PacificSD - Pacific San Diego Magazine

OUTDOOR
green
(Continued from Page 48)
Condo owners and renters might
consider windowsill gardening.
“If you don’t want to have to
bend over to pick your vegetables,
you can just pick them out of a
small box that sits on top of a sill or
hangs off a wall,” Probus says. “It’s
just easier.”
Though windowsill gardens are
good for smaller vegetation, Probus
says people should realize their
tomatoes and peppers may not reach
the same size as they might outdoors.
walterandersen.com,
victorygardenssandiego.com
Loren Nancarrow
Tips for starting a
vegetable garden
• Plant in the sunniest portion
of the yard
• Replace or enrich existing
soil with compost
• Choose plants appropriate for
the season
• Purchase or construct a
raised vegetable box
• Add a drip irrigation system
Vegetables to plant in March:
cabbage, carrots, beans,
zucchini, pumpkins, melons,
some tomatoes
Summer vegetables: Tomatoes,
chilies, corn, cucumbers and
peppers
Winter vegetables: Broccoli,
cauliflower, spinach and kale
STAR POWER
Lean, ‘green’ residential machine runs on rays
P
eder Norby is a homeowner with an
amazing view—and vision.
His 4,600-square-foot, Prairiestyle
estate in Carlsbad, which
overlooks Agua Hedionda Lagoon,
generates enough solar electricity to
power his home and a BMW Mini-E electric car.
The San Diego County planning commissioner
averages about 17,000 miles per year.
Norby recently drove to Hollywood for
the premiere of BMW’s new social media
documentary series, in which he and his car are
featured. The trek, at speeds of up to 80 miles per,
was made purely on sunshine.
Each day at about 8 a.m., the electric meter on
Norby’s home begins to spin backwards, meaning he
is generating more power than he is consuming—
making the structure what he considers one of the
few “net zero homes” in the country.
“We’re actually giving the grid the energy when
it needs it, during peak hours,” he says. “If more
people do that, less power plants will be built.”
After rebates and federal tax credits, Norby
spent about $30,000 on solar panels, an amount
that will be paid off in less than three years
through the energy he is saving.
Though his home was built before singlefamily
residential homes qualified for Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
certification, he received an award through the
California Center for Sustainable Energy, which
administers the state’s solar rebate program.
Unlike fossil fuel, which requires energy to
extract, refine and transport, the sun beats directly
down on Norby’s home, and is not subject to
inflation or market manipulation.
“You’re self-reliant and providing your own
energy from a renewable source,” he says. “It’s just
much more efficient all the way down the supply
chain—and there are no emissions at the tailpipe.
It’s just a beautiful thing.”
heronshouse.com
48 pacificsandiego.com { March 2011}