It’s been a little over a year since Ladera Hope and its supporters won a stunning victory to stop San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) from erecting a 48-megawatt peaker plant across Antonio Parkway from Ladera Ranch.

As you may remember, I editorialized in favor of the plant, arguing that the emissions from the plant did not pose as much health risk as other pollutants, like auto exhaust emissions, that we take for granted. The truth is, we fear the unknown more than the toxic things we are routinely exposed to every day, even though the latter might be more harmful.

It is not my intention to debate the peaker plant all over again, except to say that it is an excellent example of grassroots activism, which is what America’s all about.

But to stop at defeating the powerful SDG&E juggernaut from adding new air pollutants to our community is, by itself, not enough. Why not ratchet up the clean air campaign to eliminate many, if not all, of the pollutants that already exist . . . or at least the ones over which each of us has some control? 

To begin with, let’s stop running our gasoline-driven autos while stacked up in front of our schools at the beginning and end of each school day, or elsewhere, for that matter. It’s uncomfortable to sit in the car without air conditioning on these hot summer days, but it’s a small sacrifice to pay to help clean up our atmosphere and the air our kids breathe. Open the car windows, and get a DC fan to help move the air around if necessary. 

In that regard, if all your driving is done around town, the next time you buy a new car, consider one of those NEV’s (Neighborhood Electric Vehicles) we see more and more on Ladera’s streets. They’re cheap by comparison to gasoline-powered cars, they do not emit pollutants, and there’s incredible state and federal tax rebates available to help offset the cost of the purchase. 

And speaking of tax rebates, the federal and state incentives to install solar energy systems on residential and business roofs are so high right now that they can cover as much as 50% of the total costs. And, on days when the solar panels provide more electric than you use, your meter runs backwards and SDG&E is required by law to purchase your excess energy. 

Take a look at the chemicals you’re using in you home. Some of them are so strong you can smell them all over the house and, unfortunately, many of them, such as paint stripper, fingernail polish remover, Draino, shower cleaner and the myriad other toxic household sprays we use, are very toxic. 

The August 2009 issue of the Ladera Times  and this website are filled with many other examples of how we can reduce our carbon foot print on this earth. And if we all work as a team, like Ladera Hope did to stop the peaker plant, we can really make Ladera Ranch one of the greenest communities in the country. Let’s do it!