The town of Klamath Falls, Oregon has been using geothermal energy as a source of power since the 1990’s. According to a recent article from the Seattle Times, Klamath Falls’ geothermal plant draws power from geysers below ground to power everything from a brewpub to a college campus.

The most interesting bit of the article comes from City Manager Jeff Ball, “We didn’t know it was green. It just made sense,”. This is exactly how future, carbon footprint reducing technology, will grow. If you add the financial incentive, people will make the change.

Geothermal technology is a form of alternative energy that does not get the sort of publicity that wind or solar does. Yet, it is available worldwide and has the potential to supply an almost unlimited amount of energy.

Right now, the technology is expensive, but it has already broken ground in the western states, primarily northern California (near the plant in Klamath Falls). The plant in the Mayacamas Mountains north of San Francisco is the largest of its kind in the world, supplying energy to power 725,000 homes.

In places such as Klamath Falls, communities have found ways to supplement their energy needs on their own, and they’ve saved money at the same time. This is how we all should look to moving forward, and hits to the central premise of Planet Forward – how can individuals and communities reduce their carbon footprint?

Do you know of other communities such as Klamath Falls that are utilizing their own forms of alternative energy? Is geothermal a viable option? Is it too expensive or difficult to obtain? Share your thoughts below.