Guest Speaker: Ray Darby

Ray Darby's talk was very insightful in how a person can save money and energy, all around living more "green". He brought up the fact that people don't think about transportation enough. They may live in a more energy efficient home, but if they're driving a hummer, they kinda cancel each other out. Also however, is transportation in regards to our food. If our food we buy is imported from across the country, or even from another country, it took alot of energy to get it to you. It took energy in storing it, fuel and oil to transport it by plane maybe and then by truck, not to mention the gasoline it took you to drive to the store where its at and back home. We need to start thinking about these things because they can make a big difference. If we buy locally grown food, it took less resources to make and is more sustainable. Also, buying lower on the food chain can make a big difference because it takes alot more resources to raise a cow than just eating the grass or vegetables directly. Another thing is considering a short term loss for a long term gain when building a house/thinking of getting solar panels and other more energy efficient remodelings...they save in the long run. In his own home, Ray Darby did simple things such as just not placing very many windows facing the south, where the sun will hit and absorb energy throughout the majority of the day. This reduces air conditioning costs without costing a cent more. Ray Darby provided us with simple things to consider about everyday life to significantly decrease our ecological footprint.