Kilowatt Ours Interviews

Stephen Smith - Executive Director, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy

Stephen A. Smith, DVM, has been executive director of Southern Alliance for Clean Energy since 1993 and has actively worked with numerous non-profit organizations addressing energy, water, forest, air, nuclear weapons production and nuclear waste issues since 1982. Dr. Smith received a doctorate in veterinarian medicine from the University of Tennessee (1992) and a bachelor's of science in biology from Kentucky Wesleyan College (1988). In 2000, Dr. Smith's environmental passions led him to set aside his veterinary practice to devote himself full time to Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

Stephen Smith - Part One

Chapter Eight

  • When you go to KY or WV and find the severe damage of mountain top removal, that is extreme damage that cannot be reversed.
  • If you have children who can't catch their breath due to asthma, that's extreme damage to the environment.
  • These are profound moral and ethical issue that we are trying to bring home to everyone so that they are aware.
  • We are creating an environmental debt onto future generations.

Stephen Smith - Part Two

Chapter Eight

  • Three things you need to be aware of is where is your energy coming from which will cause you to be more efficient and therefore more energy conscious.
  • What we are having is an efficiency use of energy in this country. We have a glut of energy in this country.
  • We have the technology to be more efficient. What we have is a lack of political will to bring that to everyday life.

 

Stephen Smith - Part Three

Chapter Eight

  • You control the destiny of how you use energy, who you vote for. We have made a conscious choice of how we use energy and make one to get it under control.
  • Wind turbines are competitive with coal now. The dominate forces that control how new energy is designed get in the way of allowing it to occur.
  • We need to require that our power company provide the energy and services that we want. We are not victims of our utility company.

 

Stephen Smith - Part Four

Chapter Eight

  • We're beginning to see some Green Power programs being offered. It will require advocacy at the state and federal levels to bring it forward.
  • We must demand a new energy future from our elected officials.
  • The biggest untapped or unmined resource is the energy that we don't use.
  • One thing to do instead of building new power lines is to reduce the use of the power.

 

Stephen Smith - Part Five

Chapter Eight

  • To create a solar revolution, you need to recognize that you have increased the value of your house.
  • We have seen very real progress over the past few years and I remain hopeful that it will accelerate in the near future. Ignorance is a major stumbling block.
  • The southeast is growing faster the most of the country. The choices of how we generate our power are the most destructive. So we have a responsibility to reverse that.

 

Stephen Smith - Part Six

Chapter Eight

  • We are holding onto old technologies which causes us to be using almost 20% more electricity than the national average. There is huge untapped potential.
  • We don't have to build new energy to support our growth, we just need to find that within the efficiencies that are available. This is the quickest and most cost effective way to lessen our energy intensity.
  • Coal only delivers 30% of the energy in that coal when it generates electricity.

 

Stephen Smith - Part Seven

Chapter Eight

  • We have the technologies to create a new paradigm. Where we are lacking is awareness of where their energy is coming from. That consciousness can change very fast.
  • We are dedicated to trying to bring about this kind of change. We need to spotlight those areas that many people never look at.
  • We engage decision makers to try to be a voice for the environment for consumers to bring about the right choices.

 

Stephen Smith - Part Eight

Chapter Eight

  • Personal choices you make are part of the solution.
  • Your bill from the power company is feedback to show you what your consumption rates are. You are in control of your consumption. You need to study your bill and understand what you are doing.
  • By not building the infrastructure you don't increase the environmental damage.

 

Stephen Smith - Part Nine

Chapter Eight

  • What is missing is the political will to bring about policy to reduce energy use.
  • We are on the verge of an energy revolution / transformation. It is not a matter if, but when. We are on the cusp of it happening. There are some very powerful forces trying to maintain the status quo.
  • If we all pull together, it is something that we can bring about.

 

Back to Interviews List

Back to Chapter List

Relevant Links:

Take Action

What's New at Kilowatt Ours?

Kilowatt Ours is proudly sponsored by