Solar Roadways

What Could Our Streets Provide?

I care deeply about our energy usage and the impact on our home planet. Every day that I ride my bike in traffic (or drive in town or on the freeways) I am reminded that energy is being consumed. The energy sources at play in our every day choices include liquid petroleum, tar sands, fracking, coal mining, renewable, nuclear and other sources.

Every day, my choices impact what energy products are being extracted on the earth on my behalf. When I bought $15 of gas at the Irving gas station last evening what systems of extraction and delivery was I activating? When I cooked an egg on the stove, ran the microwave, blender and toaster in the morning, what energy systems were engaged to provide me the electricity? When I picked out my groceries at the supermarket, what energy systems was I voting for with my dollars? When I walked through the brightly lit big box store last evening with the dearth of choices of petroleum based cleaners, home goods, packaged foods and clothing, what energy systems were at play?

Making Choices

As a society we live in a culture of consumption, be it the selections we buy from the shelves at the store, the choices we make to live each day, the transportation we use. We are all energy consumers in a culture of rampant consumption. The environmental degradation our planet is suffering the effects of our every day choices.

We are all responsible for our choices in a culture of energy consumption. We all vote with our dollars. As a culture we could begin to shift that vote and ask our friends and neighbors to be mindful of their choices. To set the example for mindful energy usage is all our responsibility.

This last week I became aware of Solar Roadways which has a crowdsource fundraising campaign through June 20th, 2014. Although it seems crazy given our collective "in the box thinking", perhaps there is something to this project.

There are naysayers but considering the facts of the project, I decided to donate and voted with my contribution. I encourage you to consider if this mindful project is worthy of your vote. Tony at Concord Patch posted this article which connected me with the project.

You and I can do more, and together we can affect the effect we have on our planet. Perhaps our roadways can become more than they are Today. What will be our impact for the 21st Century?

What is your vote?