If gasoline approaching $5 per gallon, and the recent dust up over the proposed peaker plant, not to mention the prospects of a worldwide recession looming over our heads and the pending global warming crisis, hasn’t convinced us we need to finally get deadly serious about energy conservation, I suppose nothing will.

The Ladera Times has been active in promoting and pursuing energy conservation, a passion of mine since the contrived gasoline shortages back in the mid-1970’s. We’ve not only published many articles on how and why to conserve energy, but we have also implemented many, many "green" measures in our own operations.

For example, the Ladera Times is printed on recycled newsprint. Doing so is actually costlier and produces a lesser quality finished product than printing on virgin newsprint. But we do it because it saves a few trees. The newspaper is composed entirely on the computer and sent electronically to the printer, thus saving the time, paper, and fuel that it would consume delivering it by hand.

We recently began billing our advertisers electronically, which saves time, paper, envelopes, and postage. And we installed fluorescent bulbs throughout our offices and home, and will be swapping those out soon for LED light fixtures as soon as sales reach a critical mass and the price becomes more competitive.

Despite the fact that it will cost us more than our straight electric bill -- at least for the immediate future -- we’re seriously considering installing solar panels on our roof to produce as much electricity as we can by using the power of the sun. Every little bit adds up and, believe me, these days we have to watch every penny to remain competitive, especially in a down market.

Other measures include installing screen doors throughout in order to create a cross breeze that keeps the house cooler, even on blistering hot days, and we have installed ceiling fans in just about every room. We also use window fans to bring in the cool desert breeze in the evenings, which helps to keep the house cooler and the whole-house air conditioner off during most summer days. And we replaced our gas-guzzling, polluting SUV with a Honda Fit, which gets 30 to 40 miles per gallon, to not only help offset the skyrocketing price of gasoline but to also do our part to clean up the environment and combat global warming.

It’s not just that we’re running out of oil and other natural fuels. We will eventually, but not for many centuries. So, if we were willing to pay the price, we could go on with our energy wasting ways for years to come. But the truth is, we need to save our planet and the life-forms that keep it healthy. And we need to get off this destructive oil habit we’re addicted to for so many reasons I don’t have enough space to articulate in this column. With the right leadership at every level, we can do it. And if it takes $5 per gallon to finally get us to act, then maybe it’ll serve its purpose.