in Penn Hills when the City of Pittsburgh is so affordable? As Ed Koch once asked, "Have you ever lived in the suburbs? It's wasting your life."

Buffalo, New York was the destination on a recent day trip. Driving towards Buffalo from Erie, Pa is a treat. Traveling along a small road line with grape fields and early Nineteenth Century houses, one is confronted with our rural past. Its easy to enjoy the untouched countryside not marred by Wal-Marts and gas stations. I have not yet been to upstate New York specifically to visit vineyards, but I look forward to it. I've been to Buffalo several times before, crawled through the abandoned Central Terminal and gander ed at the magnificent city hall. Buffalo has beautiful architecture, but it's missing life--at least life downtown. I didn't notice much condo construction and old buildings in the central city are still being demolished. Central Terminal may be secure, but its still quiet.

I'm not writing this to Buffalo-bash, but I couldn't help but think Buffalo doesn't have much when compared to Pittsburgh. I think compared to a lot of similar cities, ours has undergone an unparalleled transformation. I would like to say that Buffalo has just as much to work with (as Pittsburgh) and is well worth exploring as a trip destination or a place to relocate to.

On the way back my friend and I stopped in Erie, PA for lunch. Now here's a nice center surrounded by "blah." The drive in is enough to make most travelers hit the pedal for the highway. Stay with it, the downtown has a number of early buildings, an attractive art museum, a great train station and some town squares. What it needs is building context and more streetscapes that aid the walkability. Hey Erie, build, build, build. Fill in the empty spaces!!! There's a lot in the right place to work with here too.

There's a parking space for sale in Manhattan right now, and priced at $225,000 and there's a waiting list. I'm not sure what all we can read into this-- a further indication that the gap between rich and poor in the U.S. is growing? Support for the idea that the super rich are congregating along the coasts (where they just might be moving into the path of global-warming related storms and flooding)? I don't know too many people, here in Pittsburgh anyway, who paid more than $225,000 for their home. I'd place the value of a parking spot here at around $5,000 in most neighborhoods. I'm sure there are plenty of people, even in Manhattan, who shake their heads wondering just who can plop down $225,000 on a parking spot. It's a good thing that most people in Manhattan don't need cars or parking.

Also, One of my clients sent along a quote from a recent Newsweek editorial, not about expensive parking spaces in Manhattan, but another obnoxious indulgence, monster houses. Quoting Robert H. Frank's new book, Falling Behind
.

rising affluence condemns us to self-defeating consumption contests. People want ever-bigger homes, because their friends have ever-bigger homes. But the extra pleasure of owning these grander homes is muted, because (yes) all our friends have them, too. Meanwhile, the added debt to buy the house may make us more anxious; and we may regret sacrificing some leisure-working harder to buy the bigger home.

Greater individual wealth does not bring greater collective welfare. Moving farther out into suburbia for a bigger home increases traffic congestion and our commutes. Roads grow more clogged, pollution worsens. We engage in behaviors that are smart for one, dumb for all.

more here