4/27/2009
By Tim Unruh
Salina Journal
Salina Vice Mayor Aaron Peck led the pep rally Saturday to juice up Salina about saving power and show Kansas how it’s done.
“It’s time for our community to take charge of it’s energy future,” Peck said at the Take Charge Challenge kickoff at Salina Central High School.
Salina is in a friendly competition with five other towns — Quinter, Merriam, Mount Hope/Haven, Wellington and Kinsley — to cut the most electricity use in one year.
“There’s no reason at all why Salina can’t win this competition,” Peck said.
The winner gets the choice of a wind turbine for one of its schools, solar panels for a civic building or money to complete a civic energy efficiency project.
Every Salinan
The vice mayor called on every Salinan to weatherize their homes, turn off lights and convert their lighting from traditional incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, which last 10 times longer and use 75 percent less energy.
The Boy Scouts helped Phillips Lighting give away a CFL to visitors as they circled the Central gymnasium floor collecting information.
“It is a 27-watt bulb that gives off the brightness of a 100-watt bulb and it’ll last seven years,” said Damien Parks, 15, a member of Troop 2.
The gathering had the attention of Ginny Morse, Salina, who was ready to learn all she could.
“I’ve been recycling for 32 years. I’ve tried to do my part, but I know there’s a lot more I can do,” she said.
A number of businesses and organizations provided booths and displays, with activities and items geared toward energy savings.
“The focus of today is to ... give people the tools they need to help Salina win,” said Eileen Horn, of Lawrence, director of education for the Climate and Energy Project of The Land Institute, 2440 E. Water Well. The project is associated with The Land Institute, but separately funded.
The competition evolved when project leaders asked utilities — Westar, Midwest Energy, KCP&L and the Kansas Power Pool — to pick towns willing to pursue lowering energy use.
Quarterly reports
Through April 1, 2010, each utility will provide to the media quarterly reports of kilowatt-hour reductions from residential, commercial and industrial customers in each community.
“We’ll compare those to historic uses and state averages to come up with a reduction,” Horn said. “It will be a percentage, a per capita measurement.”
Residents are encouraged to register at www.takecharge
kansas.org, when they change to
a CFL bulb.
Cutting electricity use is one way to hold off building more power plants, said Laura Lutz, of Topeka, who works in Westar’s energy efficiency department.
“Using energy efficiently is one of the ways to moderate over energy use,” she said.
Waters True Value exhibited energy saving devices and supplies, such as programmable thermostats, caulking and weather stripping.
Nine youths with the Volunteer Connection painted energy efficient themes on the faces of some of the 250 people who attended and ran a bean bag toss. Two posed as Mr. and Mrs. Incredible action figures.
The city of Salina made door hangers as reminders to shut off lights and pinwheels promoting wind energy.
Rural Energy for America
The USDA Rural Development division booth promoted its Rural Energy for America Program that provides grants up to $500,000 for farmers and ranchers and small business owners to update equipment that will reduce energy use. The USDA has not yet announced the availability of funds this year, said Richard Boyles, Manhattan, the Rural Development area director.
“We’re encouraging everyone to think about the application process,” he said.
The Beloit-based North Central Regional Planning Commission booth promoted the federal Household Weatherization Program.
The commission operates the federally funded program that helps people who qualify improve their efficiency by helping pay to repair or replace furnaces, air conditioners or refrigerators, improve attic insulation, caulking and other projects to keep the heat or cold out.

n Reporter Tim Unruh can be reached at 822-1419 or by e-mail at tunruh@salina.com.