Published: February 13, 2007 08:35 am      

Help the planet, save some money

Lowering the cost of energy bills and protecting the Earth from the effects of global warming will be the two main topics at an upcoming meeting of the League of Women Voters of Berea and Madison County.

League members will be presenting a panel of Madison County residents and business owners who have taken initiative and found simple ways to reduce the use of energy in their homes or businesses.

The event will begin at 7 p.m. Monday at the Berea Police and Municipal Building and is part of the League’s 2007 mission to educate the community on a variety of topics, including energy efficiency and global warming.

“We want to let people know that they can take very, very simple steps now to have a positive impact,” said Elizabeth Crowe, president of the League. “We don’t want our grandchildren shaking their heads saying, ‘Why didn’t they do something while they could?’”

Some small efforts that can drastically cut down on energy usage and energy bills is replacing regular light bulbs with compact, fluorescent bulbs.

“They’re a little more expensive when you buy them, but you make the money back many times over in the fact that they last so long and you save so much on energy costs,” Crowe said.

Another easy way to cut costs and energy use is to switch to a programmable, digital thermostat, so that it automatically heats up and cools down.

Saving money on your energy bill is not the only savings that could accompany conserving energy, according to Richmond CPA Danny Parker, who will be a panelist at the Feb. 19 meeting.

Parker said there are many ways that homeowners can get credit against their taxes and receive more money back when they document any energy-saving improvements made to their home.

“This is a way to encourage homeowners and businesses to use more energy-efficient items such as skylights, solar water heaters and storm doors,” Parker said.

When making these changes to the home, all receipts for materials should be kept in order to verify them during tax refund preparation, he said.

“These are things that are not only good for the environment, but they also are good for your pocketbook.”

Parker will speak about this at the meeting because not too many people are aware that they can be compensated for all environment-friendly work,” he said.

If saving energy becomes a lifestyle, our country will not be as dependent on those sources that are coming at a high cost, Crowe said.

“We can use things other than gas, coal and oil which will make us a more independent nation. If we could rely on the sun and the wind, which are two things we have plenty of, then we could avoid many problems.”

Crowe said the state government already is thinking about providing a tax incentive or other financial incentives to those who make efforts to conserve energy.

The local government also can take steps to conserve energy by making sure all government buildings are using energy-efficient office equipment and making changes to windows and overhead lights, Crowe said.

The causes and effects of global warming also will be discussed at the Feb. 19 meeting.

Some signs of global warming already can be seen on Earth today. These include heat waves, periods of unusually warm weather, ocean warming, a rise in sea level, coastal flooding, melting glaciers, arctic and Antarctic warming.

More severe signs could be the spread of disease, earlier spring arrivals, downpours, heavy snowfalls, flooding and fires, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists Web site at www.ucsusa.org.

“Our position is that we don’t have to have absolute proof of what’s going to happen,” Crowe said. “There’s already enough evidence to show that great harm is being done to the planet and that more is coming. We need to act now to prevent any more harm.”

The topics of energy efficiency, slowing the effects of global warming and the importance of a transparent government are a part of the league’s new series of meetings titled “Madison County 2025: What’s Your Vision?”

March 26 is the tentative date for the League’s next member meeting titled “What YOU Need to Know About Your Right to Know.” A location for the event has not been determined at this time.

The event is in correlation with Project Sunshine Week, a national effort to emphasize the importance and vitality of an open government.

For more information about the league and upcoming events, visit www.lwvbmc.iclub.org.

Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 623-1669, Ext. 234.