Letter: Turn the heat down for Ukraine
All of us have witnessed the unthinkable in Ukraine. Daily we watch the invasion and bombardment from Vladimir Putin’s forces. We have all felt the emotional response of helplessness, wishing we could do something. We can’t take up arms to battle this dictator’s assault on democracy, but we can wage economic warfare in the simplest way: Turn down the heat!
We all contribute to the demand of natural gas that drives global gas prices. Unfortunately, the prices have skyrocketed during this conflict. The European Union is currently burning $545 million dollars of natural gas per day. That’s up from $220 million dollar average in February. We must reduce global demands and stop billions of dollars of proceeds flowing into Russia. If we all reduce our heat only 5 degrees, it would reduce demand by 7.2%. This is a minor inconvenience to do something to support Ukraine.
And for God’s sake, let’s terminate all outdoor gas fires in public and private spaces. I cannot believe how moronic it is to have these flames burning all through the day for ambiance. Rarely is there anyone nearby and the people by them don’t feel any real heat. Vail acts like a climate-conscious town, but looks ridiculous with outdoor flames burning. Why brag about wind-powered chair lifts while you walk past an outdoor gas flame with a latte? It’s bad for the environment, bad for the Vail brand, and bad for Ukraine.
Please join me in petitioning the Town of Vail to ban public outdoor flames in Vail at: Change.org/ban_Vail_flames.
Mike Goicoechea
Support Local Journalism
West Vail
