'Green project' is both wasteful, unsustainable

I almost fell out of my chair on Sunday, Jan. 16, when I read that the Sandpoint Charter School got a grant of $360,000 of the taxpayers’ money to build a solar panel that will save the school “$7,000 to $8,000 a year.” I guess return on investment is a completely foreign concept to the school district since a yearly savings of $8,000 would mean the payback time would be 45 years. And that’s not counting the cost of maintenance, and the fact that solar panels have an effective lifespan of only 20 to 25 years (see solarpanelinfo.com and other sites). This grant was received from a “committee of experts” because the school is “committed to energy efficiency” and is to be used as “teaching tool.”

This is yet another “green project” that is both wasteful and unsustainable. With similar mindlessness, but on a larger scale, we are now seeing the erection of those hideous giant wind turbines that spoil the landscapes of Montana, the Columbia Gorge, Hawaii and elsewhere. They also have payback periods greater than their effective lifespans.

Environmentalism has become a wacky cult, and it’s sad to see it entering our schools. The $360,000 would better be spent on acquiring and retaining good teachers — preferably ones who can use common sense, simple arithmetic, and sound business skills as their teaching tools.

STUART HARRIS

Sandpoint