April/May 2000
By Norman Weston
Issue # 179 - April/May 2000
RELATED ARTICLES
With winter approaching, energy-efficient homes look more appealing than ever. Houses that require ...
Power plants require water to scrub pollutants, cool machinery, produce the steam necessary to turn...
The U.S. Department of Energy's work with the city of Greensburg, Kan., over the past year is beari...
The topic of alternative energy can be confusing. Fortunately, some of the best minds in the field ...
Improving the energy efficiency of your home can save you money and reduce your carbon footprint. L...
The loss of Wilson Clark, the environmental/energy specialist who died in a car crash when he swerved to avoid hitting a dear, is lamentable. Perhaps this tip can help others avoid a similar fate. A deer tends to veer away from any dark object chasing it. Since its shadow - cast by the headlights of the approaching vehicle - is no exception to this rule, the animal will often turn toward the oncoming car. The way to change such an encounter from dangerous to merely scary, then, is to turn off your lights and blow your horn. The deer will decamp in the opposite direction with amazing speed rather than freezing in the lights (so you can turn your lights back on immediately). Using this idea while traveling Wisconsin and Minnesota roads, I've experienced many scares ...but no damage to deer, my car or myself.
Norman Weston, Minneapolis, MN
(February 1984)