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Kicking Putin in the ...

4/30/2022

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        “Your wallet empty?” Pat chided Les as they left the Quickie-Mart together. “No kidding – with the price of gas these days,” Les groaned. 

        Outside the mart, they continued their grumbling.  “Tell you what,” Pat Re’Ahtic continued, “that Vladimir Putin ticks me off.  He bullies those poor folks in Ukraine, and wreaks havoc with our fuel prices.  I’d like to kick him right in the…”

        “Hey, that’s it,” Les Gettum jumped in.  “Let’s do just that.  We’ll kick Putin in the… gas!  We Americans wouldn’t miss Russian oil one bit if we all just used a little less fuel.  And it’s not that hard to do.  With less demand, prices would moderate. 

        Pat and Les reminded each other of some of the familiar ways each one of us can pare down our fuel use:
  • Group vehicle errands to eliminate 2-3 weekly trips.
  • If possible, carpool or work remotely as much as possible.
  • Break out the bike and the walking shoes.
  • Be mindful of that thermostat – a bit cooler when heating and a bit warmer in A/C season.
  • Remember the 10 sec. idling guide - if sitting more than 10 sec. turn off your engine.

        As they talked, the folks across the street began mowing and trimming their yard.  “Oh man,” said Pat, “we haven’t even thought about all those noisy small gas engines most of us use.  Did you know that each typical small gas engine creates about as much pollution as a modern car?  Yup, even though we use our lawnmowers way less than our cars, they foul the air about the same because of all the pollution controls required on vehicles.  Small gas engines have almost none of those.”

        “Wow!” Les exclaimed. “And now-a-days you can get really cool electric mowers, trimmers, chainsaws, outboards – you name it.  Looks like when it’s time to replace any of this stuff, electric is the way to go.”

        “Actually, we could get by with a lot fewer (or smaller versions) of these small gas gizmos if we left more natural areas and native plantings in our yards.  The birds and critters would appreciate that too,” Pat suggested.

        “Give Putin a kick, save money and reduce pollution,” Les smiled, “makes a lot of sense because after all, this the only home we’ll ever know; it’s where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”     
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Save Some Daylight

4/16/2022

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       “Ahh…7 o’clock and it’s still light out,” Sol smiled.  “Yup, I love it when daylight savings time kicks in,” Ray agreed.  “It’s sort of like a solar bonus.  Too bad we can’t get even a bit more.”

       "Well, we sort of can,” Sol Erp-Ower responded.  “We can’t get more sunlight, but we can use more of the sun’s energy.  Just put up a few solar panels, and you can ‘save’ some of that sun right at your own home.”

       “Pftt…well yea, if you’ve got a bucket of money to spend,” Ray Lukttant groaned. “That stuff is too expensive for the likes of me.”

       “Ya know, I thought that too until I saw our neighbor, Penny Pincher, putting up her solar system.  She told me that Greenpenny Bank* financed her solar array.  Turns out she only had to come up with a few hundred dollars to get started.  Now that she’s making her own electricity, the money she saves each month on her electric bill matches her monthly loan payments.  In the end, her total monthly household budget stays roughly the same.  It’s like she’s getting her solar system almost for free.

       “And here’s the best part. After her loan is paid off in 8 -10 yrs., Penny will get almost all of her electricity for free for the next 15 or more years.  Who know how much the electrical utility will be charging the rest of us by then? 

       “A guy named Peter at Legacy Solar Cooperative** did a free preliminary solar assessment on Penny’s home.  Then he hooked her up with 3 different area contractors so she could compare what they each had to offer. 

       “Penny said 2022 is an especially good time to consider solar because it’s the last year to get a 26% federal tax credit; that’ll be reduced next year.  On top of that, Iowa County CLEA-N is giving a cash-back incentive to the first 20 folks who sign up with Legacy Coop’s Solar Group Buy,”  Sol concluded.

       “Wow!  For just a few up-front dollars I could be generating my own electricity,” Ray realized.  “A solar system would add value to my house; and think of all the money I’ll save in the long run.  Can’t find a much better deal than that!  Right here on our only home where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”                       
       * www.greenpenny.com            **608-443-7820
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    I'm interested in the topics of sustainability and climate change especially in regards to our local area in southwest Wisconsin.

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