You did a great job covering the electric car charging station ribbon cutting ceremony at the Malibu Country Mart last Saturday (8/20/11). As the title stated, this is helping “Malibu getting greener all the time” by implementing this project. Mr. Michael Koss (General Partner of the Malibu Country Mart) has graphically demonstrated how a Malibu business can positively help the Malibu community to get “greener.” As an environmental visionary, Michael has certainly “put his money where his mouth is” (car charging is “free” at the Country Mart) and, this is just one more addition to the Country Mart’s Green Initiative Program (which also incorporates plant-based biodegradable cleaners, a comprehensive composting and recycling program and a Biofuels program that converts waste restaurant grease into viable biodiesel fuel).
For my part, I was pleased to provide technical consultation to Ms. Julie Labin (Koss Director of Sustainability) in ultimately selecting the AeroVironment car charging station that went into operation at the Country Mart on Saturday.
During his presentation at the event, celebrity guest Mr. Ed Begley, Jr. made some interesting observations regarding wealth. He stated that one’s net worth is more a function of spending less (saving) than on making more (Ben Franklin was wrong when he said, “A penny saved is a penny earned,” if you’re in the 50 percent tax bracket, you need to earn two pennies to equal one penny saved). Ed went on to say that for the last 20 years he has been basically “driving on sunshine” due to the solar electric system (and related car charging system) that I had installed on his house 20 years ago and which is still working well today.
Let’s hope this encourages other local businesses to become more sensitive to the needs for renewable energies and energy self-sufficiency in Malibu.
Rod Bergen