Don't look now, but the '70s are back. Not disco, thank God, but the energy
crisis. Gas not only costs an arm and a leg, but consumption is peaking toward
that dreaded point where demand may outstrip supply. California's electricity
crisis of 2000-2001 may have been orchestrated by corporate bad boys, but
rolling blackouts and brownouts could become as much a part of our summers as
record-breaking temperatures and water rationing. And speaking of water, we have
a problem: There's not enough of it.
So get ready for another round of dreadlock-wearing, hemp-clothed, tree-hugging
moralists wagging fingers and imploring us to abandon our homes and live in
treehouses, right? Well, yeah, those people are always going to be there. But
what's really interesting—startling, really—is that the real "green" movement in
California these days is coming from the most unlikely sources. Like utility
companies. And the home-building industry. And ...