Publish Day - Ink Blog - Saving watts

Here's my third Ink Blog submission to the London Free Press. This time, I shared my somewhat jaded thoughts on energy conservation. At this point in time, I do not believe that I am on speaking terms with our province's Premier. I suspect I shouldn't hold my breath waiting for a dinner invitation. That's OK, since the commute from my house would be 2 hours each way.

Anyway, here's what I wrote. Please don't hold back on your thoughts - pro or con, I can take it:

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty wants me to conserve electricity.

I’ve got news for you, Dalton: I’ve wanted to save for years. Problem is, my government doesn’t make it easy for me to go green.

Oh sure, I can turn off lights. And I do, constantly. I close my blinds, just like you’ve asked, and I run my energy-efficient dishwasher late at night when demand ebbs.

But turning stuff off doesn’t even begin to address the long-term issue.

Why are you so silent on next-generation technologies? Where are the tax breaks for manufacturers of roof-embedded solar panel systems? Why are developers not being incented to include stuff like this in new homes?

Ah yes, that might take imagination, which my government decidedly lacks. Ontario also lacks the will to examine jurisdictions everywhere that are already building the energy plans of the future, today.

The frontier of tomorrow’s energy landscape is already shaping up. It’s time for Ontario to see the light.

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