Will really help us forest creatures a lot!

The forest is dry. The trees look tired – even the majestic pines and cedars appear sad. And why shouldn’t they be? They have lost many of their kind in the past two years due to PG&E’s Fire Prevention Plan.

I hope the giant utility company has some kind of logical plan. I don’t see any sign of one, only their “no trees, no fires” approach. Last summer and this one have had the constant sound of chainsaws and the ground-shaking booms of fallen trees.

The noise is annoying, and I can’t hear myself think. Every boom breaks my heart. We are killing trees that have lived on this land hundreds of years before we were even born. Their crime? Being too close to powerlines. The injustice of that angers me. This is MY forest, I rant. Technically, that is not true, but I live here, so I’m extremly protective.

Did you notice that I said, “We are killing trees?” and not, “They are killing trees?” As much as PG&E angers me, it is not just them. All humans demand the convenience of lighting, cable TV, internet access, etc. We are irrevocably entangled with electricity to charge our phones, run our appliances, and modern conveniences. I cannot make dinner without electricity. I can’t piece a quilt without it or write a blog.

Even with our solar panels on the roof generating energy, we can’t actually use it. Not directly. We remain on the grid that feeds energy to PG&E. Our bill is lower; however, the solar installation cost will not be recovered in our lifetime. If that isn’t depressing enough, when we lose PG&E power, our solar panels do not work. No matter how sunny the day is.

I think about this as I drink coffee at my desk. My view is mostly obstructed by my monitor as I write, but I am surrounded by my forest. Above my screen, I see majestic cedars and the power lines that weave through them up the mountain. It suddenly occurs to me that if it takes electricity to run solar panels, how does this help our efforts to “go green?”

I can’t be the only one on the planet confused by this. I would love to get YOUR opinion on it!