A plea for conservation

In yesterday's Inquirer, I wrote a story about wind power and how fast it is growing as an energy source in Pennsylvania and the rest of the country. The story focused, in part, on a Bucks County facility that makes turbines.

Julius Steiner, CEO of the company that owns the plant, Gamesa USA, invited me into an office that was comfortably — and impressively! — warm. No excessive air-conditioning chill-out for this place. The offices were high-tech looking, like the rest of the plant. Think something like the set of a James Bond movie. A model wind turbine stood in the corner.

Steiner talked for a while not about energy production, but energy consumption. "No matter how much we improve sourcing energy," he said, "unless we dramatically change the was we consume it, we're going to be in trouble."

Many agree. I talked to a solar power installer not long ago who said that when she visits people's homes to gauge whether adding solar panels will work. what she often finds is that the energy demand is too high. The household needs to conserve first, THEN think about solar.

Steiner likens today's energy problems to the litter problems the country had decades ago. Highways and cityscapes were strewn with cans, bottles, butts and paper. (I know, some still are today. But believe me, it was worse.) The nation launched a "Don't be a litterbug" campaign, with incessant public service advertisements and fines.

The behavior of the American public changed. Littering became a shameful thing to do.

He suggests we should have a similar campaign now to curb our energy use.

I'm not quite sure how it could be done. Littering is such a visible act! But no matter. I'm all for it.