This summer, Alisa and her husband JT, daughter Angel, and Golden Retriever Sugar moved into a new house in Beaverton, Oregon. Unfortunately, she says, a cedar tree in the backyard was lifting the foundation of the garage, so they had to remove it. They used the wood for seating, backyard mulch, and firewood.
Finding the home had no insulation in the basement and very little in the attic, they set about improving their energy efficiency by adding some. Their next step, Alisa says, is adding solar panels.
“We are super excited about being able to lower our carbon footprint,” she says. “We have found you can lease rather than buy the panels, which is a great option for us with little money to spare. Being a home owner is a great responsibility and a great labor of love.”