If you had been in Washington D.C.  in the past few weeks, you would have seem some very hopeful houses popping up like mushrooms on the Mall.  Unlike mushrooms, these structures thrive on light.

Every two years the U.S. Department of Energy hosts a Solar Decathlon where college teams design and guild energy efficient houses powered by the sun.

University-led teams step forward with their ideas of what the future might look like.

I feel connected to this event because my architect visted the very first Solar Decathlon, and I’m sure some subconscious influences are going to be manifesting themselves in the house we build next year.

I also feel tired and stiff tonight, having hauled more than half a ton of water out of our pond today and poured it on the roots of our recently transplanted trees (see my post Pines and Cedars Make their Move).

So, I invite you to visit Della Hansmann’s blog Dwelling Places to read more:

Solar Decathlon: First Light 

Lunar Anniversaries and Solar Decathlons .