A little bit of Light Activism...

Dear Lowes Representative,

Please pass this email up the line.

I'm a long-time Customer of Lowes. I notice, however, that you have no items under the keywords "Solar Inverter," no items under "Solar Module," and only four items under "Solar Panel."

I completely understand your not stocking these items in all of your stores, but online availability only makes sense, considering the potential future growth in this market*.

I also notice that you have no books on Solar, or Energy Efficiency in your bookshelves. This kind of information will be in increasing demand in the near-term, and should be available ASAP!

Thanks,
D P


* As of 1/1/09, a 30% investment tax credit with no cap has gone into effect for purchases of Solar Systems, and by the end of January, the Federal Government will have passed a bill with particular stimulus of the Solar Industry in mind.

Lowes stands to benefit by these programs, and likewise, Lowes Customers across the country will benefit by access to Solar Equipment from a trusted and convenient Vendor.

A Letter to my Representative - 11/10/08

Dear Representative XXX,

I'd simply like to voice my support for the replacement of Dingell, on Energy and Commerce, by Henry Waxman.

I'll say that I do not strongly dislike John Dingell, from what I've seen of him, but I do strongly support Waxman's consistant demonstrations of willingness to battle for what is important. Dingell is too close to US Auto Manufacturing Behemoths, and has not shown that he has any ability to stand up to those Lobbies. By doing so, he has abetted their present state of finance. Example: when US Auto Manufacturers wanted to avoid improved CAFE standards, Dingell has been their ally, and yet, modernized standards would have been exactly the incentive that our Domestic Manufacturers could have used to support not only the production of efficient vehicles for domestic use, but also to produce vehicles that would stand a greater chance of being in demand outside of the US, where people don't have money to throw into their gas tanks like Americans have had.

So, yes, I think that an independent fighter would be of great value in this environment of great change. We need to help our Auto Industry, but not by simply throwing cash at them, at the whim of their lobbies. We need new standards and incentives to empower and to direct our manufacturers in a sustainable direction, and we need leadership to back it up in Congress. Bailing out the companies, and then supporting their Lobbies in defense of the status quo, is exactly what we can't afford to do.

Thanks,
D P

Letter to Editor / Congressperson...

Feel free to copy and paste if you like. It's 199 words, so should be admissible to most newspaper opinion pages. Also feel free to post your own creations in this thread. Add a greeting and signature, and it's a letter to a Congressperson.

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On January 30th, the Senate Finance Committee agreed to add an extension of existing Renewable Energy Tax Credits to the Stimulus Package currently under consideration. I strongly support this action, and look forward to seeing this Bill receive the signature of President Bush.

This is a great addition to the Stimulus Package.

By offsetting the cost of Purchase and Installation of Renewables, this Bill will provide a similar kind of short-term investment incentive as other portions of the Package. However, because this is a focused investment in new Energy Sources, it provides mid- and long-term Economic benefits by placing downward pressure on Energy Prices, which, in addition to an increase in money supply, are a primary source of inflation.

Lately, we see the Federal Reserve forced to take Inflationary action in order to support a teetering Economy. Congress and the President must support the Fed’s action by smart Legislation, such as this, to counter these Inflationary forces over the long-term.

Make no mistake; President Bush will not welcome this change to the Package. Supporters of this Bill in Congress, both Republican and Democrat, will have to be strong to pass this. It will be the right thing to do.