[SEEDS (Sustainable Energy Education and Development Support) recently held an essay scholarship competition for local students, on the theme, “If you were an environmental adviser to the President, what would you recommend to promote sustainable energy in rural communities in the U.S.? What can northeastern PA residents do now to live more sustainably?” Below are excerpts from the winning essay, which we run without copy editing.]

...The first thing that I believe needs to be done is increase the availability and use of renewable energy throughout the country, especially in rural areas, where progress always seems to come late. This can be accomplished by enticing different energy producing companies with subsidies to encourage expanding their renewable energy ventures and therefore expanding the coverage area that the energy can reach. Additionally the government itself can run renewable power plants in rural areas where companies won’t attempt to provide power from renewable sources. So even if private corporations don’t try to improve the situation, the government will still be able to push the agenda, and work to save the environment for its citizens through sustainable living. Many people living in rural areas of the country do not have the money to pay the extra charges that sometimes come with choosing to be supplied with green energy in their house. I would advise the President to find some way to reduce the extra cost that comes with opting to only receive green energy...

I also would advise the President that renewable energy can be pushed to the forefront by not only supporting it but also by holding back fossil fuel energy. I think companies that pursue increasing the fossil fuel energy industry should start to face more penalties, maybe with heavier restrictions on the harvesting and burning of fossil fuels or placing a tax on fossil fuels. By placing restrictions on the harvesting and burning of fossil fuels companies will be discouraged, and they will start to move away from the fossil fuels and begin to move forward with the newer increasingly present renewable energies. Without these restrictions holding back the fossil fuel industry, companies will not feel compelled enough to completely change to renewable energy because they will have fossil fuels to fall back on...

While renewable energy is very important that is not the only piece of sustainable energy, energy efficiency is another important part of sustainable energy. This can be achieved by making our energy consuming machines efficient, but also by being aware of the energy we use and making sure we use it efficiently. To achieve this I would advise the President to subsidize energy efficient appliances and vehicles with a high miles per gallon rating, or even electric cars for their renewable energy, to encourage their purchase and support sustainable energy. By subsidizing them the cost will be cut making them more affordable for rural areas. However, with electric cars the difficulty with living in a rural area is that outside of your house there are few places to charge them, but the President could work to set up charging stations in important locations throughout the rural United States...

Not all the responsibility can fall on to the shoulders of our government officials, and the people must also take action. One of the first steps they can take to live more sustainably is making the choice to opt for green energy to be used in their homes, rather than energy produced by the use of fossil fuels. People in northeast Pennsylvania can do this by visiting PAPowerswitch.com, who try to keep any extra cost down to a minimum and possibly even save money for their users. Additionally, to cut down on fuel and energy consumption to heat or cool their homes people can strategically plant trees and other plants to naturally heat and cool their home. People can also take steps to reduce their fuel consumption when driving, and while northeastern Pennsylvania is spread out they could ride a bike or walk to places close enough, carpool to school, work, or other events, and even buy an electric or high miles per gallon car to reduce energy consumption and promote the renewable energy industry.