It's possible to live green in Carson City

Anne Macquarie
Special to the Appeal
March 26, 2008, 4:01 AM

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Last August I wrote about the potential effects of climate change in Carson City and got some unkind comments from those who still denied that climate change was taking place. Since then, public opinion has moved along quickly. Now even Rupert Murdoch, owner of News Corp and purveyor of Fox News - not exactly a bastion of environmentalism - has said that "Climate change poses clear, catastrophic threats," and pledged to make News Corp carbon neutral by 2010.

I think that the solution to global warming will be a combination of carefully chosen market mechanisms and regulation on every level from the international to the local. High-carbon economies and lifestyles must become as expensive to those who benefit from them as they are to the earth. And low-carbon economies and lifestyles must become feasible, attractive, and cheaper. But I recognize that the kind of bold leadership needed to make these changes currently doesn't exist in our nation, in our state, and in Carson City. So in the lack of political leadership, what does a greenie like me do to live in a more environmentally sustainable way?

Well, we've been working on making our home as energy efficient, low-resource-using, and nonpolluting as possible We've replaced incandescent with fluorescent light bulbs. We recycle. We turn lights off, unplug appliances and use the solar-powered clothes dryer in the back yard. We live in a neighborhood close to public transit and lots of shops and services (yes, such neighborhoods do exist in Carson City) so it's easy to walk, ride our bikes and take the bus. Last year we thought it would be a good idea to take the next step and install a photovoltaic solar collection system on our roof to generate at least part of our own electricity.

Nevada has lots of sunshine: Carson City gets an average of 265 days of sunshine a year. Since 2004 Sierra Pacific has approved 690 small scale solar generation projects under its "Solar Generations" net metering and rebate program. According to the Sierra Pacific Web site, the system at Carson Middle School has generated 10,394 kilowatt hours since it was installed in 2004. This is clean energy, translating to 12,160 pounds of carbon dioxide not put into the atmosphere.

What is net metering? Net metering allows you to offset your purchase of electricity with your own generated electricity, essentially making your meter run backwards. In installing solar panels on our roof we had hoped to take advantage of Sierra Pacific's program, but the systems are expensive so the idea didn't pencil out. Even with net metering, a rebate, and federal tax credits, the payback period was too long. As Philip Moore, president of Sunrise Sustainable Resources Group said, "What? You mean you're not independently wealthy and can't throw money at your roof?"

Sunrise is a local organization whose mission is "empower Nevadans to use resources responsibly through education, advocacy and community development." I talked to Philip last week about what Sunrise could do for homeowners like us who might want to generate some of their own clean electricity but couldn't afford the upfront cost.

It turns out Sunrise has been working on the issue. They have introduced members of the state Legislature and local governments to an idea they call a "New Financing Model." Under the program, homeowners and businesses looking to install small scale renewable energy systems or to make energy conservation improvements would be eligible for low-interest government-backed loans for the work. The loan payments would then be added to the individual property tax bill and paid back over 20 years.

It sounded like a good idea to me, but I asked Philip why local governments might want to take part. What's in it for them? He said three things: not only would the governments be aiding citizens who want to save money and make their homes energy efficient, they'd be helping the environment, and also - I hadn't thought of this - bringing high quality "green collar" jobs to the area. He sees jobs for electricians, energy conservation specialists, installers, contractors, project managers, accountants and more coming out of the program. In the real estate slump we're currently suffering in Northern Nevada, that sounds pretty good. As Philip said, it could put people to work improving what we have rather than always building more.

In talking to people about global warming, I've been struck by how some people apparently have gone straight from denial ("it's not happening") to despair ("it's happening and we can't do anything about it.")

But what about the economic opportunity? We're Americans - aren't we supposed to be some of the best in the world at finding business opportunities? Seems to me there will be lots of opportunities for new businesses and new products in the transition to a post-carbon economy. It's nice to find out that we have a locally grown group right here in Northern Nevada working on practical, sensible ways to move to the next economy.

If you're interested in finding out more about Sunrise, their Web site is www.sunrisenevada.org/. They also will have a booth at Earth Day, Sunday, April 20, in Reno's Idlewild Park.



• Fresh Ideas: Starting conversations by sharing personal perspectives on timely and timeless issues. Anne Macquarie, a private-sector urban planner, is a 19-year resident of Carson City.