Sexy Conservation

Sexy Conservation

I have read literally hundreds of articles about solar manufacturing,
new windmill technology, algae biodiesel and the like; the supposed
cutting edge of the new energy economy. And while I am an unabashed
technophile, I keep coming back to the wisdom of "conservation
first". Reduction before production.

There are brilliant engineers developing excellent technology all the
time, but the major energy issues we face are often better solved by
inexpensive (read: free) changes in behavior, not changes in solar
panel coatings. It can take years before we see good reliable electric
cars or install one of these new helical wind turbines on our own
roof. We can, however, immediately save money and the planet through
conservation. Efficient lightbulbs aside, just paying attention to our
energy habits alone can lower our own utility bills 40% or more.

The trouble seems to be the fact that for most, conservation is not
half as sexy as a new solar panel or a new Tesla electric roadster.

How can we make conservation sexier, more fun, and more rewarding?

Seriously, I don't know how we do this or even if this is the right
question. But I know for a fact that we can't wait 5 years for cheap
solar in order to make changes.

We voted for Obama's promise of change, but are we going to wait until
2012 to walk our environmental talk? Are we hoping that the new $35
billion bailout of The Big Three car manufacturers will magically put
a Chevy Volt in our driveway this Christmas?

I submit to you that we cannot wait, and that hoping for an
engineering miracle is not as good a use of our time as insulating our
homes and sealing our leaky ducts. How we can see that behavior as
cool and rewarding is the trick. Help us all out with some
suggestions. The clock is indeed ticking.

Aaron
Campbell
Energy

Www.Campbell-Energy.Com

Aaron
Campbell
Energy

206.898.8337

iPhone Scrabble Scorepad

No more backs of envelopes or margins of our dictionary. I want a free
iPhone app that simply lists and adds Scrabble scores.

Aaron
Campbell
Energy

206.898.8337

turn the hose back on! Thermo-Battery-Monitor

(I'm going to get back on the idea bandwagon. Who let me fall off? Oh, I did. Anyhoo, I want to do a deep green idea per day instead of just random ideas. A more targeted and eco-friendlier firehose...)

How about a new kind of battery monitor that uses a baseline heat signature to tell you whether or not the battery was still good? Thermometers are cheaper than ever. I am so tired of my batteries showing full and then leaving me huffing and puffing up 15th from University District on my Ezee Quando electric bike. Give me a better monitor, stat!

Leadership

Now on to the REAL WORK

By Aaron Campbell - Nov 5th, 2008 at 4:23 pm EST

With 349 Electoral College votes (as of noon on November 5, 2008), Barack Obama is the President-Elect of the United States of America. Let that sink in. Take some time with it. Bathe in the warm afterglow of knowing that the USA is not the worst country in the world, and might in fact be one of the greatest, again.

But, don't stay in the tub too long, my friends, we have ten times the work ahead of us now, and wrinkly skin won't help.

To that end, I am again putting my Idea Firehose hat back on and challenging anyone within shouting distance to join me in that work. What work? This work:

1. Recognize that it was absolutely proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that grassroots community organizing can directly change the very world. You can take down your yard signs now, but keep your names on those progressive list-servs and think about volunteering even more after the election than before. I'm personally fired up and ready for 2012. Maybe you might think about starting your own community organization.

2. Fulfill the promise of the campaign and the truth of deep progressive creed that says "This is not a black America or a white America, this is the United States of America". By that I mean that 46% of the USA did *not* vote for Obama, and those people deserve the same things that the 52% of us asked for: Health Care, Financial Solvency, Renewable Energy, Less Waste and Debt, More Jobs, More Peace, and a healthy dose of HOPE. The work will be to include the 46% in our 100%, to reach out a hand and work together like a neighborhood recovering from a hurricane. We're all literally in this together.

3. Get back to work on yourself, and your family. Yes, YOU. The deep work we need to accomplish cannot come from your solitary martyrdom. Barack worked out in the gym the morning of November 4th. He also worked out at the gym *this* morning, despite apparently needing to immediately pick his entire cabinet and lay out every single plan he has for the next 4-8 years. He brought his family with him on the campaign trail, and kept them close to him. Leadership is not simply telling people what to do, it's staying true to yourself and your family, doing the heavy internal lifting required to pull you through in hard times. These are still hard times, without a doubt, and you will need to truly know and love yourself to be of use as we work to change this world.

4. Walk your Talk: better yet, put your muscle where your mouth is. You call yourself Progressive? Prove it. Drop your energy consumption. Drastically reduce your waste. Reach out to your neighbors. Volunteer and keep volunteering. Grow some of your own organic food or herbs. Hire other progressives. Take fewer flights. The more we do as we say, the more progress we'll make.

Today I'm recommitting myeslf to develop my own leadership potential with an eye on those four major work areas. I'm committing to ongoing progressive alignment of my values and my actions. I'm committing to a focus on excellence in my company, Campbell Energy, bringing the message and game-plan of energy conservation and efficiency to everyone I meet. There's a lot of great challenging work to do, and I'm excited and inspired by this election (and my own part in it) to get out and do that very work.

If you'd like to join me in this struggle, I'd welcome your energy, ideas, and challenges and I will give you back all that you offer and more. That's what the IdeaFirehose and Campbell Energy and Aaron Campbell are all about, giving back and making offers of myself so that others will join me and do the same. Honestly, I don't expect many people to join me initially, since we all have our own dreams and challenges to work on, but I would like to offer you the opportunity to do those things with me. Whether that means as a friend or a colleague or mentor or student, I want to engage more deeply than ever before.

Have an idea for an organization that might need my help? Send it on. Want to join one of mine? give a shout. See an idea on the Idea Firehose that you think you'd like to move forward on? I'll brainstorm with you to get it out there. Have a friend who you think would be a great Senator? Introduce me. Want to franchise my company? Want me to help you franchise yours? Let's sit down and talk business. Need a public speaker at your next deep green event? Hand me the microphone. Got a harebrained scheme you want to bandy about? Holler back. Let's just make sure we don't spin our wheels in the mud when there's a winch on the truck down the street, know what I mean?

Here's how to connect to me online:

I blog: http://ideafirehose.blogspot.com

I am on Twitter: http://twitter.com/alphacampbell

I am on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/glowplug

I am a Stumbler: http://alphabeta.stumbleupon.com/

I actually read books: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/campbellenergy

I'm a Washington Fuse Progressive: http://www.fusewashington.org/page/community/blog/aaroncampbell

You might also see me in the physical world at the Northwest Eco-Building Guild meetings, or Meetup group Seattle Renewables, or walking the Meadowbrook Pond with my daughter.

I'm actually fired up, and quite ready to go. Thanks Barack.

--Aaron

FREE ENERGY SEMINAR: October 25th

This is my first seminar, so if you think you might want to learn a little more about how to lower your energy bills and save the planet simultaneously, RSVP and see you there!


Friends, Colleagues, Family and Community,

Campbell Energy LLC is officially open for business!

As some of you already know, I had previously spent 2 years as a sales consultant at University VW/Audi. After realizing that although University has a good reputation for being eco-friendly, I needed to pursue my right livelihood in the energy conservation world. Promoting high-mileage biodiesel-compatible Volkswagens put me in contact with a number of excellent people in the alt-energy world. More importantly, for three years now, Elise and I have been performance-upgrading our own home. We were always thinking, “We wish there was a person or a company that could help us make prioritized decisions on which energy-efficiency upgrades to do”. A half-dozen single-skill contractors gave me conflicting advice, leading to the epiphany that my calling was being a Residential Energy Consultant. Thanks to everyone who supported me in that decision.

I think what separated me from other sales consultants at the dealership was my dogged honesty with clients. I told people what was going on behind the scenes, gave people space and time to make decisions, and gave them more information with less pressure. This kept me sane, knowing I was truly helping people make good decisions in the short and long term.

As an EPA Energy Star certified energy consultant, I will continue my policy of honesty and integrity, showing people how they can reduce their utility bills, make their homes healthier and more comfortable while directly saving the planet.

Another great benefit from working at University VW/Audi was meeting Dylan Chalk of Orca Inspection Services. (He runs a carbon-neutral business and was down-sizing his truck to a VW Jetta TDI.) He nearly single-handedly pushed me into the energy conservation field, telling Elise and I heartbreaking stories of energy and resource wasting that he sees every single day as a home inspector. He, in turn, pointed me towards Brent Foster of Northwest Infrared. Brent is haltingly straightforward in his work as a Level II thermographer, telling people right then and there what he sees with his thermal camera and how you can fix most residential energy-wasting issues with "a bucket of mastic and some backer rod". Dylan and Brent are my boots-on-the-ground energy mentors, and I recommend them both without hesitation.

As for my own work at Campbell Energy, it's pretty simple: I take a deep look at your home and show you how to make step-by-step prioritized energy upgrades. With my three years' personal experience analyzing and upgrading my own home combined with my Energy Star and NAHB training, I can pinpoint your home's energy issues. It's essential to do a full in-home analysis to get a thorough picture of what needs to be upgraded, repaired, or replaced. Just as important, I show you how to operate your home in the most energy-efficient way possible. You might be surprised how much energy (and money!) can be saved simply by tweaking your behavior just a little bit, in targeted ways.

Finally, I can help you make some big-picture decisions that will dramatically lower your carbon footprint in ways you may not have previously imagined. I sum all of my in-depth analysis up in my report and give you a blueprint of steps to take to put you on a path to energy efficiency not just in the short term, but throughout your and your home's life. Dylan Chalk calls it giving people HOPE: Homes On a Path to Efficiency.

On that note, I invite you all to RSVP to my first seminar where I will be detailing who, what, where, why and how people can get incredible value, savings, and actual happiness from my energy inspections. It's going to be a fun and information-packed two hours showcasing the nitty-gritty of my work, with time for people to ask specific energy conservation-related questions at the end. Want to know what to do with that 10-year-old 80% efficient gas furnace? Concerned about how to cool your home during our global-warming summers? Wonder how to discover where you have missing insulation that can rob your home of heat this winter? Want to find out why your gorgeous recessed lights might be vacuuming out your wallet this Spring? Come to the seminar. It's free, and I guarantee you will learn something you can take home and use to reduce your wattage, lower your carbon footprint, and be happier at home.

My official website should be up soon, but nearly all the basic information you might want to know about Campbell Energy is contained in this email. Please RSVP to the event so we can plan for comfortable seating and eating:

Campbell Energy Seminar

Saturday, October 25th
1:00pm to 3:30pm
Duwamish Co-housing Common House
6000 17th Ave. SW
Seattle, Washington 98106

If you are planning on bringing a friend or interested colleague, remember to let me know in your RSVP email. I look forward to being of service and appreciate your continued support.

Respectfully,

Aaron Campbell, Energy Consultant
Campbell Energy, LLC

glowplug@gmail.com

Campbell's Law:

If you reduce your energy consumption and waste, you will be happier.
If you manage to become happier in a tangible way, you will naturally
lower your energy consumption and waste.

That's what I believe. Lower energy use and happiness ride the bus to
work together.. Do your Right Livelihood and you'll find yourself
eating out less often, driving fewer miles, and turning on fewer
lights around the house.

Try it for yourself. Prove me wrong if you can. Find a way to lower
your energy bills this month and see if you don't feel seriously
better about yourself inside next month. Reconcile with your
estranged family members and I bet you discover you don't need the
furnace turned up to 75 degrees.

I don't have a bunch of prestigious university studies on hand to back
up my theory, it just makes natural sense to me. Maybe the data is out
there and I'm too busy reading election coverage to Google it
properly. In any case, I'm staking my reputation on the idea, and
further, I'm staking my fortunes on it as well.

Aaron
Campbell
Energy

206.898.8337

Campbell Energy LLC

Dear Community,
In all the election hubbub, I discovered a somewhat disturbing fact. No, I am talking about Bob Barr. I'm talking about how little we all know about each other's business lives. Sometimes we like to keep it to ourselves, and I can dig that, but I'm not that guy.

But what kind of guy are you, Aaron? Well, I'll tell you:

I'm a Residential Energy Consultant. What the heck is that? What I do is listen to you and your house and tell you how best to reduce your utility bills and increase your happiness. I'm like the House Whisperer. I rehabilitate homes and train homeowners.

How do I do that?
I come to your home, drink some of your tea (and your milkshake should you offer) and I delve into the energy world of your home and its inhabitants. I look at your wattage, tell you what your appliances are saying to you in terms of dollars, listen to your furnace's complaints, and wrap it all up in a report that tells you how to upgrade the efficiency of your home with a customized, prioritized, energy to-do list.

What does it cost?
It's start-up time in my business, so I am doing these audits for $250 each. This is my early-bird discount, as the price will go up $100 in 2009. If you can't afford even the discounted price, we can discuss trade for services as well.

As an incentive, I offer my personal guarantee: If after 6 months post-audit you:

A) Don't have lower energy bills
B) Don't have a lower carbon footprint
or
C) Aren't a happier person,
I will return $200 of my bill. I have to hit one of those three or you get my audit for $50. Deal?

I want you (whoever you are) to lower your bills and save the planet this winter rather than next spring, so email me ASAP. glowplug@gmail.com, btw.

Vote Obama, and email me for more details and energy audit scheduling.

Aaron
Campbell
Energy
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