We all know that Gray Davis Da Gubornator doesn't have any more of a clue than Shrub or any
other elected official. Deregulation was a scam perpetrated by the fossil fuel,
nuclear, and power industries. Take your pick, whether it be fossil or
nuclear, it's got some terrible ramifications for the near and distant future.
The changes in the system that need to be made are the same throughout every part of our lives. What we learned as children in school is mostly flawed and useless information that never was meant to show us how to deal with realities such as power generation. What we learned was useful in making a profit, without thought to how it was made, no matter how harmful to ourselves or our environment.
Producing electricity from coal and oil releases a wide range of pollutants into the environment. In addition to toxic air pollution from power plant smoke-stacks, large volumes of toxic chemicals are produced at coal and oil-fired power plants and included in millions of tons of solid and liquid wastes that are typically disposed of at or near the power plants that generate these wastes. Even the Wall Street Journal has said that "clean coal" is an oxymoron that isn't going to change in the near future. Now if the WSJ says that, then you'd better believe it. Nuclear power isn't clean either. Nobody ever mentions how those fuel rods are made by burning millions of tons of high-sulfur coal in grandfathered dirty power plants nearby to and in Indiana. Then there's the many thousands of years that the nuke waste is lethal with no safe way to store it until somebody, somewhere, hopefully invents a way to decontaminate it. Lugar may be a Rhodes Scholar but he's got but a couple ounces of common sense.
So, what's the answer?
Conservation.
Not Shrub's kind of "conservation" that doesn't include doing with less. Let's look at the definition of conserve. According to Webster, the word dates to the 14th century, and means "to keep in a safe or sound state <he conserved his inheritance>; especially : to avoid wasteful or destructive use of <conserve natural resources>." This doesn't sound like what Shrub has in mind. His mind is set on profit for himself and his kind -- the rich, corporate kind-- not the everyday folk.
Wind and solar is the hope of us all. It not only exists, but it's growing quite rapidly. In the US, government subsidizes the fossil fuel gang to the tune of trillions of dollars a year, while giving little or nothing to truly sustainable energy generators. Take a look at the data compiled in March 1997 by George Draffan for the Atmosphere Alliance (now Climate Solutions). It's titled the Matrix of Energy & Transportation Subsidies.It's not a level playing field, so how can wind and solar compete? We need to change the laws and subsidies so that the better way can work. The way things are, nothing will change. We all need to scream and shout about this so-called energy crisis. It's a bunch of malarkey. I'm not saying that we all shouldn't conserve. That goes without saying. What I'm saying is that the "energy crisis" is a smokescreen to deceive you long enough so they can build more power plants at your expense and then make even more profit.
Here's a few of the things I do to conserve.Instead of using a gas or electric clothes dryer I dry on a rack.
I'd use a clothes line but it's not allowed in my community. I may go at that rule sometime soon. Clothes last a lot longer by air drying them.Wash clothes in cold water.
They last longer. And the longer clothes last, the less power is needed to make new ones.The next time you need a new washing machine, buy one of the front-loaders.
They cost more but use a lot less water and energy. And they do a much better job of washing.Whenever you purchase new appliances or equipment, look at the energy ratings, and seek out the more efficient models.
Even if it costs a little more, the savings could well make it worth the differance. [ The best Refrigerator ] Places to find other efficient stuff Real Goods, Creative Energy Technologies, Jade Mountain.I plan my days trips in the car for the least amount of distance and time it so that I avoid traffic.
Consider a high-efficiency car next time.
The electric/gas powered Honda Insight gets 70 mpg on the highway. The regular gas engine Honda Civic HX gets 36/44 mpg, according to the mfg., but it can get more than 50 mpg on the highway with good driving habits such as acting as if there's an egg between your foot and the accelerator pedal.Turn off the engine when stuck in stand-still traffic or at a RR crossing for more than a minute or two.
I carpool with others as much as possible...
even when it means changing my plans.I use public transport whenever possible and avoid the car entirely.
Take the bus or train rather than flying.
The bus is a lot more efficient and pollutes less. While we're on the subject of buses, demand that the buses in your area convert to natural gas. Even gasoline pollutes less than diesel. It's the diesel mfgs. that are putting those notions of "clean diesel" in your ear, not the people who do the research. Airborne Concentrations of PM2.5 and Diesel Exhaust Particles on Harlem Sidewalks / Tests Reveal High Levels Of Toxics Inside Diesel School Buses / Substances in Diesel Exhaust Listed by Cal EPA as Toxic Air Contaminants / Associations between Air Pollution and Mortality in Phoenix, 1995-1997 .Reduced use of the car will make it last longer
It takes a lot of energy to produce a car... tires.. oil... etc. The average car consumes about three times as much energy being produced as it will during its life. The energy to produce a car is needed for the transportation of the parts, the production of the raw materials (mainly steel, the melting etc.), the actual production process, etc.I turn off my computer whenever I don't need it for more than a half-hour.
Studies and computer mfgs. will back that advice up.I plan meals to make the best use of the stove and/or oven.
Don't heat the oven to cook a small item.Heat only the amount of water needed to make coffee.
Open the refrigerator less.
Do less grazing.Cool off hot foods outside of the refrigerator before putting them in.
... being careful not to leave them out too long.Lower the heat setting of the water heater.
You might need to experiment with just how low to set it to account for your lifestyle and requirements for hot water.Don't bath/shower as much.
Every day isn't really healthy anyway.Hand wash dishes.
Typical dishwashers use more energy.
Install compact fluorescent bulbs.
We had been suggesting that compact fluorescent bulbs were a good energy-saving item, but now that we've done more research on them we no longer think so. This is because they contain mercury, which is both highly toxic and persistent in the environment. Mercury is a heavy metal and is an endocrine disruptor. The best thing to do is to be sure to turn off any lights in unoccupied rooms as well as exterior lights when possible. Turn off lights when not in a room for more than a minute or two.Lots of things have transformers that we leave plugged in all the time. Like that "dust-buster" or cell phone recharger. Appliances that don't need to be on should be unplugged, otherwise that's power being turned into heat and noise, and a higher bill at the end of the month.
TV's and other equipment has "quick warm-up" modes that waste energy. Turn them off.
If you can't turn off that function, then unplug the darned thing, and plug it in when you want to watch it. You won't learn anything on it anyway. The media is all owned by the same corporations that run the government. Because congress doesn't provide enough money to them, even PBS couldn't run without Exxon/Mobil or Cargill. So, just don't even turn it on.There's lots that can be done to save energy when you get down to it. Your lifestyle will give you different opportunities than mine. I live in the city now. You're probably in a rural area in Indiana.
If you'd like more info, please let me know. I'll be glad to help.