Electric power came to our rural area near Crow in 1938. Homes acquired electric lights, but most still used propane cook stoves and water heaters and wood burning stoves for home heating. Farm trucks and other vehicles continued to be powered by gasoline and diesel. At that time rural residents didn’t know about the harmful effects of gas and wood heaters on their home indoor air quality. They couldn’t yet see the destruction to our climate caused by their heating sources and by gasoline and diesel-fueled equipment.
Now we do know and can change direction with the availability of electric cars, ATVs, tractors and, very soon, trucks. Highly efficient ductless electric heat pumps are replacing wood stoves. These new electric appliances, vehicles, and equipment are cheaper to run and more reliable, quieter, and free of health-harming pollutants and emissions.
Our small family farm has two electric cars that can “fuel up” at home and two electric heat pump water heaters in barns that run for about a quarter the cost of the old propane-fueled water heaters. They are powered mostly by an on-farm source: solar panels. We will soon own an electric truck with the capacity to plug in tools and equipment and a battery capable of powering the house when the electric grid is down.
A clean electric-powered future is coming for all of us. It’s possible and necessary, whether we live in Eugene, Florence, Cottage Grove or somewhere in between.
Sid Baum
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
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