Sunny north Texas is a very likely candidate for the use of solar energy. A walk in many Metroplex neighborhoods will reveal some North Texans are making the investment.
 
I recently spoke with a local resident about his experience with solar energy. He said: "We were certainly influenced by having lived in Germany and the West Coast of the United States where renewable energies have been around for many years. Also, my dad works in the field of renewable energies. I grew up with the idea of solar energy as a green alternative."
 
What solar accommodations do you presently have in your home?
"We have a 3 KW solar system on our roof."
 
Is going solar worth the investment?
"Going solar has certainly become more affordable with the current rebates and federal tax credit. It also increases the value of your home and you help the environment. It will take several years for your system to pay for itself but everything after that is free energy, which will be even more rewarding as energy costs continue to rise. I think especially here in Texas going solar is worth the investment. We have so much sunshine that we should put to use."
 
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Kathryn Peters recently returned to Plano after two years as an Agroforestry Extension volunteer in Peace Corps Paraguay.  She reflects upon the contrasts in cultures. 
 
"As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay," Kathryn said, "My main role was to work with local farmers to promote the sustainable management of existing forest and to plant new forest for firewood, forage, construction, living fences, erosion control and fruits.  I worked with some families to begin viveros (or tree nurseries) and with other families to implement organic management practices and introduce new tree species into existing viveros.  I spent a lot of time showing teachers how to use tree nurseries and vegetable gardens as teaching tools for math, science and health."  
 
She continued, "Living in the Paraguayan culture, I learned a thousand times more about a sustainable lifestyle than I could hope to have taught.  Electricity would go out for hours, sometimes days at a time, and we easily lived without.  We traveled by foot, bicycle, hitch-hiking or bus, because those were our options.  We washed our clothes using the energy of the muscles in our arms with the water of the river and we dried them in the branches of the trees.  The food we ate came from gardens we tended or local growers. Living without conveniences did not make Paraguayans unhappy, in fact, I theorize that Paraguayans are generally happier than we are in the United States. Paraguayans lived simply and sustainably because there was no other choice."

 

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Cherie and Matthew Ware work to make the City of Plano green in many ways.  They write articles, staff the Reuse Center, wrangle worms, label storm drains, post a recycle reminder sign in their yard every other week, and distribute posters about upcoming programs.  
 
Matthew explains how it all got started, "Cherie and I went to the first Live Green Expo and really enjoyed the exhibits. When we saw they were looking for volunteers the next year, we thought how much fun it would be to participate. We volunteered last year and truly enjoyed being around other like-minded people who wanted to improve our community. It was very gratifying being part of our community and reaching out to others."  
 
Within the year, they registered for the 12 hour Live Green in Plano Volunteer training. Cherie commented.  "I enjoyed attending the volunteer training with my husband. Although we both care about environmental issues, we have different interests -- my husband enjoys learning about energy efficiency and green building techniques; and I'm passionate about recycling and (more recently) composting. The weekly classes taught us both much more depth on these topics.  I'm already sharing my new discoveries with friends and family!"

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