This video talks about how window awnings can greatly help cool your home.

Another thing I want to add is that window awnings can protect windows. We get pretty big hail here, and (wood or aluminum) awnings can save your window glass.

When seeing the colorful buildings commonly found in coastal communities, people say things like “the street looks cheerful.”

Psychologically, having positive associations to colors makes sense. A forest full of color means it is flourishing and full of resources for us humans.

Burano, Venice, Italy. Calle di Ghiando

In comparison, a modern building might get descriptions like “it looks sleek” or “it looks futuristic,” but nothing to do with possitive associations. The buildings are almost completely restricted to greys, blacks, and whites, and tend to be boxy with a lot of sharp edges.

Calgary, Alberta(Canada)

They are the buildings that are common where I live, and in the winter when the sky is cloudy and snow covers the ground, the only color you might see are on advertisements. It’s a bleak grey nightmare, which is not ideal considering grey has a direct relationship with depression.

It is not just our building exteriors, either. It’s also clothes, interiors, and everyday objects that are losing color.

Graph 1 showing colors trends for objects, Graph 2 showing color trends for clothes

A bike meeting in Traverse City: (left to right) SmartPower Program Assistant Pat Doherty, SmartPower Vice President Jonathan Edwards, SEEDS Project Manager Mike Powers, SEEDS Executive Director Sarna Salzman, and Michigan Land Use Institute Policy Specialist Brian Beauchamp.

SmartPower staff members Jonathan Edwards and Pat Doherty recently visited Traverse City, Michigan, where SmartPower is providing marketing support for TC Saves, our third BetterBuildings program.

TC Saves is gearing up for fall energy efficiency canvasses in select neighborhoods. To get a sense of what's ahead, Jonathan and Pat joined a few of our partners from SEEDS and the Michigan Land Use Institute for a moving meeting - literally, biking through Traverse City communities, getting a sense of the work ahead and laying the groundwork for a successful sweep!