By Charles Rankin, Salina Journal
Retired environmental educator George Potts educates the public on reducing their carbon footprint and saving money through his “Energy Green Grandpa” persona.
Potts provides 22 simple steps to improve household energy efficiency, potentially saving an average of $500 annually.
An online presence expands Potts’ reach, offering links and resources to further educate individuals about climate change and energy conservation.
By implementing these steps, households can increase energy efficiency from 60% to up to 90%.
Even after retiring, a Salina man is still using his knowledge to educate people on how to be reduce their carbon footprint, while saving some money in the process.
George Potts spent more than 60 years in environmental education, including developing energy education curriculum for Wichita Public Schools and as a professor at Friends University.
Now, he is helping people of all ages and knowledge about the environment to figure out how to be an Energy Green Household, using the persona of the Energy Green Grandpa.
Breaking down environmental science in simple terms
Potts said he started this work as a way to try and convince people who deny the science behind climate change or who don’t understand fully that it is an issue for humanity.
“I thought, well, how can we reach these folks,” he said.
His initial idea was to create an Energy Green Household pamphlet, highlighting 22 steps almost anyone can take to reduce their own energy output in the home, and mail it to households in the community.
He said the steps are fairly simple things to do, including turning lights off in empty rooms, adjusting thermostats to the most comfortable level and replacing heating and cooling filters regularly.
“They will conserve energy and eventually save money, about $500 (a year) for the average person,” he said. “If you take a look at the pocketbook, that’s the first thing.”
In addition to helping save money, by doing these simple things, he said people may become more conscious about what’s happening with climate change.
While some people would be perceptive to getting this kind of mail, Potts said his son suggested also finding a way to get this message online, which is where the persona of the Energy Green Grandpa, and his episodes about conserving energy, began.
“I’m primarily a teacher,” he said. “I take a look at my episodes as my classroom.”
He said as a teacher, he enjoyed showing students where to find answers rather than just telling them the answers, usually pointing them to a book on the shelf that would guide them in the right direction. Now, he does the same with his online classroom.
“You’ve got to learn to find them on your own,” he said.
With the invention of the internet and its vast knowledge, he said it is much easier now for people to find these answers. Just like in the physical classroom, Potts can point students to the right place on the “bookshelf” of the internet.
“I have more than 120 links to expand your understanding of climate change,” he said. “So, for every episode there’s a series of links.”
Sometimes, these links are things like Wikipedia pages on simpler topics, other times its things like the positives of LED lightbulbs and where to buy them.
Simple steps can increase efficiency 30%
With the 22 steps that Potts and the Green Energy Grandpa have laid out, he said people can make a major impact on their personal energy efficiency.
“The average energy efficiency of a house is about 60%,” he said. “Now, you’ll never get it up to 100, but you can get it up to 90%.”
With a more than 9% rate increase likely coming from Evergy, he said getting more efficiency in a household can have a big impact on the finances of residents.
Already, he said there has been noticeable impacts on people who have joined in to become an Energy Green Household, meaning they have begun practicing all 22 steps, including the staff at Cedarhurst Senior Living, where he lives.
“About half the staff here are that far (into it),” he said. “One of them said, ‘You know, we saved $70 last month.’”
For more information about being an Energy Green Household, and to watch episodes of Energy Green Grandpa, visit his website, energygreengrandpa.com.