If you buy a house and a bit of property upstate, you’ll most likely be considering how to make the house more efficient, and what to do with the land.

A ridiculous amount of homes I’ve seen in the valley have electric baseboard heat. It’s one of the most energy-inefficient ways to heat a home and prohibitively expensive for down-staters used to the comforts of overheated apartments. (Oh, the February nights of open windows, and walking around barefoot in Brooklyn, how I miss you when I’m bundled in layers, blankets, slippers and socks typing at the computer.)

Depending on the land, you may have more options that you want, but something will need to be done, even if it’s just a weekly mowing.

So perhaps this event will be of use to you second homeowners, relocators and locals. Community Resilience by Design, An evening with a dynamic team of designers, architects, and engineers dedicated to net-zero water and net-zero energy projects, will present information from firms on larger, community-impacting design choices. The information (and importance of these considerations) is relevant to homeowners interested in applying sustainable design in their homes and advocating for responsible development in their communities.

Presenters include John Todd and Nancy Jack Todd of John Todd Ecological Design, Steve McDowell, Aaron Ross, and Laura Lesniewski of BNIM, Peter Munoz and Jennifer Dowdell of Biohabitats, Wayne Nelson and Karen Walkerman of L.N. Consulting, and Ian Rasch, HVS ‘ 96, of Allegrone Companies.

It’s a FREE event to learn what these firms feel is possible, what they have done around the world, and what they imagine for design and construction in the future. This luminary team will share various projects that they have worked on and the values that guide them.

Monday, Feb 13, 7pm
Hawthorne Valley School Hall
330 County Route 21C, Ghent, NY 12075
FREE