Cooperative Living January 2017 - 6

Mailbag
KUDOS TO DALTON AND
LOGAN ASHWORTH
Kudos to Dalton and Logan Ashworth
for their Operation Cheer, the
subject of Cooperative Living's
November-December 2016
cover story.
It is such a pleasure to
read of generous
community-oriented
young people. God bless
them and their parents as
they deal with Dalton's
illness. The NovemberDecember
issue's cover
photo, with the gallant
Ashworth boys and that adorable little
munchkin whose glasses are bigger than
she is, was perfect in every way.
- June Rae, Jarratt
REALITY AND 'GREEN FANTASY'
Last month's Mailbag letter on " Green
Fantasy " argued that environmentalists
ignore the cost-benefit facts and green
energy is not cost effective.
This is at best short-sighted, because
initial cost is offset by long-term
savings. For instance, the savings in power
bills, energy tax credits and increase in
home value will pay for solar cells. The
additional cost of an energy-saving
appliance is more than offset by lower
operating cost. Still, the writer favored
" what works for our nation and our
future. " Yet, reliance on fossil fuels hurt
our nation in the past and bodes poorly for
our future.
There was no " Green Fantasy " when I
purchased an all-electric car, which the
writer deemed " less practical. " I spent
WhatzIt?
Make your best guess at this photo of a
familiar but unidentified object. Send it in
writing with your name, address and phone
number to WhatzIt?, c/o Cooperat ive Living,
P.O. Box 2340, Glen Allen, VA 23058-2340;
or guess online at www.co-opliving.com
under " Contests. " Dead line for entries is
Jan. 20, 2017. All correct entries will be put
into a drawing and a winner announced in
the March-April 2017 issue. The winner will
re ceive a check for $25. 
4 | Cooperative Living | January 2017
$180/month on gasoline, but
now spend $25-30/month to
charge my electric car.
Comparatively, a fossil-fuel car
periodically requires new
batteries, alternators, brake
pads (electric vehicle
regenerative braking
reduces frequency of
this cost), rotors,
several different
filters, pumps, oil
NOTE
EMAIL
WRITE US!
ADDRESS
We want to hear from you - comments,
opinions, suggestions. Your letter must be
signed and legible. We reserve the right to edit for
grammar, style and length, with a 250-word maximum
for acceptance. Write: MAILBAG, P.O. Box 2340, Glen
Allen, VA 23058-2340; or email mailbag@co-opliving.com.
Please include your name and city/town of residence, with
Mailbag as the subject.
changes, belts, injectors that clog,
plugs, etc.
Finally, the letter points out that
green energy can have " negative
environmental effects. " In some
cases this is true, but most factories
that produce electric cars or green
energy products have a much lower
carbon footprint and use more sustainable
or recycled materials. Therefore, this
criticism is another case of the kettle
calling the pot black! So, it would appear
that green energy has a better cost benefit,
especially when the calculation includes
the future of our nation.
- Tom Baughn, Broad Run
COST-BENEFIT STANDARDS
SHOULD BE SAME FOR ALL
TYPES OF ENERGY
Recently I have seen a few letters in the
Mailbag concerning green energy
costs. Several people have stated that a
cost-benefit analysis should be done before
proposing use of green energy. I agree but I
would not limit cost-benefit analyses only
to green energy proposals: I would also
apply them to fossil fuels and nuclear
energy as well.
The true cost of any energy source
is not just the cost of extraction,
processing, transportation and use.
There are environmental costs as well,
which often are deferred far into the future
or are borne by someone other than the
energy extractor. For coal, there is a cost to
open-pit strip-mining and mountaintop
removal in the loss of range lands, farm
lands, water pollution and loss of scenic
vistas. Ask the people of West Virginia and
western states about that.
For oil and natural gas there is a cost for
oil spills, increased earthquakes as a result
of fracking and pollution of groundwater
and surface water. The people of Alaska
are still feeling the effects of the Exxon
Valdez spill. Ask the residents of coastal
Louisiana about the BP Horizon oil spill
and how it affected commercial fishing and
their tourist economy, and the people of
Oklahoma about their earthquake
problems due to fracking.
And nuclear is efficient when everything
goes well but when a Three Mile Island or
Chernoble accident occurs, the effects to
the environment and the economy are farreaching
and long-lasting. No energy
source is completely free of risk, but to
hold green energy to a higher cost-benefit
standard than traditional energy sources is
not wise. If the same standard were
applied to all energy sources, then green
energy would not seem as uneconomical.
- John Tavolaro, Chincoteague
The October 2016
WhatzIt? was a
sliced kiwi fruit,
and reader
Jessie Axselle of
Montpelier was
our $25 winner.
Congratulations,
Jessie!
 DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS IS?
www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative
VIRGINIA'S ELECTRIC
November/December 2016
living
The Spirit
of the Season
pg. 14
Celebrating
Virginia's Electric
Cooperatives
http://www.co-opliving.com http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living January 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living January 2017
