Connect with POWER

Sometimes an idea makes so much sense we wonder why someone didn't think of it earlier. Such an idea is the plan by the grassroots group POWER (Providing Oberlin with Efficiency Responsibly) to use carbon credits to pay for making low-income housing more energy efficient.

As home heating costs increase, low-income residents suffer most, because the heating expense consumes so much of their income. At the same time they are unable to make the improvements to make their homes more energy efficient.

On the other side of the equation, global warming has many concerned about the amount of carbon dioxide being released into our atmosphere unnecessarily due to inefficient home heating and other human activities. Some, with the resources to do so, will purchase carbon credits to offset their own carbon footprint.

Perhaps the unique demographics of Oberlin allowed the visionary people of POWER to see better the connection between the two sides of this equation. Perhaps the Oberlin spirit made it natural for them to think efforts to combat the global problem of greenhouse gases could be leveraged to combat high energy prices for low-income residents.

However the idea was generated, we commend POWER for bringing it forward and offering Oberlin the opportunity to put it into practice. We urge residents to participate in whatever capacity they can, and we look forward to reporting on the success of the program.