Greetings and God bless you on your journey.

My journey has taken me here, pieces of what I have experienced seem to come together under a Solaroof. The goal of treadlightly is to reduce the impact, the stress which mankind is placing on the environment. This goal seems directly in line with the goals of the Solaroof community.

Treadlightly is a name my wife, Rhonda, and I have given to our dream - to develope an environmental learning center. While she is the organizer, I am the pursuer of ideas and the analyzer. When my head gets in the clouds, she pulls me back to Earth.

My background:

  • I grew up dairy farming in central Minnesota
  • Received a Bachelors in Earth Science from North Dakota State University
  • Received a Masters in Marine Environmental Science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, New York.
  • Worked as an Evironmental Scientist with a private enginnering firm
  • Presently work with my family at home providing care for physically and mentally challenged adults and children
  • Presently work as an Environmental Educator at the Hunt Hill Audubon Camp
  • Spend my spare time researching renewable energy technology and constructing alternative structures.

We live on a small farm, and I envision the construction of the Solaroof structure as a center for the exploration of year round fresh produce, alternative home concepts for people with disabilities, renewable energy applications, and so on.

I will continue this as time permits and as I learn more about site design.

Shawn Tisdell