Price puts solar power out of my reach

There’s a new channel from Discovery called Planet Green. It’s got some interesting programming, and my husband is hooked. His viewing time of The Outdoor Channel has dropped significantly (which is a HUGE surprise to this hunting widow), and he’s glued to the TV. (Glued with a nontoxic soy-based adhesive, of course.) Shows like Wasted, Greenovate and Renovation Nation have inspired him to explore green choices. He excitedly talks about rain harvesting to water our 2 acres; solar power for our 2,000-square-foot home; and composting.

He hops online and begins his research. The composting idea is doable. We have the room. No problem. Check that off the list. He finds a great site hosted by Texas A&M about rain harvesting. Turns out we could harvest 20,000 gallons of rainwater from the roof. His eyes are as big as saucers. He digs deeper. The cost of this project is a little steep -- a couple of grand depending on the size of the system (pipe, pump, storage tank). We can probably swing it, plus we’ll be saving some of our well water.

Instead of a check, he puts a question mark next to rain harvesting. Next comes the solar research. If we wanted to run our entire household on solar, the system would cost a whopping $84,000 (and that was on the low end of what he found). With our electric bills, our ROI would be 16+ years. Solar power gets a big X through it.

I’m sure a big portion of the country is in the same boat as the Roddas. The cost-to-benefit ratio just doesn’t pan out. But we want to make more sustainable choices. That’s why I think the sustainability slant for plant marketing is a great way to get consumers in the garden center and add value to plants.

-- Kelli