You never know what kind of message you might be reading on the back end of a car in front of you ;-)

Have you ever been somewhere far away from where you went to college and saw a bumper sticker from your alma mater? When I lived in Florida, I had a University of Colorado sticker in the back window of my car, and I can’t tell you how many times people would go out of their way to wave at me and yell, “Go Buffs!”

With my affinity for all things solar, you can imagine how excited I was when I saw a bumper sticker that said, “I [heart] Solar Drivers.” In that “Go Buffs!” way, I was determined to share my support with my fellow solar peeps. At the next stoplight, I pulled alongside them and gave cheery waves and a thumbs-up.

Uh…I was really surprised that my efforts were met with blank stares and averted glances. It looked as if someone in the car was saying under their breath, “Don’t look at the crazy lady…”

If you’re going to have a bumper sticker on your car for the world to see, don’t you want to connect with others who share your enthusiasm?? I can attest that CU alumni in Florida sure do.

Solar -- or Sober -- Drivers?
When the light turned green, I pulled away slowly, which wasn’t hard to do as the other driver layed rubber to get out of there. What did I miss at first glance? Are they pro-drilling? Or employees of BP?

On closer analysis, their reaction to my waving suddenly made sense when I realized that their bumper sticker said, “I [heart] Sober Drivers.” Oopsy!

Can you imagine?? Here’s this crazy lady waving at them for no apparent reason. They probably thought I had just come from the bar. I’m lucky they didn’t call the police. Try explaining that to the officer who pulls you over. “No, officer, I swear I haven’t had any alcohol; I just get really excited about solar.”

Yeah, right lady…

I still heart solar drivers. And sober drivers.

Sheila Knudtsen is a Senior Communications Consultant for Xcel Energy. She and her family live in the Denver, Colo. area where they tap Colorado’s great solar potential with a home solar system.

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