Colorado ranch goes green and spreads green

I would not have guessed a rancher in a tiny Colorado mountain town to lead the way in the electric car movement, but my hat is tipped to Jim Duke of El Jebel, an Aspen neighbor. Mr. Duke installed enough solar panels on his ranch to not only generate enough electricity for his entire ranch, but enough to give it away to any electric car that shows up at his ranch. His electric car 'fueling' station, also feeds his own electric cars, purchased for trips to town.

Although a substantial upfront investment, ($84,600 for the panels), he is eligible for nearly $51,000 in federal, state, local and power company credits, to ease the burden somewhat. And while his remaining $34,000 investment is a gigantic chunk of change to lay out for a project that could take decades to pay off, that is OK with Mr. Duke. He sees becoming carbon neutral as an obligation to future generations and the planet, saying, "It's way, way, way past the point for talk. It's time for action."

Mr. Duke has always been known for his environmental streak — back in the 80's he spearheaded efforts to establish recycling and composting programs for Aspen and surrounding communities.