Saving His Corner of the Earth

Photo: Mike Mashall Photography

NINETEEN-YEAR PASADENA RESIDENT JULES DERVAES and his family own a vintage 1917 home on Cypress Avenue. But despite his old-fashioned abode, Mr. Dervaes has his mind on the future.

“For many years, I’ve been conscious about the environment and what we should do to reduce, reuse and recycle all the waste we create everyday,” he said. “I strongly believe that although I may not be able to change the world, I can at least change my ‘footprint’ on this earth.”

This commitment to the environment led Dervaes straight to PWP’s energy and water conservation programs and he’s been a steady customer ever since. Most recently, he gained a little energy-saving shade for his home – not to mention an unlimited supply of guacamole – when he purchased two avocado trees through PWP’s Cool Trees Program. He has ripped out his lawn and replaced it with drought-tolerant and edible plants, secured a composter from the city for his organic garden, uses energy-efficient light bulbs and, spurred by PWP rebate offers, installed two new water-saving toilets. Now he’s planning to install solar panels on his rooftop.

Dervaes has earned additional PWP rebates for purchasing several EnergyStar energy-saving appliances as well as a high-efficiency, water-saving washing machine for his 1,500-square-foot home.

“Our electricity bill is considerably less than in previous years,” he reports. “In 2000 we were using an average of 10.6 kilowatt hours per day and now we average 6.8 kilowatt hours. Without PWP’s rebate program, we may never have upgraded our equipment; but with the extra incentive, we felt we could afford to buy EnergyStar products and replace old appliances,” said Dervaes. “But our participation wasn’t limited to just saving money. To us, it was one more step toward reducing the strain on our limited resources. We are very appreciative of the city’s efforts to assist us in making our world a greener (and cooler) place.”

Follow his lead! Call PWP’s AnswerLine today at 744-6970 or visit www.PWPweb.com to learn about our money-saving rebate programs.

Keep Your Green Thumb Dry

WITH ITS DRY, MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE, Southern California wasn’t meant to be covered with rolling green lawns and thirsty gardens. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, outdoor irrigation drinks up 7.8 billion gallons of water each year – about 30% of our nation’s water use. A typical Pasadena lawn uses 10,000 gallons of water a year.

Through PWP’s free Home Gardeners’ Water Conservation Workshops, you can learn how to grow a beautiful garden that thrives on little or no water.

Saturday classes will be held at Eaton Canyon Nature Center, 1750 N. Altadena Dr. and Wednesday classes will be at La Casita del Arroyo, 177 S. Arroyo Blvd.

Here’s the line-up for 2004:

Photo: GardenSoft

Call PWP’s AnswerLine at 744-6970 to reserve your spot. 

Promoting Conservation is an Art

TWO YOUNG PASADENA ARTISTS are helping to spread the word about water conservation. Posters by Polytechnic Elementary School fourth-grader Gwen Hicks and Sharon Zhu, a fourth-grade Pasadena resident who attends school in Alhambra, will be featured in the Metropolitan Water District’s 2004 Water is Life Calendar.

During a contest this fall coordinated by MWD, PWP and Armory Center for the Arts, local students were invited to use paints, crayons, markers, pencils, watercolors, chalk, cut paper or fabric to create masterpieces promoting water conservation. Armory Center for the Arts also invited local children to create artwork as part of its studio programs. Gwen’s and Sharon’s work was selected from more than 130 entries received from 23 water utilities throughout Southern California.

In addition to creating a colorful calendar with the theme “20 Years of Education,” PWP and MWD will use the 41 winning pieces in a traveling art show, at events and in posters, T-shirts, postcards and more, giving credit to the students and their schools. Watch for copies of the calendar early next year..

Cool Weather Savings

COOL WINTER WEATHER WILL SOON CREEP INTO YOUR HOME. You can stay warm, conserve energy and save money with these tips from Pasadena Water and Power.

• Properly installed insulation provides a thermal blanket around your home, which is the single most effective way of conserving energy (R-30 is recommended for ceilings and R-19 for walls).
• Weatherstrip your doors, windows and anywhere air leaks in or out.
• Set your thermostat to 68 degrees during the day and to 55 degrees at night.
• Is your thermostat reliable? Check your thermostat to make sure that it is functioning properly.
• Clean or replace filters regularly to keep the unit running efficiently.
• Fix defective plumbing or dripping faucets, which can waste significant water and energy.
• Replace incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). CFLs produce the same quality of light, last up to eight times longer and use up to 75 percent less energy.
• Don’t block vents or heating units with furniture or drapes.
• Use appliances such as dishwashers and clothes dryers only when they are full.
• Check for air leaks in all ductwork.
• Close window coverings at night to limit heat loss; open them during the day to let sunshine in.
• When the fireplace is not in use, keep the flue damper closed.

For more information, visit www.PWPweb.com or call PWP’s AnswerLine at 744-6970.