2008 Woodie Awards
Mother Nature comes home
Diana Nguyen
Issue date: 9/13/07 Section: In Focus
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Green design, also known as eco-design and sustainable design, can be practiced in many different ways, Moniz advised.
For Moniz, living in Davis means heat and sunshine from May to October.
He uses this to his advantage by facing his solar panels in a southern direction in order to gain more sunlight.
This generates about 90 percent of his home's energy.
"Unfortunately, to begin living a green lifestyle, it would cost you a lot of 'green' as well," Moniz said. Of course, that "green" would be money.
"The solar panels alone cost me $30,000. But PG&E gave me rebates for some of the environmentally friendly features of my house as well," Moniz said.
Traditional household products cost roughly 12 percent less than the environmentally friendly ones, according to www.greenlivingonline.org.
In the long run, an environmentalist saves a lot of money and most importantly spares the environment in the process.
Most home appliances and products are made with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that release toxins into the air called "offgassing," which in turn causes headaches. So Moniz opted to choose low- or zero-VOC paints and varnishes in his home.
Offgassing is the evaporation of volatile chemicals in non-metallic materials at normal atmospheric pressure.
This means that building materials can release chemicals into the air through evaporation.
This evaporation can continue for years after the products are initially installed which means people continue to breathe these chemicals as they live in their home or office as explained by www.natureneutral.com.
Moniz's front and backyard are green friendly as well. His yard is drought tolerant, and he has a sectioned off area.
This includes water conserving plants like cacti, native trees, succulents and nectarine trees. Moniz has no lawn or grass, and is currently working on a plan to water harvest next winter.
America uses about 15 times more energy per person than does the typical developing country, according to www.solarenergy.org.
The message Rick Moniz is trying to project is that every single person can make a difference.
"As college students, you should begin thinking about what is becoming of the environment, because it's you and your children's generation that will be suffering in the long run," he said.
"The time has arrived for everyone to make their contribution to healing the earth. You might take a class to learn how to remodel green or you might decide to buy an energy efficient car," Moniz added.
Moniz can be seen as a man that shows hope when there is doubt. When his house burnt down Moniz stood tall and went to work that very day.
And, after two years of careful planning, he rebuilt his home to what it is today.
Moniz proves that, if you put your mind to something, you can make a difference for the environment as well.
Moniz has received local recognition for his efforts, appearing in such magazines as Sac Magazine and Green Sacramento.
For Moniz, living in Davis means heat and sunshine from May to October.
He uses this to his advantage by facing his solar panels in a southern direction in order to gain more sunlight.
This generates about 90 percent of his home's energy.
"Unfortunately, to begin living a green lifestyle, it would cost you a lot of 'green' as well," Moniz said. Of course, that "green" would be money.
"The solar panels alone cost me $30,000. But PG&E gave me rebates for some of the environmentally friendly features of my house as well," Moniz said.
Traditional household products cost roughly 12 percent less than the environmentally friendly ones, according to www.greenlivingonline.org.
In the long run, an environmentalist saves a lot of money and most importantly spares the environment in the process.
Most home appliances and products are made with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that release toxins into the air called "offgassing," which in turn causes headaches. So Moniz opted to choose low- or zero-VOC paints and varnishes in his home.
Offgassing is the evaporation of volatile chemicals in non-metallic materials at normal atmospheric pressure.
This means that building materials can release chemicals into the air through evaporation.
This evaporation can continue for years after the products are initially installed which means people continue to breathe these chemicals as they live in their home or office as explained by www.natureneutral.com.
Moniz's front and backyard are green friendly as well. His yard is drought tolerant, and he has a sectioned off area.
This includes water conserving plants like cacti, native trees, succulents and nectarine trees. Moniz has no lawn or grass, and is currently working on a plan to water harvest next winter.
America uses about 15 times more energy per person than does the typical developing country, according to www.solarenergy.org.
The message Rick Moniz is trying to project is that every single person can make a difference.
"As college students, you should begin thinking about what is becoming of the environment, because it's you and your children's generation that will be suffering in the long run," he said.
"The time has arrived for everyone to make their contribution to healing the earth. You might take a class to learn how to remodel green or you might decide to buy an energy efficient car," Moniz added.
Moniz can be seen as a man that shows hope when there is doubt. When his house burnt down Moniz stood tall and went to work that very day.
And, after two years of careful planning, he rebuilt his home to what it is today.
Moniz proves that, if you put your mind to something, you can make a difference for the environment as well.
Moniz has received local recognition for his efforts, appearing in such magazines as Sac Magazine and Green Sacramento.
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