“Hey Cosmo,” Penny called. “Take a look at this.”  Cos Cutter reluctantly got up from his desk where he’d been furiously crunching numbers.  He and Penny Pincher are part of the “waste elimination” team.  They’re charged with finding ways to save taxpayer money.
            “What cha got?” Cos asked.
          “I think I’ve found something,” Penny replied cautiously.  “If I’m right, this huge!”  On Penny’s screen was a graph depicting global temperatures from 1980 through 2025.  “See how there’s been a steady step-by-step rise in temps?  Now watch this.”  Then she pulled up another graph. This one depicted the number of “billion-dollar” (or more!) severe weather disasters in the U.S. during those same years.  She displayed the two graphs side by side on her screen.
            “Yeah… so it’s getting hotter,” Cos remarked. “What’s that got to do with saving money?  I gotta get back to my desk.” 
           “Wait! Watch this.”  Penny pleaded as she overlaid the temperature-rise graph on top of the disaster-cost graph. Cosmo starred wide-eyed and smacked his forehead. “Oh my God!” Cos exclaimed. “I see what you mean. The two graphs fit more or less perfectly on top of one another.  As the temperatures step higher and higher so do the financial costs of extreme weather disasters. How could we have missed this?  So…if we slowed the temperature rise, we would also slow the rise in disaster costs!”
           When Cos and Penny dug further, they discovered that since 1980, the U.S. has had 426 billion-dollar disasters, with a total cost exceeding $3.1 trillion.  In 2025 alone - the 3rd hottest year on record - there were 23 such events costing a total of $115 billion in damages.  Year after year a growing number of people, homes, and businesses are being harmed.
            “Gosh!  What are we doing to ourselves?” Penny groaned. “While we bust our behinds looking for ways to cut costs, our administration is promoting pollution-producing, greenhouse-gas-emitting fuels that heat up the atmosphere.  At the same time, it’s pulling support for clean energy expansion.” 
            Armed with this new revelation, patriotic Penny and conscientious Cosmo resolved to visit Congress.  “Don’t you see, Congresswoman, this isn’t political.  It’s simply a matter of reducing the misery and financial losses from these disasters. With better policies we’d also be protecting the only home we’ll ever know.  Because ya know, there’s no ‘Planet B’. We’re all forever… Earthbound.”

            Swish!  The ball slipped smoothly through the net.  “Ha! Match that if you can,” Minnie challenged.  Dot dribbled to a spot behind the 3-point line then arced a…swish!  “Tied ya!” she crowed.
            Minnie Pointer and Dot Jurr have been best buddies since they were barely old enough to pick up a basketball.  Their family farms are on opposite sides of the township-dividing road, so they attend neighboring small-town schools.  These two talented athletes are teammates on the co-joined cross-country and track teams.  But when it comes to basketball, they’re fierce rivals.
            Off the court, both girls are active with their respective school environmental clubs.  One night after practice Dot hurried over to Minnie’s to share some exciting news. “Yeah, the superintendent even came to our environmental ed. class to tell us he’s all in favor of the project.  School board members like it too!  Now we just gotta work on raising the money.”
            Dot explained that her school district is seriously considering the addition of a small pilot/demonstration solar array on the high school.  As electricity rates continue to soar, scores of Wisconsin schools already use solar to significantly reduce energy costs.  And right now is a terrific time to launch a 3-point pilot project.

• Economical – The federal “direct pay” policy will pony up 30% of the $25,000 cost for a 10-kilowatt system.  On top of that, Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program will kick in about $2,700.  As for the remainder of the cost, there’s already a plan for soliciting donations.*
• Educational – Students (and the community) will be able to monitor the solar production in real time and benefit from “hands-on” learning in one of the fastest growing industries in the country.
• Environmentally Sensible – Rooftop solar reduces pollution and cuts the need for additional expensive power plants and transmission lines.

“That’s cool,” Minnie agreed, “but guess what.  My school district is talking about doing the same thing.  Betcha we get our solar array first!”  “You’re on,” Dot smiled. “Loser treats next time we go out.  But hey, there are no losers with these ‘3-pointer’ projects.  We’ll all be winners right here on the only home we’ll ever know.  It’s where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”
 
*Send your tax-free donation to: Dodgeville School District, 619 W. Chapel St., Dodgeville 53533.  Note “Solar Project” on the memo.  THANK YOU!