Public Employee Press

Etta Dixon: solar-powered retiree

Etta Dixon has been retired for more than 20 years, but she hasn't slowed down. The former Metropolitan Transit Authority Secretary and Local 1655 member has a busy agenda counseling seniors on health and nutrition issues, volunteering at Brookdale Hospital and at a local senior center, and doing secretarial work several days a week for the DC 37 Retirees Association.

Later, the 78-year-old Brooklyn native and her friends like to dance the night away to the sounds of a big band at clubs like the Copacabana.

Dixon is also passionate about protecting the environment. She started recycling long before it became widespread, and in 2006 became the first in her Brownsville neighborhood to equip her roof with solar panels that heat water for the two-story, four-family home.

"We don't have to burn fuel, we get free energy from the sun," she explained. She got $5,000 in tax credits and an additional senior citizens discount off the price for the installation, which helps her save an estimated 50 percent on hot water. Two years ago she added new panels that generate all the electricity to light the building's halls and basement.

Always looking for ways to cut costs and protect the environment, Dixon took her considerable savings from the solar panels and bought a Honda Civic with the Eco Assist feature found in some hybrid cars that helps her burn less gas and fill the tank less often.

"If you can save money and stop polluting the air why not?" asked Dixon, who recently started a letter-writing campaign to gather support for tax credits for people who buy hybrid vehicles. "These measures help everyone," explained Dixon. "They create new green jobs, and help clean up the environment so everyone down the road can enjoy a healthier lifestyle."