Developers planned the Holiday Neighborhood in Boulder, Colorado with sustainability in mind. The Klein family, Jane, Michael and their son Johannes, are one of the families in this community committed to the environment. Each “solar home” in the development comes specially constructed and wired for solar panels, and energy-production displays inside allow residents to track their use. The panels on the Kleins’ roof feed solar energy into the local utility’s grid. When they use their appliances, they pull from that same grid, but, because they create more energy than they use, they actually get a refund from the power company.

The Kleins set a great example for other families not only in terms of their use of renewable, solar energy, but also because of their conservation efforts. Rather than going to the store to buy new water glasses, they save their used jam jars and turn them into water glasses. They have even outfitted their garage with a special plug so that one day when they have a hybrid or electric car, they will be able to recharge its battery using solar power from their roof.

Johannes, 11, feels a sense of pride in his ability to shift our planet’s energy-use habits away from dependence on fossil fuels: “I thought, wow, I can really make a difference. I think everyone should make a difference, because we’re gonna need it in the long run.”