$ people are weird about money. Some people will whip out a credit card to buy new shoes, appliances, even entire weddings. They’ll get secured loans for homes or cars or boats. It’s easy to make judgments about other people’s characters by knowing what they spend money on. The process is our culture’s primary fuel. It’s the engine of consumption. But those items I just mentioned, with the possible exception of the house, are losing propositions. The first time you use any one of them, it’s worth less, and it’s worth less with every day that passes. Criminals can take them. Shoot, much of the time, the government is a party to the theft. But there are some things that appreciate in value and that have the feature that they can’t be stolen from you. Education, for example. A college master’s degree is worth $1.3 million more in lifetime earnings than a high school diploma, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It’s a report called the Big Payoff, if you want to read it for yourself. And yet, people bitch about kids who get student loans. Spend $40,000 to make $1.3 million? Who wouldn’t take that return on investment? But again, it’s the fact that it gains value and can’t be stolen that I’m interested in. People buy $40,000 cars without blinking an eye, but in six years, those cars may lose $25,000 in value. I want to spend my money on things with true value. I’m not talking about “investing.” The fact that I had my retirement and my home’s equity stolen by the illegal actions of the finance industry informs this thinking, but it’s not just about that. That’s where my plan to put solar modules on my house comes in. People keep asking me, “So when will those things be paid for?” Like those kids with college loans, people question my wisdom, as though solar modules are frivolous because they won’t produce value until they produce savings on my power bill after being fully paid for. Well, it’s not just about the money.
Driving into the green economy costs less than you think, and it may put money in your pocket while saving the environment
by
Some people get it. If we’re going to move past the petroleum economy that’s destroying our planet, we have to help create the green economy. We have to move it forward by buying into it, even though the short-term costs are higher than buying oil. But then I’ve never heard of someone getting killed or tortured in the Middle East because we wanted their country’s sunlight. So how am I going to put my money where my mouth is? I have a three-part plan: I’m going to lease an electric car. I’m going to figure out financing. I’m going to power my house and car with the sun. OK, maybe not in that order. And you know what? While I do it, I’m going to try to convince skeptics that it makes financial sense—even for those people who want immediate return on investment.
EmpirE of thE Sun Let me tell you one thing straight up. You know those people you meet at Earth Day? They’re so nice, so loving. They’re probably not the people you’re going to meet when you’re moving into the personal power utility. People in the “green” banking business are just as cutthroat as your most traditional banker. The people who sell electric cars are still car salesmen. Upon making the decision to really go green, I contacted an expert, Bob Tregilus, president of the Electric Auto Association of Northern Nevada, so I wouldn’t have to waste a lot of time on car shopping. For cars available in Reno, he’s a fan of the Nissan Leaf. He also steered me toward Nissan of Reno. Nissan is running a national deal on a 36-month lease, $2,000 plus taxes, plus $199 a month (plus sales tax) plus $300 at the end. Insurance will be about $840. Call it $4,186 a year.
“ electric
feel ”
continued on page 14
D. Brian Burghart
OPINION
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NEWS
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GREEN
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FEATURE STORY
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ARTS&CULTURE
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ART OF THE STATE
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FOODFINDS
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FILM
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MUSICBEAT
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NIGHTCLUBS/CASINOS
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THIS WEEK
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MISCELLANY
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SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
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RN&R
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