Thank you to all those who have shown an interest in my new Tesla 3. I wasn’t expecting quite this much excitement considering there has been a Tesla model S in town for some time. It belongs to a colleague who took me for a drive two years ago and I was convinced then that electric cars were the future....for some people.

It’s not my first electric vehicle. I built an electric bike a dozen years ago and have been gliding around town since then; but the Tesla is more fun!

It’s worth considering how I got to this point. I made a start in 2004 when my family invested in a solar hot water system. Four years later we installed a PV system. At the time each electricity bill was hundreds of dollars. However, while these systems cost a lot of money I had calculated that the payback time was less than ten years. Today I’m reaping the benefits because my electricity bills are no longer...I’m now in credit. I’ll be using some of that excess electricity to charge the Tesla.

I know that many of you are concerned about climate change. There are two ways you can approach this problem. You can make a lot of noise and badger business or politicians to ‘do something’ and hope that they take notice, or you can start doing things yourself...right now! If you reduce your own carbon footprint it will reduce the power and fuel bills that your family has to pay. Your parents will regard you as a hero, believe me.

Start by switching off unused lights, TV’s and other electric devices when they are not being used. Turn them off at the wall if you’re not planning on using them for extended periods. Check chargers, wi-fi extenders and the like by touching them...if they are not in use and are warm, they are wasting electricity. Try halving your shower time because hot water uses a lot of power. Learn to read your electricity meter or the electricity bill if you want to track the difference.

We are only on earth for a short while. When you go leave only footprints...and small ones at that.

Mr Bob Cook

Relief Teacher