Our SunRun Solar 1st Anniversary!

OK, it's kind of weird to be talking about solar power during a snow storm, but here we go!

It's been a year since we "threw the switch" and started generating electricity by solar power at our house.

I guess the best phrase that describes the whole experience is "Exceeds Expectations." Frankly, when the representative from SunRun came to our house I expected a high pressure sales pitch. But about half an hour into the presentation, we were asking "Where do we sign?" It just made sense from the get-go.

There are as many options as to where you want to install your system as there are ways to pay for it. The key part is it's affordable and it works.

Every part of the process from permitting, HOA approval, structural checks and getting an additional meter installed that runs both ways (more on that in a moment) by Xcel Energy took a very short time. Our system has 24 panels on the part of our roof that has about a 98% southern exposure. Our location was prime for solar. But the folks at SunRun can facilitate just about any roof design for great production. The actual installation took about 3 days. Every step of the way, the folks at SunRun were very helpful and professional.

So how did we do?

• We've generated over 8500 kWh of power.
• We've consumed about 7700 kWh. We produced more than we used, so at the end of the year we'll get a credit back from Xcel. We sold power BACK to the power company. A neat feeling! Our Xcel meter goes both ways, nice to see not what you're using, but how much you're selling back to the utility!

We certainly used a lot of power this past summer, with a record number of 90+ degree days. But it was good to have the AC running and not worry about sticker shock when the electric bill came. The best days to generate power obviously are sunny days. But even on cloudy days you still generate power. Where's there's light in the sky, those solar panels are doing their job. 

How did we do helping the environment? Here are the numbers:

• We saved over 13 thousand pounds of CO2 Emissions. That's over 6 tons. Just one house.
• Installing the system was like NOT driving over 13,600 miles in a car.
• It's also equal to planting 153 trees. (And you don't have to rake the leaves!)

There are several options to monitor your system. We have the meters at the back of our house, there is a small electrical box installed in the basement and of course you can login to your account online.

I recently testified to the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission in support of the oil and gas industry. A bit of an oxymoron in a way but my point to them is we folks on Main Street are finding alternatives that in the long run will make us energy dependent and earth friendly. (I also drive a hybrid) But it's going to take a generation or even two before the impact of alternative energy will be felt.

Government, in my opinion, is full of pie in the sky ideas of massive solar and wind farms. Thousand of acres in size. Yeah, right. This is the same government that designed our tax code and has us over $16 Trillion in debt.

The solution lies on Main Street USA. We're going to need a thriving oil and gas industry for years to come, a well-regulated industry but one we'll need to depend on, at least in the short-term. But solar is real, it's here and you can start using at your house in no time.

Look at what we generated at our house, and the positive environmental impact it had. All from just one house. Go Green, Save Green. Some day when we put our house up for sale, we can advertise "Free electricity!" How's that for curb appeal?

Clean energy dependence starts at home. One house, one street, one community at a time.

It works.

Brian Olson

Owner/Consultant-Conversation Starters Public Relations

"We start the conversation about you!"

Fiscal Cliff: Cutting Through The Crap with Social Media

 This past Friday we were talking Social Media Strategies at a Meetup group we sponsor. Social Media has absolutely changed the way we communicate and listen, to interact and be empowered as consumers.

What's too often lost in all the Social Media Jargon (and there's far too much) is content. Telling a story, making it impactful. You know, meaningful on Main Street. Passing the "So what?" test.

We're being bombarded right now with terms like "Fiscal Cliff" and "Kick the can down the road" to the point of not giving a darn anymore. It's just so much noise. The same noise. Over and over and over.

The huge deficit hanging over our heads is going to most impact the so-called "Millennial Generation." These are the younger folks entering the work place, looking to live the good life like their parents did. The above mentioned "noise" isn't getting their attention.

So here's a perfect example of using Social Media to grab them by the shoulders, shake them hard and tell them to wake up before it's too late. I'm not surprised it features my old friend, veteran straight talker and now Gangnam dude, Senator Alan K. Simpson.

Watch:



Now that's the power of creativity, messaging for successful communication in today's digital world! It all starts with stepping away from the traditional and being anything but.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you!"

Canless Air System offers Solution to Canned Air Pollution

 A Clean, Green Solution to Canned Air Pollution

First, a disclaimer. I'm blogging (and bragging) about a client's product, the 02 Hurricane Canless Air System.

Why am I blogging about it? The next time IT comes by your desk to clean your computer with so-called canned "air," read the label on the can. The next time you reach for canned "air" on a shelf at home, read the label on the can.

Then you'll understand.

The stuff is marketed under product names like Dust-Off, Dust-Pro, Innovera and many others. The Consumer Specialty Association estimates over 30 million cans of the stuff is produced each year. They all have one thing in common: They're DANGEROUS!

For years I thought canned air was just that, air compressed in a can. Turns out, like a lot of folks I was fooled. Canned air is actually compressed, explosive and deadly gasses. The EPA classifies the used cans as hazardous waste. That's because they still contain residual and very dangerous liquids and gasses.

Another danger is something called inhalant abuse of "Huffing." An alarming number of people, sadly many of them kids, actually inhale the gasses from canned air for a scary and often deadly high. Just do a News.Google search with the search word "Huffing" and read the sad stories.

The 02 Hurricane is an alternative to all the dangerous canned stuff. It cleans and dusts with hurricane-like force. But there's a big difference. Actually several.

1. The 02 Hurricane uses the air we breathe. It draws it in, then blasts it out at 200 mph. It doesn't have a warning label because there's nothing to warn about.

2. It's rechargeable up to 500 times. Use it over and over. No hazardous waste because you don't throw it away.

3. Buying just one 02 Hurricane is equal to buying a thousand canned air dusters. You do the math.

The 02 Hurricane was designed for use like cleaning computers, delicate electronics and cameras. What's been great fun is hearing from customers and how they're finding different uses. It's great for dusting plants and collectables. How about blowing up a pool toy? Yep! Having a tough time getting the fire going in the fire place? Give it a blast of pure air. Something NOT recommended for the canned stuff, you'd likely blow up your house! It's also great for cleaning various filters and the nooks and crannies inside your car.

It's refreshing in this age where everyone is talking about green and sustainability when a product actually lives up to, in fact exceeds those expectations. Oh yeah, it's assembled right here in the USA.

A great product that's getting rave reviews just in case you don't want to take my word for it! Here's our most recent review on GeekBeatTV!



Green up your workplace or home and save green doing it. Win-Win.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you!"

Shooting from the Lip-The Life of Senator Al Simpson

I'm reading a delightful book, a must-read I think, for any political buff. It's about the life and times of Wyoming Senator Al Simpson. It's written with incredible detail by Don Hardy, Simpson's former Chief of Staff.

It's called "Shooting from the Lip-The Life of Senator Al Simpson."

Al instructed Don to tell the truth, the whole truth. Don was helped by thousands of pages of diaries and other records along of course by working the Senator in Washington.

While News Director at KGWN-TV in Cheyenne WY, I covered Senator Simpson during his tenure as Senator from 1979-2007. We've stayed in touch since. A remarkable man.

 

With the Senator in his Washington Office "Back in the Day"

 With Senator Simpson, Former Wyoming Governor Mike Sullivan and my wife Ronda at the LBJ Library at UT-Austin.

After his time in the Senate, he continues to serve. First as a member of the Iraq Study Group and most recently as Co-Chair of the Bi-Partisan Simpson-Bowles Commission, tasked with finding a way to dig ourselves out of a $16 Trillion deficit.

Both reports had/have real solutions, both were stuffed in a drawer. Washington is stupid that way, asking for answers then not listening to them. You should read the Simpson-Bowles Report, there is very little sugar to get the medicine down. But it offers real solutions, not political hoo-hah.

Al Simpson is a pretty well-known guy. He's famous for both his wit and ability to legislate. He understands compromise. One of his closest friends in the Senate was the late Ted Kennedy. Political opposites for sure. But both understood the whole concept of legislating is doing what's best for the people who elected them to do just that. They might fight it out on the Senate Floor or in Committee, but understood that compromise was the key. That and the fact they likely had dinner plans together with their wives!

Al served as Majority Whip in the Senate and it's rumored (and I believe it) he was offered the #2 spot on the ticket with Bush 41.

Al started out life as a trouble maker, getting into all sorts of trouble including a felony conviction. It's no small irony he went on to get a degree in law, then serve the nation with such devotion and accomplishment.

Shooting from the Lip is a rich history of a man rich in character and accomplishment. My favorite parts are witticisms like "I have come to know the difference between a horse race and a political race. In a horse race the entire horse runs."

He also speaks about Washington in his words, "Knowing full well that those who travel the high road of humility in this town are not really troubled by heavy traffic."

If you don't buy a copy for yourself, buy one for your Senator or House Representative. Now more than ever, everyone in Washington could learn a thing or two, or three from the tall, gangly galoot from Ole Wyo.

Shooting from the Lip would make a great movie. But the only person who could give the role any justice would have been the late Jimmy Stuart who is no longer with us. I'm just glad Al Simpson still is!
 
Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you!"

When Johnny and Jane Come Marching Home. What's Next?

This past weekend the nation honored all those who have served, serve now and those who made the supreme sacrifice to keep us the "Land of the Free."

More focus is being placed on what happens when Johnny and Jane come marching home. Will there be jobs for them, will they be able to get an education, will they even have a place to live?

More importantly there's a growing focus on the quality of life they'll live. Earlier this year I had the honor of meeting Chad Robichaux. He's a PhD, MBA and Director of the Mighty Oaks Warrior Training Division. His resume also includes 8 tours in Afghanistan with the elite Marine Corps Force Recon. While I know just how he served those tours in Afghanistan and with whom, I'm only allowed to say he served "with small, specialized Naval units." You can do the math from there.

Chad and his team help soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He's qualified because he's a PTSD survivor himself. Both Chad and his wife are very candid about what they went through and how it motivated them to reach out and help others.

Chad runs his programs in Westcliffe, CO a small community nestled in the Wet Mountain Valley of South Central Colorado. Chad says many soldiers with PTSD tend to look for small towns because they can simply hide from family and society.

Chad shared some stunning numbers with me, numbers that I've verified because I didn't first believe them when I heard them. There are 58,000+ names on the Vietnam War Memorial. What is far less known is over 160,000 Vietnam-era troops have committed suicide. War victims just as if they'd been killed in combat. No monuments for them.

As for recent/current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan the numbers are equally stunning. The government tell us "officially" we're losing a vet from those conflicts to suicide every day. Chad says the number if much higher, well into the teens. Every day.

One of the problems is simply time spent in actual combat. Since World War II combat time has gone up. Here's what's posted on the Might Oaks website:

• World War II – 6 months
• Korea – 9 months
• Vietnam – 13 months
• Our current troops in Iraq / Afghanistan – 45 months

I asked Chad if more could be done starting with basic training to prepare for life after war. He says no. Our military are trained to fight, to seek out and destroy the enemy. But he adds, when they finally come home, it's up to us, the people they fought to defend, to step up and both recognize the signs of PTSD and reach out to help them.

It starts with the family unit. Chad has one program called "Fight Night." Because of his national reputation in Mixed Martial Arts, I thought he was using those skills as some sort of therapy. Instead he says, it's about these vets, who after fighting in times of war must now fight even harder for their families.

In the best of circumstances, the stress and strain on military families is enormous.

Ideally, the problems could all be solved if there were no more wars. Sadly, other people keep starting them and our men and women, as they've done since we became a nation step up to defend us.

The government is doing what it can, but it's not near enough. It's now more than ever, OUR duty to not only welcome them home, but for them to once again feel at home physically and emotionally.

For all of us the work begins right after we say "Welcome home soldier."

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

Best Election Analysis Ever

We're being bombarded today, and will be in the days to come by pundits about "what happened?" last night.

Most of it is just blather. Oh bother. Why bother?

Back in 1994 I was News Director for KBMT-TV in Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX. A Democrat, Jack Brooks, had served over 40 years representing our district. He's in the background of that iconic shot of LBJ taking the oath of office aboard Air Force One on that dark day in Dallas.

Brooks was beaten by a Republican upstart who ran his campaign out of his garage. It was a stunner of an upset.

The obvious question to Brooks was, "Why do you think you lost?" His response? "Because the other guy got more votes than I did."

An eyewitness to history with four decades in the house, he could have gone on and on. He instead decided simply to move on. After all, the other guy got more votes than he did.

A good example for all of us.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you!"

Making the case, again, for Cameras in the Courtoom.

Two horrific criminal cases here in the Denver area have me raising the issue of cameras in the courtroom, or in too many cases NO cameras in the courtroom.

I begin with the mass-shooting in Aurora. James Holmes is charged with shooting 12 people to death and wounding 58 others in a movie theater. Other than his initial appearance we the people have been denied live/taped coverage of proceedings. What we get are "Artist's Sketches" or in my opinion, cartoons.

                                                               (Courtesy: Denver Post)

Another sad case involves Austin Reed Sigg, charged with the abduction and subsequent murder of Jessica Ridgway.

Both have made the beginning of a line line of court appearances as the "justice" system drags on to a conclusion, we hope, likely years down the line.

Judges make the decision whether or not to allow cameras in courtrooms. Judges are either appointed to the bench by people we elect, or are elected themselves. They are servants of the people, not the other way around. But they are the undisputed rulers of their domains and in too many cases don't allow cameras, and by extension we to see the legal process as it happens, either live or taped.

Here are the current laws, by state as to access to courts by cameras.

As a 4-term board member of the Radio-Televison News Directors Association, I twice represented RTNDA (Now RTDNA) twice at the National Judicial College in Reno making the case for full access by cameras to courts ranging from Federal to Local. While many judges have saw the proverbial light, many have not. The most frequent push back I always got was that judges didn't want lawyers "showboating" in front of the cameras. Really? As opposed to showboating in front of juries and judges themselves?

The worst offender of course, is the highest court in the land, the United States Supreme Court. Other than the rarest of occasions with audio being allowed, nary a camera has made inside the room where the most important legal precedents of our nation are set. The Supreme Court Justices are appointed by an elected President and approved by an elected Senate. Servants all of we the people.

Coming full circle to the Holmes case, RTDNA Executive Director makes a clear and concise case in how a"Colorado Court got it wrong."  I've known Mike and worked with him for a long time and his points are well taken. Today's cameras as incredibly small. Surveillance cameras are everywhere, in private and public buildings, stop lights and the list goes on. Ironically courts use them in legal cases as evidence.

They just don't allow them to document the process itself. And that, is wrong.

The courts belong to us. The judges work for us. The time is long overdue for them to realize just that. Nothing about the judicial process should be cartoonish. Yet sadly, it is.

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversations about you"