Sun Day is a global day of action on Sunday, September 21st, 2025, celebrating the unstoppable rise of clean energy. We’ll come together to showcase the power of the Sun and Wind, the energy sources that can power our world without pollution.

My shaded carport - come rain or shine - will be set up to display a variety of interesting and affordable devices that will help you move away from a dependency on fossil fuels . . . solar panels, storage battery systems, induction cooking tech, heat pumps and the like. And, yes, because it's my carport, my electric car will also be there . . . probably plugged in and charging when you arrive.

I'd like to have one-on-one conversations with my neighbors, here in Bisbee and in surrounding communities, on how we might be able to ditch our gas stoves and furnaces for good, consider an EV for your next car and go with solar, whether that's a traditional grid-connected rooftop system or one of the new modular/portable ones. There are efficient devices and energy harvesting technologies available today to match virtually any price point or budget. And apartment renters, ADU occupants and mobile home owners can also get in on the act.

Whenever one of your old fossil-fueled appliances wears out, find out how you can replace it with one that runs directly off of electricity. And anything that runs off a wall receptacle or a battery is - by definition - a device that can run off of 100% renewable energy. That concept is called electrification. The obsolete gas hot water tank you buy today is never going to be able to run off a solar panel tomorrow. Invest in the future and get a heat pump.

Even though we're living in a time when the current administration in Washington is openly hostile and exhibits an irrational hatred towards all this clean energy technology, these things can't be uninvented or completely suppressed. If the innovation and deployment is greater in other places over the next 3 years, that doesn't mean it won't return here again and be able come back with a vengeance.

At the political level, it's time to hold our elected officials accountable. Always vote for candidates who truly support future clean energy and climate initiatives, continually lobby the ones who should but currently do little, and vote out the ones who will never advocate for it. Find out how you can get involved and carry through on the civic engagement level.

Those of us who are concerned about climate change - and I hope that's everyone reading this - will be reminded that electrifying your life is one of the most effective ways to make a positive impact in this capacity, even if the politicians aren't currently paying attention. When a sane national energy policy returns, even the smallest the investments you make today will allow you be ready for the more expansive - and less expensive - cleaner energy world of the future. No suffering or sacrifice needed along the way. Just a little perseverance.

Benjamin Nead / Bisbee Unplugged / Sun Day in Bisbee 2025