John Van Doren is an architect and engineer by training and practiced architecture in California during the early energy crisis days of the 1970's.  In the early 1980's he made a career change and spent over two decades leading turnarounds and startups in the manufacturing sector.  Burned-out and discouraged by the outsourcing and downsizing of corporate America, he returned to architecture and began writing a handbook on sustainable home design.   In the process of writing that “handbook” he began to question the direction of the “green building movement” and determined that there was a vast difference between what we accepted as “green” and what was truly sustainable.  He would eventually conclude that the imminent peaking and global decline in production of oil, natural gas, coal, and uranium would render much of what we do in “green building” is nothing more than rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.       From the ashes of his original handbook, Chill in the Living Room would be born.  This book explores the historical forces, policies, economic theory, and technical advances that gave form to our residential built environment.  It describes the fragile, uncertain, and dependent  systems that homeowner's innocently rely on for electricity, natural gas, and water.  In the end, it gives homeowners practical real-world strategies for converting their homes into some semblance of energy efficiency in preparation for a painful post peak transition to a more sustainable future.     John has also written a series of “How To” books aimed at improving the energy efficiency and sustainability of America's existing housing stock.      Plugging the Energy Leaks in Your Home Avoiding an Energy Loss "Death of a Thousand Cuts"    How to Buy a Solar Hot Water System Helping America to play Catch-up with Slovenia    The Gift of Water Sustainable Water Strategies for Your Home    A Window on Energy Loss Window and Door Energy Saving Strategies