I’m one to talk; here in Washington it’s seriously sweater weather. Kind of chilly. For the rest of you, here are some beat the heat ideas that can help your house and you stay cool without blasting the AC. And no, none of them involve you surprising me with a visit here in WA. I’m not up for cleaning the bathroom for company.

Turn on the bathroom vent fan. This allows that warm shower air to escape. If all you’ve got is a bathroom window, take an early morning shower, or late evening shower, and open the window.  You could also …read more

IslandWood is a very different kind of camp. Located inside a 255-acre nature preserve in Bainbridge Island, Washington, this environmental learning center was Washington state’s first LEED Gold project.
What’s so special about it? Visitors can explore a bog, marsh, pond, stream, large ravine with suspension bridge, and a harbor — all among a beautiful second-growth forest with lots of plant and animal life.
The buildings at the six-acre, 18-building campus are designed to be extremely earth-friendly and to blend with the environment as much as possible. Features include composting toilets (they don’t stink!) and photovoltaic roof panels (a solar technology).
IslandWood provides …read more