Diana DeRubertis

<p>This Labor Day weekend, Southern California is facing an extreme heat wave, with temperatures soaring well above 100 degrees. Air conditioners have to work overtime to keep indoor temperatures near 80, and California power resources are operating at near capacity. As condominiums bake in the sun (as they do most of the year around here), there is not a solar panel in sight. <br /><br />While we are still waiting for renewable energy, a few simple measures could lead to big residential power savings. Enter the laundry line, one of the oldest and most practical ways to use solar energy. Electric clothes dryers not only require vast amounts of fossil fuel-derived power, they also pour heat into living spaces and strain cooling systems. <br />

<p>In an <a href="http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/transportation/4219981.html" target="_blank">editorial</a> posted yesterday in <em>Popular Mechanics</em>, national security expert Stephen Flynn argues that Americans are relying on decades-old infrastructure intended for a much smaller passenger and vehicle load. </p>

<p>I’ve confirmed that it is possible to take public transportation to the most suburban of suburban locations: the outlet mall.

<p> It’s great that global warming is finally getting its day in the media spotlight. But with all the buzz about c<em>arbon footprints </em>and <em>carbon offsets</em>, I wonder whether the average American now believes that carbon dioxide is the only pollutant that we need to worry about? <br />

<p>Locating residential development closer to city centers comes with a price: increased exposure to air pollutants.