Rick Solinsky - Website Content Manager
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From an early age I have been interested in alternative building and sustainability.
Roughly 8 years ago, Nancy Richards- the originator of the Truckee Solar Home Tour, gave the reins of her tour to Scott Terrell and myself to try to continue with her successes with it.
The Solar Home Tour evolved to the Energy Smart Home Tour and then was adopted by the Sierra Green Building Association to become the Truckee Green Building Tour.
Five years ago, one of our volunteers Mayumi Elgado- who had publishing experience offered to put together a published Green Building Guide for our tour. This new guide gave the tour a sense of polish and was a hit from day one.
In 2006 we broadened the horizons of the guide and made it into a more regional guide, with case studies represented in Northern Nevada, in the North Lake Tahoe /Truckee area and to the west of us towards Nevada City. The new guide was a smashing success.
Green building and sustainability are now buzz words which have moved into the mainstream media (its about time!) I have made efforts with my own home to try to minimize my impact on the environment by installing my own renewable energy system.
My Truckee home currently has a 5Kw PV set up- coupled with a 2500w Proven Turbine and it is set up as a grid tie system with a 1750 amp hour battery storage. I also have a solar domestic hot water system and a solar-hydronically heated hobby greenhouse.
The thought of providing access to huge amounts of green building information and educating the public towards green and sustainability has been my driving force for years- although my main interests tend to focus on finding ways of creating comfortable non-traditional affordable housing (ever tried to afford a "starter" home in Truckee? If you have no clue , you are in for a shock!)
I love living in Truckee- it is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. On day 2 of any vacation we take away from here.... all my wife and I want to do is to come home. Life in Truckee truly is magical. I cannot begin to consider living anywhere else.
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