Forever Earthbound
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

Playing Our Cards Right

5/14/2023

0 Comments

 
            Three high schools walk into a bar.  “About time you boys got here,”Minnie Rawl-Pointe called, her fingers impatiently shuffling cards at the back table.  “Better late than never,” Barney Veld shot back.  Having lost last week’s game, I.G. Panther went directly to the bar to order the first round while Don Jerr pulled up a chair alongside Minnie.
            The weekly poker game was a great opportunity to unwind and compare notes about the school year.  And like all good school rivalries, there was no shortage of boasting to go with it.
            “You should see what a couple of my students created all on their own initiative,” I. G.  began while passing around the drinks.  His students had submitted an entry in the “Penny-Smart & Earth-Wise Story” contest sponsored by Iowa County Clean, Local Energy Alliance – Now! (CLEA-N) and the Dodgeville Chronicle.  Minnie nodded. “Yea, one of my students showed how we could easily set up a composting system.  Another crunched some numbers to demonstrate how a solar installation on the school could pay for itself in a relatively short period of time.  Then it would save 100s of thousands of dollars over the lifetime of the installation.  I wonder what it would feel like to be covered in solar panels?” she grinned.
            Barney and Don winked at each other across the table.  Both of them had science teachers who used this contest as an assignment, so they each had dozens of students competing.  Their projects represented an amazing array of energy cost-savings ideas.  For example, some showed the benefits of adding insulation or of using LED light bulbs.  Other students advocated for pilot projects like energy-producing floor tiles in high traffic areas, and rain barrels or green roofs on campus outbuildings.  
            Not wanting to be too boastful, Don quietly added, “Yup, Barney and I had students submit entries to the contest too.  I understand the winners will get their pictures in the Chronicle.”
            “You know,” Minnie considered, “we all use energy 24 / 7 - 365 days a year.  If we play our cards right, a little nudging from our students (and the community) will convince our school boards to consider these projects and take action to cut energy use.  It’s the Penny-Smart & Earth-Wise thing to do because this is our only home.  It’s where we’re all forever…Earthbound.”
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    I'm interested in the topics of sustainability and climate change especially in regards to our local area in southwest Wisconsin.

    Archives

    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013

    Categories

    All
    Carbon Fee And Dividend
    Carbon Sequestration
    Climate Change
    Extreme Weather
    Health
    Local Food
    Lymes Disease
    Mercury Pollution
    Renewable Energy

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.