The Nevada Independent | Dr. Mary L. House

The year was 1982, and my husband Clinton and I were sitting on the sidewalk outside our Fresno, California apartment during an intense heatwave. While we typically stayed indoors to avoid summer heat, that day the heatwave had triggered a power outage. When I noticed the lights were still on at the property manager’s apartment and asked him why, he explained he had a solar-powered generator that stored energy for when he needed it, like during outages. He went on to explain how the generator also offset his utility costs. What he said sparked my curiosity. 

My journey with renewable energy and energy efficiency began on that sweltering day, decades ago. I committed myself to learn more about how my family could go green and save money by harnessing clean energy. Over the years, we’ve swapped out light bulbs for LEDs, upped our recycling, kept a closer eye on the thermostat and found more opportunities to repurpose and reuse.