They have an honorable history, having survived the Depression, had a hand in defeating the enemies of freedom in World War II, created the United Nations, and overcame the Cold War. Some have called them the "Civic Generation" because they took an interest in voting, public affairs, civil rights and civil liberties. Today, they admit to exploiting earth’s limited resources, polluting the air and our drinking water and lumbering blindly on to global warming.

Today, a group of seniors at a retirement home in Hamden, CT, have formed their own organization, GrayisGreen, and authored The Handbook on Conservation for Retirement Communities (MS Word doc). They are another link in the expanding network of seniors stepping up and making a difference in their surroundings, and ours.

My thanks to Joyce Emery of Green Seniors for the lead to this amazing group of elders.

If you’ve ever been to San Francisco, or lived there for a time as I have, you can’t help but be charmed by the city, but also aware of the natural beauty of the entire 9 county bay area. That charm and beauty, in many cases, was won in difficult and often contentious battles between environmentalists, governments and developers to name a few.

San Francisco author John Hart and photographer Nancy Kittle have put together a wonderful book about 50 notable "elders" who helped shape the area with their committment to the environment and conservation. This is a review of Legacy, and the impact the "elders" have had on the bay area.

If a person pays attention, they can turn common situations into a positive energy saving message. That’s what today’s guest does very well with an interesting and informative website called Energy Boomer.

He tells the story of a bat that helped him find areas that would leak heat, and the story of that grasshopper. He shares his views on ethanol and electric automobiles, but you may not agree completely on his choice of a fuel to power electric generating stations.

You’ll find interesting ways to save energy, at home and at work, and also some tips on saving energy if you work at home. His latest post concerns wind energy, saying wind is a form of solar power. Well, enough of this: listen in and enjoy.

Electric PorscheLast week’s post was devoted to the efforts of Ken Watkins, a Florida senior citizen who electro-refitted a Chevy pickup truck. He turned out a good-looking ride and plans to do more vehicles in his retirement years.

That article resulted in an email from another Floridian: Paul Liddle, the owner of EVPorsche, who is electrifying Porsches, Lamborghinis, and even a Rolls Royce! And I thought, "WOW, an electric Porsche 911, cool!"

And then I thought, what about the vroom-vroom? You know, racing the engine at a stop sign, popping the clutch with the pedal to the metal, speed shifting up from first to the top gear, and getting thrown back in the seat as the engine roars ahead until you’ve reached a hundred or so. And then there’s the downshifting, again the engine revving up as you save the brakes and come to a slower speed or a stop.

I’ve driven a few sports cars, and that was part of the thrill: coordinating the clutch with the gears (as fast as possible), pedal to the metal, complete control, and the vrooooom. Well, according to Paul’s website, you’ll get fast, smooth, quiet acceleration with some optional gear shifting. Your Porsche will still act like it’s on steroids, but without the “feel” and sound of a piston engine car. If I could afford one, I’d ask Paul to add a recording of engine noises that correspond with the increase or decrease in speed, with speakers in and outside the car for make believe. Add in a little mechanism to vibrate the car just a bit, and I’d be in hog heaven.

Maybe electric car manufacturers would make those options available to those of us who still like the sound and feel of an internal combustion power plant. I come from a time when a V8 with glass paks made you king of the hill, or at least feel like it. Four and six cylinder cars were wimps; my, how times have changed. I still chuckle when I see some guy in his little four-cylinder car with loud mufflers “roar” away from a stop sign.

Ok, so I’m having some fun, but Paul is dead serious and you should see his site: it’s very impressive. And then I thought, "Are other smaller entrepreneurs doing the same thing?" While searching for an answer, I found the Electric Auto Association. It’s a veritable treasure trove of information about electric vehicles, from the new, to gas-car conversions for sale, hybrids, conversion kits, electric scooters, bikes, motorcycles, working electrics at Gorilla Vehicles … the list goes on. The EAA site also has a link to electric vehicles for sale on Ebay. You’ll find electric vehicle events around the country, forums, and links to EAA chapters 19 states, as well as Canada.

More Googles turned up Free Energy News where you’ll find links to several resources. If you’re really interested in electric vehicles of any kind, just Google “electric vehicles” and knock yourself out.

I still think the VROOOOOM would be a nice touch.

Today we’re going to talk about small businesses and their role in laying the foundations for clean and ecologically sensitive industries in this country. Our guest is a long-time advocate of the environment and small business, his name is Byron Kennard, and he is Executive Director of The Center for Small Business and the Environment.

Mr. Kennard has a long list of credits, starting as a community organizer for the Conservation Foundation in the late 1960’s, helping to “lay groundwork for the environmental movement and the subsequent explosion of grassroots action on Earth Day.”. He was awarded the Leadership Medal of the United Nations Environment Program for “distinguished contribution to the cause of the environment.”

He served as National Vice Chair of Sun Day in 1978, National Chair of Earth Day in 1980 and as Special Consultant to the EPA Administrator for Earth Day 1990.

He also authored the book of essays on social and political change, “Nothing Can Be Done, Everything Is Possible.” The Christian Science Monitor called the book “a primer for the modern-day activist.”