Shawn,
After ten years gone to other parts of Virginia, SolarUnitedNeighbors.org/GreaterRoanoke is finally back in our area and having its informational meeting on Tuesday, April 24, at the South County Library from 6:30 – 8 p.m. It costs nothing to come and learn, to sign up for a free estimate and in 9-12 years, for your electric power! This is a 20-25 percent discount democratic process to pick among four established solar installers and answer all your questions, walk you through the process with friends and neighbors and party at the end. (Harrisonburg installed 68 family/small business/church/farm solar arrays. 68!)
If someone told you they’d give you one candy right now or two if you can wait until tomorrow, what would you choose? Look at your roof: does any of it face south, east/west? Is there an outbuilding roof that does? Room for panels in your yard? Room for a “carport”? SUN has now been so successful; the not-for-profit is in seven surrounding states. Join for free; there’s a simple application online. Register for the meeting if you can in time. Find your 2017-2018 electric bill (City of Salem billing office can supply a one-page list), calculate the 12 largest months and download the answer to the application. If your roof/yard cannot supply 100 percent of your usage, that is OK: offset what you can, do your part and save.
P.S. An ounce of prevention is worth billions of dollars of cure (if poisoned water would even have a cure). Protect Salem water. Read the current issue of Appalachian Voices to learn about endless problems with pipelines. Google “ProPublica pipelines” to read about toxic spills, fires and explosions. “Eminent domain” is supposed to benefit the public, not rob, steal and poison it. We must be vigilant and educate our votes for the governments we employ. Call your governor at (804) 786-2211 to tell him you do not want a 42-inch pipeline of fracked toxic gas under high pressure running through Salem, over 120 tributaries to our Roanoke River. Learn about the six candidates for City Council and pick two on May 1. Thank you for doing your part.
– Gretchen Boise
