Solar energy means freedom from high-electric bills
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Brevard County builder LifeStyle’s solar-powered model home, the St. Croix, is featured in Cross Creek Lake Estates in Sebastian. BY MUFFY MCCLUNG BERLYN In an ideal world, everything would be solar powered: watches, cell phones, cars, homes and businesses. Ideal because we would not be burning fossil fuels, damaging the environment,
dependent on oil and coal and spending so much money. Solar energy is free, clean and virtually endless. Progress toward energy freedom is being made from the small to the large. Solar charged watches, such as the Citizen Eco-Drive, can be
purchased. Solar-powered homes have been around for more than 30 years. Even Home Depot stocks solar panels. According to William Pentland in Forbes magazine last year, “The solar power industry is in the middle of a spectacular growth spurt in the United States.” If you have a solar-powered home and buy an electric car like the Tesla or the Chevrolet Volt, charging the car from a solar-powered home then means your car runs on sunshine. This is what a local builder did to prove the point. LifeStyle Homes, the biggest builder of solar-powered homes in Brevard County, has built more than 75 solar-powered homes in the area in 16 different communities. Karen Kicinski, marketing director at LifeStyle, explained that they work with the Florida Solar Energy Center to determine which products are the most energy efficient. “Out of that partnership grew the SunSmart program,” an energy efficient package included with every home whether it is solar or not. Kincinski said the Lifestyle home is “so efficient we
don’t need to make as big a solarpowered system to reap all the benefits of solar power.” Joanne Nesbitt, a solar-powered home owner in Sebastian with retired professor husband, Glenn Kreag, traveled to Antarctica to observe changes wrought by global climate change. “It gave us a wake-up call as to what we are doing to our friends the penguins.” After researching solar homes, they found the cost of the solar panels would be offset after a five-year period. Because it is illegal in Florida to be off the grid, their home was given a meter put in by FP&L that goes both forward using FP&L energy and backward, using the customer’s power which gives them credit. Nesbitt, now living the solar-powered lifestyle, said “It would be very difficult to go back [to a non-solar home]. We’re spoiled by getting a $9.43 electric bill.” SL Lifestyle Homes is located at 3453 W. New Haven Ave. in West Melbourne. For more information call 321-727-8188.
Motivational speaker inspires others through challenges
SENIOR LIFE Darrell Woehler
Alex Dixon is a master at overcoming obstacles. BY DARRELL WOEHLER
Have you ever looked at someone and thought, “Wow, they have it all”? Such would be the case if you just looked at Alexis “Alex” Dixon. At 18, she is a very pretty young lady by almost any measure, just graduated from high school and preparing to enter college. Does she have the world on a string and everything going for her? Well, according to her, a big “yes.” But you would only know half of the story. This is what her body is giving her: about half. You see, the right half of her body is mostly paralyzed and her vision is greatly impaired. All these physical problems are the result of a stroke when she was 12 years old, but not just any stroke. She had come down with a mystery illness several years before, the cause of which doctors could not determine. Then, during an explorative surgery connected with pneumonia, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, and complex regional pain syndrome is when the stroke occurred. Blood stopped going to the brain, thus creating physical and mental problems she is still striving to overcome, and many of them she has overcome. Ironically, some of the pain and symptoms she had before the stroke seem somewhat to have
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abated. But new problems arose. Yet to show her sense of humor through these recovering years, her mother, Juli K. Dixon, Ph.D., and sister, Jessica Dixon, have written a book with an unusual title: “A Stroke of Luck.” It is a beautiful story of Dixon’s life as told to them so that she can try to understand what happened to her. But at the same time, it can apply to most people in their daily lives as an inspiration to live life to the fullest, one second, minute, hour, day or year at a time. After the stroke, most of her was gone. She was in a month-long induced coma with nearly half of her skull removed to reduce swelling. It has been a long road from a near vegetative state, but with diligent and exhausting help from her parents, sister, grandparents and fellow students, doctors and friends, Dixon has recovered most of her “academics,” as she calls it, so much so that she made the National Honor Society, and with great determination, was able to graduate with her high school class at Hagerty High School in Oviedo. She now lives in Indialantic. She is still guarded in her speech. She may be wanting to say “airplane,” but what comes out of her mouth may be “helicopter.” While discussing Dixon’s background for this story, her sister Jessica entered the room and helped provide insight for this article. It became evident there is a special bond between the two sisters. They soon were finishing each other’s sentences when describing past events. Jessica took on the role of the big, little sister during much of Alex’s recovery. Music was always a big part of Alex’s life and she was an accomplished pianist, and music and reading have played a big part in her recovery. She started playing the piano with one hand, one of her favorites, “The Pink Panther” theme song, and then, to begin reading again, the Dr. Seuss story, “One Fish, Two Fish.” Her field of vision is about half of normal. There are many other anecdotes throughout Dixon’s long recovery journey that can be noted, and they are listed in her life’s story. The book
is published by Finding Words Press. When her body and time permits, Dixon travels around the country, and here in Florida, giving motivational and inspirational talks on her life and how to overcome obstacles. Dixon’s determination and bright personality shine through when talking to her, as her sparkling eyes lead on to the next step in her recovery. She is now entering her freshman year at the University of Central Florida, and despite her special needs, or perhaps because of them, success is written all over her face. SL
SENIOR LIFE Darrell Woehler
Alex Dixon’s sister, Jessica Dixon, has played a key role in Dixon’s recovery.
2016 Public Safety Awards reward heroism SPECIAL TO SENIOR LIFE Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey will host the 2016 Public Safety Awards and Hall of Fame Gala to benefit SENIOR LIFE Photo the Brevard Sheriff Wayne Ivey County Public Safety Charity. “This wonderful event is to honor individuals, groups and organizations who, by virtue of their personal integrity, commitment and determination, work hard to change our county for the better” Ivey said. The inaugural event will be Saturday, Sept. 24 at the King Center for the Performing Arts in Melbourne, with a reception at 6 p.m. and the awards program at 7 p.m. Tickets are $49 each. Nominations are open until Aug. 12. “I encourage you to participate by showing appreciation to someone you know by sharing their story of excellence; to honor those who dedicate themselves to this cause with a sense of patriotism, ingenuity, persistence and a strong commitment
to help others,” Ivey said. “These highly prestigious awards will recognize and honor those who have served with distinction, selflessly serving our community, and whose work can be viewed as models of public service.” The Public Service Award Committee will evaluate the nominations and select from all areas/levels of public service to include organizations, groups and Good Samaritan citizens. “Nomination criteria and award categories will include those who have made a positive and profound difference in the lives of our citizens; were willing to take risks to affect and achieve positive change or the protection of our communities; set aside personal gain for the betterment of society; championed social equity, health, education, community improvement, and justice; devoted a career to protect our freedoms, develop our future and make Brevard County a better place to live, work and raise our families,” Ivey said. SL To submit a nomination, call 321-323-4460 or 321-615-8111. For questions, email katrina. wilson@bcso.us. For tickets, go to spacecoastpsaawards.eventbrite.com.
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