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 What Can I Do?  


Here is our "top ten" list of actions any of us can take to help promote the development and use of renewable energy in Texas.

1. Attend a Meeting or Event - Turn off your computer, get out of your chair, and go learn more about renewable energy! There are renewable energy related events happening all over the state.

2. Teach Your Kids about Renewable Energy - Our lesson plans help teachers and home schoolers teach renewable energy to all levels. Whether it's building a model solar car or a pizza box solar cooker, learning about renewable energy can be fun for kids. Our lesson plans are integrated with statewide learning standards, too. 

  • Take a look at InfinitePower.org's Renewable Energy Lesson Plans.The award-winning Watts On Schools program website provides over 30 learning activities geared toward elementary, middle, and high school students.
  • The Solar Energy Coloring Book, by Judy Pearson and offered for free through the Texas Solar Energy Society, is a fun way to introduce kids to renewable energy concepts.

3. Ask about Green Power - If you have a choice of electricity supplier, you have the ability to choose a supplier who supports renewable energy generation. If you don't have a choice, ask your electric company whether they buy any of their energy from renewable generators. Buying electricity from renewable resources can help reduce pollution!

4. Install Solar Screens or a Solar Water Heater - Solar screens are window coverings used on south- and west-facing windows during the summer. They block most of the sun's heat energy from getting inside your home without significantly interfering with your view to the outside. They are very inexpensive and easy to install. In terms of energy savings and payback, they are a no-brainer. Solar water heaters work well just about everywhere in Texas and can provide 50-80% of a typical home's water heating energy. They too can save you lots of money. 

5. Generate Your Own Energy - Install solar electric panels on the roof of your home, or use a combination of wind and solar power for small off-grid loads like remote homes, water pumps, electric fences, yard lights, and gate openers. 

6. Dry Your Clothes Outside - Why do we insist on using our electric and gas clothes dryers when it's 110 in the shade? Hang your clothes on a line to dry. They'll be whiter and brighter, and you'll get to keep the change.

7. Cook with the Sun - Despite what you learned as a kid, it's probably not a very good idea to cook an egg on the sidewalk. At least not if you plan on eating it. But if you want advice on cooking great tasting meals using only energy from the sun, we've got it.

8. Make Sun Tea - Enjoy the simple pleasures of a hot summer day. Fill a jar with water, toss in a couple of teabags, and set it in the sun while you kick back in your hammock. When you wake up, pour your tea over ice and guzzle it down.

9. Join an Organization - Renewable energy interest groups are popping up all over Texas. Join one and get plugged in to what's happening in your community.

10. Use Energy More Efficiently - While this is not really using renewable energy, it has the same effect of reducing pollution from electricity production. Installing compact fluorescent light bulbs, solar screens on south- and west-facing windows, and Energy Star-compliant appliances such as computers, refrigerators, and washing machines, can greatly reduce your electric bill without sacrificing comfort or convenience.

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