Easy Energy Makes Awareness Hard

by News & Observer |
May 28, 2006

Author: Burgetta Eplin Wheeler; Staff Writer

Edition: Final
Section: Question
Page: A22

Index Terms:
ENVIRONMENT
SAFETY
Capital Group Sierra Club
Ellen Kinsinger
Interview

Estimated printed pages: 2

Article Text:

Ellen Kinsinger is chairwoman of the Capital Group Sierra Club in Raleigh.

Q: Are you seeing more concern for the environment?

A: Definitely. In fact, "being green saves green" is our theme for the year. We see a lot of people that care about this when it hits their pocketbook. It's one of those environmental issues that actually pays for itself. Saving energy saves money so it makes sense to do it. Not every issue we have works out that way. But this particular issue has some obvious economic benefits.

I'm seeing more people trying to conserve energy in their homes. Of course, we also are seeing a lot of McMansions being built, and every time I see one of those I think, "How are they going to heat and air-condition and light that thing?" They might be able to afford it, but can we as a country afford it?

We showed a movie called "Kilowatt Hours" at our last meeting and had the largest attendance ever. I've also shown it to people at my office, and there was a lot of interest in it. A couple of people told me they went out and bought all new compact fluorescent lights for their homes. Those are those little spiral bulbs that last five years and save about 50 percent of the energy that a normal bulb uses. The price has come way down on those. I don't know why anyone buys a normal light bulb. It more than pays for itself in energy savings.

Q: What else can people do?

A: Find alternative transportation to work. Buy high mileage-per-gallon cars. They don't have to be hybrids to get way better gas mileage. Sign up for the NC GreenPower on your electric bill. Put in a solar water heater. Put solar panels on your roof. Have a victory garden, which is just a little garden where you grow your own vegetables. They were called victory gardens during World War II. That was one way they saved energy.

Q: Do people realize how much energy they use?

A: Absolutely not. It's too easy to get. You just turn the switch on, and it's there. They don't think about where it's coming from. They don't think about the sacrifices made to bring easy resources to your fingertips. Understanding the costs, the real costs to the environment, its effect on global warming, our dependence on foreign fossil fuels, all of the impact of that.

Q: What's the most wasteful thing you see?

A: I was shocked to learn that most of the impact, most of the energy wasted, is in our homes. It's not the cars. Most of the pollution is coming from our homes. According to the movie "Kilowatt Hours," the Southeast consumes 30 percent more energy than the rest of the country. I don't know why that is, and they don't explain it. Maybe it's our sudden thirst for air conditioning.

Q: What's the No. 1 way to change?

A: The easiest thing to do is to get the compact fluorescents, change the bulbs. Buy Energy Star appliances. It's very easy to see what appliance will save you energy and what won't. And turn off the lights when you don't need them.

I think people really don't know the impact, especially in the Southeast, of their energy consumption, the mountain-top removal, the mine accidents. In the Southeast, most of the energy comes from coal-powered plants, and the coal-powered plants are killing our forests and poisoning our children. The asthma rate is incredible. When I talk about the costs of these things, those are some of the not-so-noticeable real costs. Reducing air pollution and preventing asthma, you're not going to see that on your energy bill, but those are real costs.

Caption:
Kinsinger

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