ENP's Executive Director Steve O'Neil is passionate about wildlife and nature conservation, the didgeridoo, and renewable energy, and Electric Vehicles (EVs). 

 

He feels that by using locally-sourced renewable energy and driving an EV - a person will be helping to protect and conserve nature and wildlife in a way that does not pollute the environment like traditional internal combustion engine-powered vehicles--especially if the EV is powered by renewable energy sources. 

 

Countless peer-reviewed research projects, coupled with Steve's ongoing research and almost a decade of EV driving experience, as well as a lifetime of interest and in-depth study of these technologies, as well as the rapidly growing fleet of available EVs, and the ramping up of renewable energy installations around the USA and the world, suggest to him that fossil fuels have reached the end of their usefulness in daily-driver-type vehicles and have in fact become a great detriment to our continued existence ad future prosperity.

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Evidence suggests the primary downsides of these legacy fuels and technologies come from many factors with the following being the most detrimental to our futures:

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1. Their supply chain and point-of-use emissions/pollution is toxic to all life and cannot be made safe. 

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2. They are horribly inefficient at the point of use and their extraction, refining, and transportation methods often use almost as much energy as they produce at the consumers point of use.

 

3. Their finite nature. As single-use products - they can only be used once - with the products of their one-time use being a drive down the road, a warm house, a fine dinner...and loads of long-lasting environment and life-harming pollution.  Oh, and when they run out

- then what? 

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4. Their deep connections to international and domestic political instability, division, infighting, war, and terrorism. 

  

5. Their very long and complex supply chains, and the simple fact that they have abysmal Leave No Trace ethics.

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6. They have so many moving parts - if any one of these parts fails - the entire system fails.  Then what? 

 

Therefore, Steve believes it is only logical that fossil fuels should be retired as fast as possible as our society's primary energy sources* and replaced with cleaner, energy-secure, distributed, renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, hydroelectric, gravity, wave, and tidal renewable energy sources coupled with the latest in energy storage technologies.  *Keeping the remaining fossil fuels as backup energy sources for times of high demand/natural disaster situations and also for long-haul aircraft, ships, and trucks as well as rockets and interplanetary probes and research projects. 

 

Steve's support of this system-wide energy and transportation conversion is not in any way driven by a political leaning or a desire for profit - Steve does not play politics nor is he driven by a need to acquire profit.  His support for these technologies is driven only by the best available evidence-supported science, his own experience using these technologies, and above all else - a passionate commitment to stewardship and conservation of nature, wildlife, and our shared environment, and a deep desire to preserve our health and our futures. 

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EV's 101: In this unique program, Steve will drive a Chevrolet Bolt fully electric vehicle to your location, go over its features, demonstrate its workings, and answer all of your questions about this clean, smart, and surprisingly affordable technology that is here to stay.  Steve has driven tens of thousands of gas-free miles in EVs, saved loads of money, reduced his impact on our shared earth, and with this program, you can learn how, like Steve, you can “Kick Gas” and experience the freedom and joy of driving electric! 

 

As part of this program, Steve will also bring some of his solar-charged electric yard maintenance tools to demonstrate how gas is no longer needed on the roads, and on the lawn. 

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Renewable Energy 101: In this program, Steve will bring several working examples of his favorite form of renewable energy - solar power - to your location.  He will explain how they work and even let you explore them in a hands-on show and tell.  

 

​​EVs and renewable energy 101: Both above programs combined into one. ​

In this unique program, Steve and crew will pull out all the stops and bring the SS NaSA PoD and all the ENP solar and renewable energy teaching tools such as solar chargers, stoves, all-electric yard and power tools, etc. to your location and present an outdoor program using the PoD, with its 1780 watt rooftop solar array, as the centerpiece.  

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Pricing Schedule

Stand Alone EV 101 or Renewable Energy 101 Programs

For programs within a 50-mile radius of Brevard, NC 

1-1.5 hour programs: $150

For programs outside a 50-mile radius of Brevard, NC.

1 - 1.5 hour programs: $200

​​EVs and Renewable Energy combined program

with the SS NaSA PoD

For programs within a 50-mile radius of Brevard, NC 

1-1.5 hour programs: $225

For programs outside a 50-mile radius of Brevard, NC.

1 - 1.5 hour programs: $250

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Note: This program's fees are lower than our animal shows due to the lower complexity of not needing to pack up our education animals and their life support systems.

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Follow Naturalist Steve's EV blog and join the Blue Ridge EV Club on Facebook and be part of the EV solution.