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Solar Decathlon 2007

Podcasts: Sponsor Blue Egg's Coverage (Text Version)

Below is the text version of the podcast episode recorded by Blue Egg's Alison Hockenberry. Visit the Solar Decathlon Podcasts section to subscribe to the podcast or download individual audio files.

Cheryl Dahle:

Welcome to the Blue Egg podcast for the 2007 Solar Decathlon. My name is Cheryl Dahle and I'm the west coast bureau chief for the online magazine Blue Egg. I'm here today with our health and home editor Alison Hockenberry to talk about Blue Egg's coverage of the Solar Decathlon. Welcome Alison.

Alison Hockenberry:

Hi, how are you?

CD:

I'm doing well thanks. How are you?

AH:

Great!

CD:

So Alison, you're on location there, where the Solar Decathlon is about to kick off. Tell us a little bit about what's in store for everyone and how this event will begin tonight.

AH:

Well, we're awaiting the arrival of the 20 teams who are going to kick off the construction phase of this tonight at midnight and they will get a ready-set-go and race to their sites and begin building their houses. They have eight days and we're going to be here documenting the whole thing. We've been meeting with the organizers of the Solar Decathlon, and there's a great deal of enthusiasm and excitement, particularly because there's so much interest among the public and the mainstream media about this event and about green building and green living in general.

CD:

And to what do organizers attribute that increased interest this year?

AH:

Well, I think just the issues of global warming and the environment are on everyone's radar. Certainly it's in part due to the actual events of what is happening around the world. There was news today about the polar ice cap melting more than scientists had anticipated. Films like Al Gore's movie, and just a general feeling that there's something that could be done to help conserve our natural resources and save our planet. People, I think, are looking for information and inspiration about how to do that.

CD:

For those who are looking at building homes or are maybe interested in how a green outlook affects their lives, how does Solar Decathlon offer them some solutions or some ideas?

AH:

The Solar Decathlon homes are actually designed to be practical examples of things that can be achieved right now for people who are not only building homes, but even just renovating or making small changes in their homes. The students who are building the homes have a very clear directive to do things that may seem a little bit forward-thinking and are, but are also practicable things that can be done right now. Many of them are using products and appliances and features that you can find at a typical home-improvement store.

CD:

So the idea of practical solutions is kind of at the core of what we're about at the online magazine BlueEgg.com. Talk a little bit about why Blue Egg decided to do this partnership and sponsor the Solar Decathlon.

AH:

Blue Egg most definitely shares a vision with the Solar Decathlon. We both seek to inspire and inform people about how possible it is to live in a way that's a bit more mindful of the environment and do it in style, and do it without sacrificing convenience, or spending a lot of money. I think the people involved in Blue Egg and the Solar Decathlon all feel that it's not only possible, but it's happening. This event and the students involved in designing and building the homes are terrific inspiring examples of how we can achieve things in our everyday lives that will help the environment.

CD:

Let's talk a little bit about what folks can expect from the Blue Egg coverage of the Solar Decathlon.

AH:

What Blue Egg hopes to do in a broad way is to channel the inspiration that visitors to the Solar Decathlon village will feel after they've toured the homes and help them to act on it. You know, it's not always easy to know how to get started on a path to a more eco-friendly lifestyle and many of us have the very best of intentions, but we're busy and we may need some guidance or some suggestions—even some encouragement. I know I do. So Blue Egg is going to be here to answer the questions that people have after they experience the Solar Decathlon, such as, "What can I do?" "Where can I get these products?" "How can I do this in my own home?" So, to that end, first off we'll be doing a very fun video project in which we'll be doing daily updates about what's happening on the Washington Mall with the homes and the visitors coming to see them. We'll be interviewing the teams and we'll be touring the homes and talking to experts about, again, what are practical solutions that people are seeing that they can use in their own lives?

We'll also have on our Solar Decathlon mini-site on BlueEgg.com a product directory. One of the most popular questions visitors have after visiting the Solar Decathlon is, "Where can I get that?" They'll see terrific features inside these homes and want to get them for themselves. Blue Egg is going to help do that through our product directory.

CD:

I understand as well that, along with the Solar Decathlon coverage, that Blue Egg under your leadership is going to be putting up a lot of home information and tips and information that's geared toward how you would green your house that's not strictly related to solar energy. Can you talk a little bit more about what that's going to look like?

AH:

Blue Egg's got lots of practical suggestions and tips, whether what you care most about is saving energy or saving money or conserving the planet's natural beauty, or keeping your home healthy, we have all sorts of surprisingly easy suggestions on ways to do things, such as improving your home's indoor air quality, finding eco-friendly home furnishings in stores where you're probably already shopping so you don't have to go out of your way. Ultimately Blue Egg wants to make it as easy and fun as possible to make the small changes that are going to make a big difference to the environment. We have buyer's guides to help people find the most energy-efficient appliances and gadgets, and we have daily tips that can give you simple ideas for small shifts of habit you can take on in your own life to feel better about how you're contributing to the health of the environment.

CD:

And one of the more fun features that you've put together is something that's called You're already green, which is kind of fun and surprising because a lot of people think that if they are going to become greener and live more sustainably it involves a huge amount of effort or extra expenditure or a shift in thinking, when actually a lot of things that they're already doing fit under this category. So, talk a little bit more about what that feature is about.

AH:

Yeah, absolutely. I think a lot of us are already doing things that we should feel really good about, but we all need a little positive reinforcement now and then and BlueEgg.com is going to help point out the things that we're all doing already or maybe doing already that are already a bit green. For example, fixing a leaky faucet—that's green. We'll explain why and we'll show you how to go just a little bit greener if you'd like to. Other examples of things that most of us do that are already green are drinking tap water, pulling your shades down to keep the sunlight out of your home. Small things like this I think we all like to know what we're doing that's helpful already and would love to know a little tidbit that would help us take it a step further. So that's what we do.

CD:

Thanks Alison. Is there anything else that you want to add about what our coverage is going to look like or things people should look for at BlueEgg.com?

AH:

Well, I think every day there's something new on Blue Egg and most of it we hope will be something that you'll want to share with your friends and family and pass the word along. We think that every small step is important and if we all take small steps together, it's a big giant step and we'd like everyone to join up.

CD:

Thanks very much. Thanks Alison for making time and thank you for listening to the Blue Egg podcast. Feel free to go to BlueEgg.com and sign up for our weekly newsletter and to get more daily tips to learn how to live more greenly.