Downtown Austin
Austin Needs to Do More to Be 'Green'
RECEIVED Tue., March 10, 2009
Dear Editor,
Re: “Cool City: Solar Subtleties” [News, March 6]: Thank you for Katherine Gregor’s continued excellent coverage of council and neighborhood issues.
Regarding the cost of the proposed Webberville solar plant, let me just say that asking for “volunteers” to pay for the plant through a GreenChoice package contradicts the purpose of Austin’s Climate Protection Plan. How can Austin become, as the plan states, “the leading city in the nation in the fight against global warming” unless we accept the political and monetary costs as a city?
Kudos to the individuals and businesses who continue to put photovoltaic systems on their own roofs at a premium cost. They’re the real “volunteers.” The rest of us need to share the cost of getting some of our electricity from solar rather than from fossil fuels – just as we share costs for other services that make the quality of life in Austin high.
Austin gets a lot of good press for its “green” initiatives. But until these are supported by council through completion, they’re empty words that won’t do any good for the climate!
Re: “Cool City: Solar Subtleties” [News, March 6]: Thank you for Katherine Gregor’s continued excellent coverage of council and neighborhood issues.
Regarding the cost of the proposed Webberville solar plant, let me just say that asking for “volunteers” to pay for the plant through a GreenChoice package contradicts the purpose of Austin’s Climate Protection Plan. How can Austin become, as the plan states, “the leading city in the nation in the fight against global warming” unless we accept the political and monetary costs as a city?
Kudos to the individuals and businesses who continue to put photovoltaic systems on their own roofs at a premium cost. They’re the real “volunteers.” The rest of us need to share the cost of getting some of our electricity from solar rather than from fossil fuels – just as we share costs for other services that make the quality of life in Austin high.
Austin gets a lot of good press for its “green” initiatives. But until these are supported by council through completion, they’re empty words that won’t do any good for the climate!
Molly O’Halloran