OTTAWA — Kansas needs to take a leadership role nationally in using and creating alternative energy as an emphasis on stopping climate change this year, said Rep. Tony Brown, D-Baldwin City, at the January legislative coffee at city hall. Kansas had already made strides in using alternative energy sources, with the generation of wind power in western Kansas, but the next step is to get aggressive about conservation efforts and community recycling programs, he said. Brown said that he understands that the current economy makes it difficult for people to commit to the project, but conservation doesn’t always have to cost money. Green programs shouldn’t have to overtax agriculture, he said.