Earth Day - a week or so late
May 1, 2005 I had meant to post about Earth Day a week ago Friday - for those who
don't know, Earth Day is April 22. Well gosh, with working plenty at
work and working plenty at home, time's a might scarce. So I'm late
with the post.
We live in a neighborhood with a homeowner association (HOA) and it has
an Architectural Control Committee, to which one must submit proposals
for any modifications to the exterior of one's home or yard. There are
good and not-so-good sides of this, but I digress. On Earth Day I
submitted a proposal to install a couple of solar attic fans
on the south roof of our house. These babies run automatically when the
sun is shining and should reduce the attic temp by up to 50F. Install
'em and forget 'em. Let the sun help cool our house :-)
I know there are folks in the neighborhood who hate to see anything
solar on the roof. Personally, I think solar panels and such are
attractive, but that may well be due to the association in my mind of
such devices with sensible energy policy. Fortunately, over 10 years
ago Florida passed what is commonly referred to as the Solar Access Law. So the HOA cannot stop folks from using solar energy. Yup, the legislature does get some stuff right.
The "energy policy" ...more of an oil company subsidy, really
...proposed by the Bush administration, is a slap in the face (and a
punch in the belly and a baseball bat to the knees) to anyone who cares
about renewable energy and reducing our dependency on and support of
foreign oil. My simple initial uses of solar are a very, very tiny
start. But it's a start. We have also started using a solar-powered battery charger, are in the process of replacing some of our lawn with xeriscaping, and have been enjoying solar pool heat for months.
Another easy and very sensible step one can take is to purchase produce
from local farmers. We have many, many little roadside produce stands
in the area and the fruit and vegetables are typically half the price
of what one finds in the stores and taste much better
....meaning they actually have flavor! By buying from the local
farmers, one saves money, gets a better product, supports the local
economy, and saves the energy that is consumed when produce is
transported many miles via ship/train/truck.
Lots of other small steps one can take ...but it's late. Time for much-needed beauty rest :)
