WILLIAM "BILL" HURRLE dies at 68. Pioneer of Sustainable Living. Bill Hurrle, a writer, educator, and builder, was born June 24th, 1940, in Rochester, MN and died of esophageal cancer on May 2nd, 2009, at the home he built with his wife, Beverly Watkins, in New Franken, WI. Through his business, Bay Area Home Performance, he was a consultant for the Wisconsin Energy Star program, specializing in solar siting, design, and diagnostics as well green building. This consultancy developed out of his home building and environmental health business Community Builders that he founded in 1974. His professional goals were to improve the energy efficiency of homes as well as to popularize solar electric and solar hot water systems. He developed pioneering examples of residential-scaled solutions for power, heat, and comfort that use traditional, carbon-based resources lightly. Known as much for his writing as for his knowledge of building science, Bill's education concentrated on honing communication skills. Bill graduated from Rochester High School in Minnesota in 1958. He received a B.A. in 1963 from the UM-Minneapolis, with a major in English literature and a minor in German language and literature. In 1969 he earned an M.A. in English from KSU-Manhattan. Between his undergrad and graduate years, Bill spent three years on active duty in the army -- receiving his draft notice on the day that Kennedy was assassinated. During his military service, he was stationed primarily in Paris due to his German language skills. Despite being stationed in Europe, the Vietnam War had a deep impact on him. Following his military duty, during his advanced academic years, Bill distinguished himself as a political radical. He adhered to his beliefs even if that meant straining relations or getting fired. Bill's FBI file at the time identified him as a leader of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Kansas State Chapter, but the FBI later determined that he posed no threat and did not place him on the "Security or Agitator Index". Although outspoken and passionate about his beliefs, he was a pacifist, believing that the pen is mightier than the sword. Besides a lifetime of frequent letters to the editor, he worked to establish many progressive newspapers over the years, including the Fox Valley Kaleidoscope & Morning Star , where he was editor and publisher. He also worked as a reporter for several area papers including the Milwaukee Sentinel; The Paper, Oshkosh; The Post-Crescent, Appleton; and as a columnist for the Green Bay News-Chronicle. Looking for solutions to the political, environmental and social problems he struggled against during those years, Bill shifted his energies away from reporting and took action toward improving society starting with where we live, our homes. Believing that reducing dependence upon fossil (carbon-based) fuels begins at home, he strove for thirty-five years to discover and implement ways to streamline the systems we use in our homes to support our way of life, building and retrofitting to create high performance and healthy houses. He was an active member of several associations, including the Energy & Environmental Builders Association, the Midwest Renewable Energy Association, the Green Building Alliance, and Wisconsin Focus on Energy: WESH, HPES, Solar Thermal, 1999-present. In the late seventies, he was chairman of the Wisconsin Solar Energy Resources Association. He received several awards including: NAHB 1996 Energy Efficient Home, Cold Climate Award; Oneida Nation Certificate of Achievement for work with renewable energy; and the Focus on Energy, Renewable Energy award, "For taking the long view in renewable energy and building science transformation." He is survived by his wife, Beverly Watkins, his children Margo Hurrle of Minneapolis, Jenna Didier of Los Angeles, Hannah Hurrle of Kansas City, Julian Hurrle of Green Bay, and by his siblings Thomas Hurrle of Chicago, Nancy Emmett of Roswell, GA and Kathleen Grace of Anchorage, AK. Saturday, May 9th, 2009, public visitation is from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a life celebration service at 1 p.m. Visitation and service are at Ryan Funeral Home in DePere: 305 N Tenth Street DePere, WI 54115 In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to the American Cancer Society, CaringBridge.org, or the environmental organization of your choice.