Wind Power Adventures for the Whole Family
My son and his family stayed with us over the holidays and he and I spent a lot of time talking about residential wind power. I’m always so impressed by how engaged he is when it comes to the environment–so many from his generation seem to have forgotten all that *my* generation fought so hard for and I’m really proud that he has such compassion for the planet.
He was really intrigued by my new wind generator and we got to talking about if a similar model might work for him in San Diego. We spent some time pouring over wind maps (not even remotely accurate, but always a helpful starting place) and discussing wind surveys.
But, my favorite part of the visit was building part of a new wind power turbine with my eldest granddaughter. She’s six and it was such a blast explaining what we were doing and why. Of course, her understanding of electricity is a little elementary, but I was delighted and impressed by how quickly she understood that wind can power the lights in the house.
The day we visited the water park, she asked, “Could wind power this, Gramps?” Of course, then she started asking *why* wind wasn’t powering whatever it was she’d asked about. And the explanation for that was a little trickier.
It’s so rewarding seeing my grandkids (and my kids) asking such smart questions about renewable energy sources and to see them being actively engaged in taking responsibility for the power they use. I think for my generation, power was just something we took completely for granted, and now we’re learning that wasn’t the smartest approach.
So, this week I’m celebrating the adventures we had with the grandkids and the way they’re already considering the impact their choices have on the world around them. How do you talk with your kids (or grandkids) about home-made electricity and other renewable power choices?
