David Miller, Canada

I've already picked the lowest fruit off the tree in regards to reducing my energy consumption e.g. insulating, weatherstripping, fluorescent light bulbs, programmable thermostat, servicing my furnace, etc. etc. Now I am reaching higher into the tree.

I've installed 2 solar collectors (Apricus - 'cuz they're the best!!) which should reduce my energy needs for home heating (I'm Canadian, eh!, and winters get cold) and water heating by about half. What I like about my solar collectors is that they collect heat even when the outside temp. is minus 20 celsius. I ditched my Ford Ranger and my Ford Windstar in favour of a Hyundai Sonata for my wife and a Hyundai Elantra for me although we car pool whenever we can. In this way we have managed to cut our gasoline consumption in half.

Outside I've planted hundreds of trees to help the environment in general. Double rows of white cedars along both sides of my house serve as effective windbreakers while a small but growing maple tree planted on the south side will help keep my house cool in the winter time. My garden is large and growing in an effort to minimize food transportation.

My future plans are to replace my windows and install a few solar panels for electricity. And, like most of the visitors to this site, I am keeping myself informed and trying to get ahead of the curve.