For the first time in 30 years, Americans have cut back on their driving! The high price of gasoline & enviormental issues has now finally gotten our attention. Americans are planning on spending the memorial day weekend close to home. It's obvious it takes high prices to get Americans off of the couch to think about alternative energy sources. I like wind. In fact, I think we have enough wind in our state to supply the entire west coast. Our local utility supplier was forced, (through a ballot issue) to start to convert to wind a couple of years ago. Now, we can dedicate how much as a % of our utility bill we can get from wind. It costs a little more, but it's worth it.

Prius just made it's 1 millionth sale. Guess what? Their biggest customer was the United States, with Americans purchasing over 500k of them. Now Prius is on board for their new hybrid, capable of getting 100 miles per gallon. Their new model looks like a compact car with room available for 4 to 5 people. That's the one I am waiting for. Sales of bigger cars & SUV's have plummetted. It's high time American motors gets on board with hybrids & auto's that get 100 miles to the gallon, or they going to get their arses kicked by foreign makers.

Another thing that helps, is the florescent bulb. Watching Oprah one day, an analyst stated if every American just put one of these bulbs in their homes, it would be like taking over 200k autos off of the highways. They're great, they cost a little more than a standard bulb, but save the cost in your electricity bill in one month. They also last a lot longer.

Another thing I am doing is washing all our clothes in cold water. It saves a ton in electricity/gas on your water heater. I was a little intimidated at first, because my husband gets real dirty working in construction. But, I have noticed no difference at all. His clothes are just as clean.

Being in our own construction business. Most of the new homes we are bidding have much more design toward energy efficiency. Solar, wind, new devices & technology are here. We're doing it.

So, with all the doom & gloom we hear, there is also good news. It's here, & it's only going to get better.