Electrifying Our Old Oak Park Home #5: EV Road Trippin’

Electrifying Our Old Oak Park Home #5: EV Road Trippin’

This is Part 5 of my series Electrifying Our Old Oak Park Home. Read the rest here.

In August 2024, our family took our first multi-day road trip with our electric car: 1,200 miles from Oak Park, Illinois, to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. We had to do some research for this trip to be a success, so I’m sharing what we learned with you!

#4 Electrifying Our Old Oak Park Home: Appliances

#4 Electrifying Our Old Oak Park Home: Appliances

This is Part 4 of my series Electrifying Our Old Oak Park Home. Read all 4 parts here.

A little over a year ago in April of 2023, we completed the electrification of our house. Since then, I’ve received a lot of interest in this project, was awarded a Green Award by the Village of Oak Park, and was even featured in the Chicago Tribune!

Oak Park's Unity Temple: Preservation Meets Green Innovation

Oak Park's Unity Temple: Preservation Meets Green Innovation

Since Unity Temple’s latest renovation in 2017, led by Harboe Architects, a plethora of modern features, many cleverly hidden from view in columns or ductwork, have coexisted with historic elements. Moreover, a lot of the newfangled improvements—a geothermal heating/cooling system, energy-saving LED lights, upgraded skylights, motion sensors—might even qualify the Temple as a certifiable green structure. Thanks to the geothermal apparatus' connection with the moderate temperatures of the earth, the building is air-conditioned for the first time in its history.

Lean Mean Green Machine

Lean Mean Green Machine

We are thrilled to announce that One Earth Collective and Laurie Casey of COOP are both recipients of the Village of Oak Park’s 2023 Green Awards, recognizing outstanding efforts in sustainability and environmental stewardship in the community.

Full Speed Ahead for Electric Vehicles Despite Hurdles

Full Speed Ahead for Electric Vehicles Despite Hurdles

If you think you're seeing more electric vehicles on your local streets, you are. If you think this constitutes a boon for the EV market, not exactly.

On Nov. 28, the Wall Street Journal reported, some 3,900 U.S. car dealers sent a letter to President Biden seeking relief “from his onerous and unrealistic EV sales mandate.” The dealers say electric vehicles are piling up on their lots. Demand for EVs just isn't keeping up with production.

#3 Electrifying Our Old Oak Park Home: Appliances

#3 Electrifying Our Old Oak Park Home: Appliances

As of this writing, we have installed solar panels on our roof (giving us a source of free renewable electricity), switched out our gas furnace with electric heat pumps, and replaced all gas appliances with electric equivalents in our 100-year-old Oak Park home. We have shut off our gas service and upgraded our car to an electric vehicle (EV), charging it basically for free at home, eliminating our reliance on polluting gasoline with its rising costs.