Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of speaking about my vision for a net-zero homestead (more about that soon) at a 'Make the Switch' fundraiser for Green Energy Ohio. I expected to be a little nervous, speak too quickly, visit with like-minded folks, and enjoy Cafe Bella's fascinating small-space edible gardening. I didn't expect to find out that people who want to support alternative energy can do so within their current AEP electric service. Even better, the switch usually saves money! The deal is that AEP offers customers a choice of providers. You are probably well aware of this if you are an AEP customer because these providers send mail constantly encouraging you to switch. Most of them are competing on price alone. A few providers are competing on values - they provide energy by wind instead of coal.

I believe in renewable energy and was excited to know that our household can choose wind with no windmill on our property or difficulty beyond paying the regular electric bill.

How can our electric be powered by wind? Of course the actual electrons coming into my house will likely still be generated by coal. But choosing 100% wind means that our provider (AEP Energy 100% Wind) buys green energy credits from a wind farm versus buying energy from a fossil fuel power plant. As more people choose 100% wind, more green energy credits will be purchased and the wind farms will grow. Enough demand will support building wind farms nearer to home and eventually the juice coming to our house will be from wind.

The good folks at Go Sustainable! Energy brought this revelation to light. Greg, one of their green energy gurus, explains further:

"In AEP-Ohio territory, you have four primary components of your bill: Generation, Transmission, Distribution, and Service charge. Due to de-regulation, when you switch your provider the only effect on your bill is that your generation and transmission charges are removed from the AEP-Ohio portion of the bill and are relocated to your new provider. If you do the calculations, which I have done a few hundred times in my career, the "price to compare" number on your bill is the combination of your generation and transmission charges, divided by the number if kWh you consumed that time period. Thus, if you switch to someone providing renewables or someone providing coal, you just replace that number with the number that they're offering.

It's a simple switch, and a powerful market signal to the utility providers that there are more customers who want to purchase all renewable energy, which in turn will cause more large wind farms to be built."

Most consumers who haven't already made a choice for an alternative provider will save money by switching. Greg, quoted above, dropped his rate from 7.55 cents/kWh to all wind at 7.19 cents/kWh.

Alas, our household was one of the very small percentage for whom switching to wind costs a little more. Our existing variable rate is 6.9 cents/kWh and the all wind rate is 7.19 cents/kWh. At our annual consumption, this increase will total around $30 for the year, a pittance to pay to support renewable energy.

Want to switch or compare? Here's what you do:

1) Check out electric provider options on Apples to Apples via PUCO.

2) Select your service provider, AEP for most Central Ohioans.

3) Scroll through the choices. If it makes sense to you, choose 100% wind operated by Ohio AEP Energy.

4) Fill out your name, address, and Service Delivery Identifier - listed on your bill under current charges.

5) Select 'I agree' to terms and conditions, type your signature, and click 'submit'. Easy peasy.

I would love to see demand increase for non-polluting, non-fracking electric providers. Will you join me?

The formidable Joan Dye Gussow finished the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) conference with a speech that included a personal history of the food movement and rabble rousing call to action. "We are well overdue in this country for a revolution!" she incited. I happen to agree though I am not the revolutionary type. I prefer to work at the ground level, tending my small plot of land, eating food from reliable sources, and making sustainability a priority in my life. Hopefully I can inspire others to make similar small changes that can rock the world though my workshops and writing.

Other words in Gussow's speech, about eating seasonally and what that looks like, spurned me to make changes this weekly Meal Plan. From now on, I will share with you some of the inspiration and ingredients that drive the meal plan.

It isn't just about putting food on the table, after all. Meal planning for local sustainable eating calls for using seasonal ingredients, eating from pantry stores, exciting the palate with new recipes and paying attention to the weather. I will try to share bits and pieces of those thins that influence our meals.

Inspiration and Ingredients:

President's Day Monday
Overabundance of pantry tomato sauces
Fresh sausage made at OEFFA workshop in the fridge
Snowville whipping cream in the house
Several aging oranges in the fruit bowl (We buy Florida citrus this time of year, as local as one can get for citrus)
Moderately cold weather with snow possible Tuesday, rain possible Thursday
One conference presentation, one cooking class, and one Broadway show at week's end

Meal Plan:

Monday - I'll make hoecakes for breakfast, the preferred meal of George Washington and other early presidents. Thomas Jefferson is reported to be one of the first to grow an embrace the growing of the tomato, a fruit many other gardeners considered toxic. In his honor on President's day, we will have tomato bisque and muffins or biscuits.

Tuesday - Toad in the hole using homemade sausage, cranberry orange sauce

Wednesday - Lentil chili and cornbread for family with a side of chorizo for the charcuterie fans

Thursday - Roast chicken and root vegetables for friends

Friday - Chicken and bean burritos with rice

Saturday - Speaking at Beyond Social 101, spaghetti and tomato sauce before Madagascar Live! (Only 12 hours left to enter my contest for four tickets!)

Sunday - Teaching Family Style Soups at Franklin Park Conservatory, Alex will make something for family dinner hosted here

PS. If you missed my interview with Joan Dye Gussow, you might want to click the link. She reveals a trick to longevity and fascinating information about growing sweet potatoes.