I have a cheap, inefficient water heater. Why? When I had the old water heater replaced I wasn't thinking about efficiency. So, the plumber installed an average, natural gas water heater. Buying a new, more efficient water heater can cost at least $500, plus installation. Being a creative and frugal guy (read: cheap) I found a way to upgrade my water heater for only $15.

New Mexico is windy in the spring. The wide open plains of Eastern New Mexico are even windier. Power utilities are putting up wind farms across New Mexico and the Great Plains to take advantage of all of the free wind. One question hasn't been answered yet - Who will operate and maintain these turbines? Mesalands Community College in Tucumcari, NM is establishing the North American Wind Research and Training Center to educate Wind Turbine Technicians to fill that need.

I love living in the Desert Southwest. We have hundred-mile views, low-humidity and 300 days of sunshine per year. But, the other side of all that sunshine is an average of 14 inches of rain per year. Unfortunately, the rains come mostly during the late summer monsoons, not evenly throughout the year. What little rain we do get is precious and worth saving. The easiest way to harvest our irregular, seasonal rains is with rain barrels.

Americans are lucky, or more accurately, fortunate. We are fortunate in the incredible beauty, diversity, wildlife and wilderness that is set aside and preserved by the National Parks Service. My wife and I recently took a week-long tour of National Parks, Monuments and Historic Sites in Colorado, Utah and Arizona. While our trip was short we camped, hiked, explored and absorbed a huge amount of nature, history and culture of the Southwestern US.

New Mexico is stuck in the middle, tied for 25th place with Utah, in the ACEEE 2008 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard. States were rated on eight factors including: Utility and Public Benefits Efficiency Programs and Policies, Transportation, Building Codes, Heat and Power, and Appliance Standards among others. Unfortunately, New Mexico's score of 15 points falls well behind California's score of 50!