To the editor:

I watched as the protesters gathered, speechified, chanted and marched. But my question wasn’t answered by their efforts. What are you going to do?

As they demanded that the federal level do more, I thought: I grew up without AC in St. Louis; at my grade school and high school we used fans and opened windows. Our school parking lot wasn’t filled with students cars. Are you willing to run the school’s AC at 78-80 degrees in warm weather and heat at 68 in cold? We walked to and from school. Are you willing to give up your car? Will you give up your phone and other tech devices on a regular basis to reduce demand? Are you setting your thermostat to reduce demand?

Look around. How many residential or farm wind generators do you see? Where is the wind farm and solar field in Douglas County? One of the great inhibiting factors in alternative energy development is the not-in-my-backyard syndrome. The city and county suffer from it. No one wants the transmission lines, the turbines, the expanse of solar panels near them. Government subsidies and initiatives can be very beneficial, but they won’t solve the whole problem.

You can rail against elected officials all you want, but the process starts with you. Change what you do.

Ken Meyer,

Lawrence