Letter to the Editor: Time to Step Up

The remarks by Kathy Kuntz, which you published last week, are indeed timely. Her words are simple, but carry important optimistic messages. She speaks of people acting to increase sustainability and, thereby, decrease greenhouse gases, which are the major factors causing climate change.

I especially like how she sets aside politics, politicians and big government to concentrate on the rising understanding among regular people that sustainability is smart money-saving action for their households and businesses. And they are taking the necessary actions.

She lists four ways in which reducing the use of resources, especially energy, makes economic sense for business: it saves money, it appeals to customers, and it reduces the risk of future costs by looking to the future environmental health of the business.

Last, but very important, it attracts new employees, especially those coming from the ranks of “millennials.” Those of us who are “of a certain age” are also acutely aware of sustainability’s importance; but if we are not part of the workforce, I think our appreciation of a business that is practicing sustainability shows when we become a vocal customer of that business.

For all of us, in our own households, we also see the economic benefits of reducing our use of energy and other resources. Our cost to operate the household goes down. And we experience the personal satisfaction of knowing that we are learning to live cleaner, that our carbon footprint is reducing, that we are caring for the beautiful world in which we live.

We even have a way of measuring our individual impact. We can calculate the carbon footprint of our business or household now, and then again, say, a year from now, after we have taken energy conserving actions. The businesses of Door County have just been invited, by Climate Change Coalition of Door County, to “take the carbon footprint challenge.” And we, for households, can do that too by checking out the website, coolclimate.berkeley.edu/calculator.

Thanks to Ms. Kuntz for her common-sense description of what every one of us can do about the huge issue of climate change. She encourages us to step up and just do it.

Carl Giessel

Liberty Grove, Wis.