Laurie Neverman

Welcome to Common Sense Home, your source for "meaningful green" information. With rising energy prices and all the global warming hype, we've been barraged with pleas to "reduce our carbon footprint" and "live sustainably." Glitzy west coast voices shout out one agenda, hard core "survivalists" shout out another -- where does that leave the average Midwestern middle-income family who are living on a budget and have no desire to pursue an extreme lifestyle? You can make a difference -- one small change at a time -- and FOX 11 and Green Sense will help you do it.

"Green" is what's hot. Around the country, around the world, individuals are moving to embrace an eco-friendly vision. But what does "green" mean? Ask a dozen different people and you'll likely get a dozen different answers. Our perception of how our activities and choices impact us, our families and the world around us is growing by leaps and bounds, and success will come to those who capitalize on that new understanding, both businesses and individuals.

America faces many challenges - we should view them not with fear but with hope and determination. Each and every one of us can make changes in our lives to become less dependent on fossil fuels and other petroleum products, reduce our energy and resource consumption and live healthier lifestyles. We can patronize local businesses and food producers, rebuilding a robust economy and enjoying the freshest possible meals. Lately there have been a number of food scares which we all need to be aware of, but I've always felt that the safest products are the ones the farmers eat themselves. Our local producers do just that.

Visit us each week as we share information on all things green. I'll be talking about seasonal, local produce --where to find it, and recipes -- plus tips on how to grow your own. I'll look at options for green building and remodeling, and share how the choices we've made have worked for us. Greening up the holidays will also be on our list. Nearly every facet of our lives has a "greener" opportunity.

I look forward to sharing the many "lessons learned" on my own sustainable journey through the ever changing world of green, using just plain Common Sense.

Please contact me at laurieneverman@hotmail.com with your green questions and comments.

Biography

I was raised on a Northwest Wisconsin dairy farm where frugality and providing food for the family were a way a life. After earning my BS in Mathematics at UW Superior, I attended graduate school at UW Madison. My time at the UWM Solar Energy Lab gave me my first real taste of the potential of renewable energy. After graduation, I moved to Green Bay, married my college sweeetheart, August, and began work at Public Energy Systems (PES), a local solar thermal contractor. PES played a large part in the Orphan Solar Program, which identified and repaired poorly functioning/non-functioning solar thermal systems around the state. They also operated the world's largest flat plate collector solar thermal array. Unfortunately, circumstances change, natural gas was cheap for a time, and the array was torn down. At this point I was also expecting my first child, and so I came home to be a fulltime mom. Baby one was flowed by baby two, my beautiful boys, August and Duncan, whom I now homeschool.

We spent nine years in the suburbs of Green Bay where we cultivated not only a large vegetable and flower gardens as well as fruits and culinary herbs. The boys were able to graze their way around the yard. In 2005, we relocated to 35 acres in Kewaunee County, where we designed and built our Wisconsin Green Built and Energy Star certified home. The home has an array of "green" features, from passive solar design and Insulated Concrete Form construction to an attached greenhouse and built in root cellar, to handicap accessibility and environmentally friendly interior elements.

The large organic gardens contain over 100 varieties of fruits and vegetables, most of which are heirlooms. We freeze, water bath can, pressure can, dry, and ferment to preserve food, and use the root cellar, cool storage, cold frames, and green house to extend the harvest without additional energy inputs. Every year we open up our home during the American Solar Energy Society's Solar Tour of Homes in October. You may also visit year round by appointment.

I'm a mom, a researcher and an occasional "gastronaut", and have written for a number of local and national publications including Taste of Home and Countryside magazines, The Healthy Independent and Healthy Thoughts. I welcome your questions and comments. Together we can all live a little cleaner, a little greener and make this world a better place.