CONSERVATION CORNER COLORFUL SUMMERS, FREE TREES & EV’S

by Kathrine Blomquist

Summer is here, there’s no sugarcoating it. However, I will say I’d much rather look out my windows on a triple-digit day and see the beautiful colors of yellow bells, lantanas, ruellias, desert willow, etc., than put up with gray, dreary, colorless, single-digit weather in winter. Our summers are the price we pay for year-round color.

Are you wishing you had a bit more color and shade in your yard? SRP, Dobson Ranch’s electric provider, just announced dates for their Shade Tree Program. If you haven’t done so already, this is your chance to attend an online workshop to receive two free desert-adapted shade trees. Upcoming webinar dates are July 13, August 1 and 24, with sapling pickup in the fall. Register today at www.srp.net/shadetrees to rev up your yard with more color and shade.

Shifting gears - do you have an electric vehicle? Are you thinking about getting one? If so, get to know the Valley of the Sun Electric Vehicle Association. This diverse group of EV enthusiasts holds monthly meetings and rallies to build community, share knowledge, and have fun. Their events are family oriented and they are looking for new members from Dobson Ranch. (You don’t have to be an EV owner to join.)

Check out this (next) month’s article by John Matinson and visit ValleyofTheSunEVA.org for more information.

Finally, for all the residents with pools, here are this month’s water saving tips:

* Use a cover to help prevent water loss through evaporation.

* Lower the water levels to reduce water loss due to splashing.

* If you have an automatic refilling device, check periodically for leaks.

EV Road Tripping

by John Martinson

I have driven more than 400,00 electric miles over the 14 years I have owned and driven EVs, yet I still run into folks who have range anxiety and have held off buying an EV because of it.

Last summer, my wife and I drove from Scottsdale to St. John’s, Newfoundland, in Eastern Canada in her 2023 Tesla

Model X. The 11,000-mile, all-electric road trip was easy-peasy, as there are a lot of DC fast charging stations—37,752 in the US as of February 2024.

Some advice: many so-called “experts” say that you should drive until your battery is down to 20% before “filling up.” We drive the speed limit and stop to charge every two to three hours. This way, it’s a quicker charge and a shorter stop to use the facilities, get a cup of coffee, and chat with other EV owners.

EV road tripping is relaxing, fun, and economical.

Next month, we are off on another EV road trip—north through the Rockies to Western Canada and back.

John Martinson is Co-Founder and President of DRIVE Electric Arizona, whose mission is to remove barriers to EV adoption in Arizona. He is also the founder and admin for EV Road Trippers Facebook group, a community of over 7,500 active electric road trippers.