Being A Grandparent

My Grandmother was born in 1895. She witness miraculous changes – the introduction of automobiles and electric lights, the New Deal and the March on Washington -- and horrid social catastrophes – WWI, WWII, 1929 crash, Viet Nam War. We lived close by and would often spend a Sunday afternoon at her home, until her death in 1973. She was born in the 19th century and here I am living in the 21st.

That realization – that three generations of a family can have their feet in two or three separate centuries -- came to me when I was watching one of many TV documentaries that describe the effects of Global Warming by the year 2100. Scientists are predicting that the planet is going to be a lot hotter then, possibly 3 to 4 degree hotter on average. A hotter plant means rising sea levels, destruction of forests and crop lands, social upheaval. Can that be possible? What will Bucks County be like then? Like my Grandmother trying to imagine my 2008, it is hard to relate to those global impacts that will be common place in the 22nd century.

If my kids have children (which they claim they want, thankfully not for a few years), it’s pretty certain that those grandchildren of mine will have feet in 2100 and beyond. It might be hard to imagine what the 22nd century will be like, but Imagine We Must! Not only imagine, we have to act now to do something about it. The unborn grandchild who someday I will undoubtedly hold in my arms, is going to be living the consequences of what we now do or now don’t to to protect our planet. Just as my Grandmother’s generation had to severely adapt to war and economic crashes, this generation must change our habits to the realities of diminishing oil, increasing CO2 levels, inequitable distribution of resources and wealth and a warming planet. The immediacy of our predicament may not be as readily apparent as it was to my Grandmother in those difficult times, but the consequences are as, if not more, grave for us and our grandchildren.

All change starts with the individual taking personal responsibility and acting on it. Here are a few suggestions that can help save energy, save you some money, do something for the planet and the grandkids.

1) slow down in the car: it’s safer and saves a lot of gas and money.
2) Turn up the AC and down the Heat for a few hours everyday.
3) Get an Energy Audit of your home. This will identify areas where air is
infiltrating into the house envelope and strategies for filling the voids.
If you are considering adding insulation to your attic, make sure you search
for holes where air is coming up through the ceiling into the attic. Get a
hatch or attic stairs cover. Look into dense pack cellulose and spray foam
insulations. Floors are not as important as walls and ceilings in terms of
payback.
4) Look into LED and
florescent lighting. Most major lighting manufactures have lots of variety
in florescent. We recently completed a Green kitchen remodel which used
nothing but LED and florescent to good effect.

Getting in touch with the future grandparent in me has put a lot of what I do on a daily basis in perspective. I know that I am not going to make it to 2100, but I will pretty soon know someone who will. Let’s do something great for them – Stop Global Warming and get off Mid East Oil.

This article was contributed by Thomas G. Wells

THOMAS G. WELLS CONSTRUCTION L.L.C.
105 Pennsylvania Avenue
Yardley, Pa. 19067
Tel: 215-321-4818
Fax: 215-321-2179
Cell: 215-378-4048


Source: Superior Woodcraft, Inc. - Custom Cabinetry