The Sun Will Shine and the Wind will Blow

I’m an optimist. I have high hopes for the future of Planet Earth. I believe that the techies of this day will prevail in giving us affordable electric vehicles with solid state batteries that will be capable of getting us from one side of the country to the other using an infrastructure tailored to that end. I’m already seeing the fruits of those who dream such things. There are more and more charging stations out there.

Some used to say that such things put our economy in peril. I’m satisfied that that’s already been proven wrong. Coming up with alternative means of energy along with energy saving devices has already created thousands of jobs and continues to do so.

Wind and solar power create jobs in their own right. Someone has to develop the technology, manufacture the stuff to make the technology a reality and finally, install and maintain the equipment. I think most of our young people would much rather work in a factory manufacturing electrical and electronic components than to work in coal mines or on offshore oil rigs. That’s just a guess. I didn’t actually go and poll a few thousand high school students to come up with that conclusion. But I think if someone did take a poll on that question, the results of the poll would bear out that guess. Someone prove me wrong.

I heard a lot of naysayers bitch and moan about the fluorescent bulbs in their day. Okay, they didn’t work out near as well as the LED’s we now use. But they were a preliminary step in the right direction. The LED’s we have in place almost everywhere have made incandescent and fluorescent lighting almost a thing of the past. This generation even made it possible to change the color of LED lighting from “dayglow” to “softglow” and to any other color your heart desires.

I’ve always embraced the newest technology concerning energy resources. I once bought a generator for my bicycle to power my headlight and taillight so thatI could travel more safely at night. The generator actually created a lot of resistance to the flow of the bike, the lights didn’t shine nearly as brightly as I would have liked, but I didn’t have to spend money on batteries. Thankfully, with the newest technology in lighting, it’s gotten much more affordable to power a beam and tail light. Not to mention the lights are much brighter.

I’ll continue to embrace newer and better technology. Doing so helps to support the environment and the economy. Replacing the Heating and A/C units with higher SEER units shot my electrical bill down far enough that I recouped the cost of the new units within two years on the electricity bill. The newer condensing unit is also much quieter.

Whether or not I can get rebates for installing solar power on my home, I intend to do so. I rather like the possibility of the power company sending me a check instead of a bill. With home wind and solar power, this has come to be a reality for many of those who’ve taken the steps to install panels on their houses and windmills in their yard.

Many things I’ve been doing for years are helpful to the environment we all share, but especially the environment of my home. A garden helps to relieve me of stress and gives me a sense of wellness. Fruit and nut trees give me more food per square inch of land than any row crops ever will and they add shade and beauty to the yard. They provide a safe haven for birds and insects. Fruit trees

I garden as organically as I can. I know that what I plant and grow will never kill a hive of bees. Most importantly, my hives. Having three hives of bees gives my family more honey than we can use. But there’s always friends and neighbors to give the excess to. I want the bees mainly to pollinate my garden and fruit trees.

I’ve always been opposed to buying water from a store. I see no difference in the store bought stuff and the water that comes from my faucet or the hydrant outside. Yes, I still drink from the hose. The plastic and glass from store bought water is ending up everywhere but the landfill. If we’re going to continue to buy our water, we can at least recycle the pestilent plastic it comes in.

Even with all that’s wrong with the environment today, I’m hopeful for the future. I can see that we’re trending toward electric vehicles and that in the next three years they will be the preferred means of transportation. I’m optimistic that batteries will get much better, safer, smaller, and more efficient. I believe we’re on the right track and that we just need to stay the course. Let’s continue to support eco-friendly alternatives to everything.