Earth

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jan 23, 2003 7:39 pm

Electricity is easly harnessed and stored to the point that it can be considered renewable as long as there is some one smart enough to harness any of the potentialy energy around us.

Well if that is what we were doing, then I wouldn't have a problem with people wasting energy. But currently very little of US electricity is generated using renewable resources. It's not an east coast/west coast thing - that's not my point at all. (Water is another story altogether.)

Think of it this way, the sooner we run out of fossil fuels or they become outrageously priced the sooner we will hopefully be able to switch to a better energy source.

to me this is a very naive and even dangerous way of thinking. The US is currently preparing to send yet more of our young men to kill and to be killed in the Middle East. This is at least in part over oil. We are also seeing our wild spaces raped for more of this limited resource, yet practical alternative energy sources are not advancing. Yes we need to develop alternative energy sources, but being energy gluttons so we will use up our fossil fuels sooner is not the answer! Again, I'm not saying that using electricity and/or gasoline is inherently bad, but being conservative in the amount that we do use is common sense.

Edit: I just had a synapse fire on your comment about fossil fuels becoming outrageously priced. I agree - that's what it is going to take. Too bad it wouldn't serve our current administrations puppeteers to slap some hefty taxes on fuel to make people slow down and think about how much they are using. We pay less than most other countries for fuel - it's too easy for people to take it for granted.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jan 23, 2003 7:41 pm

SikMonkey wrote:OH that's easy, just ask nicely!

How does "please, baby, please!" work for you?

Post by **chester** » Thu Jan 23, 2003 10:23 pm

I agree with Hefe...I don't think thats a real photo...
You can't even see that many lights when you're in a plane.
hmmmmmm

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 12:57 am

does anyone else ever feel like buying land in Montana (or wherever) and dropping out of society?

Post by **Jeff** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 1:07 am

Only about 5-10 times a week!

Post by **dipsi** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 4:20 am

Let's go!

Post by **sparky** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 6:09 am

I have a friend in chile who has basically did just that outside of working for CONAF and NOLS. He has built his campo in northern patagonia just above the northern ice fields. This past summer i helped him install a new generator to store energy produced from his solar panels and windmills making his campo self sufficent.

also i didn't mean to promote energy gluttons with my comment earlier though it maybe more naive not to see some truth in that comment. If no actions are taken that is our current path, the renewable resources as a source of energy nation wide dropped around 12% in 2001 bringing there share down under 10%. Some of this can be atributed to a 23% decline in hydro power due to small snow packs out west.

Post by **SikMonkey** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 12:10 pm

Hey Lynne,
that's pretty nice, begin spanking....er, I mean kicking!

Mj

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 12:55 pm

I admire your friend, Sparky. If I didn't have children, I'd be gone - no doubt. I've given serious consideration to how to live a self-sustaining lifestyle even with children, and I think the only way to do that is in a commune type environment. That would defeat my purpose of being a total hermit (except when climbing

). I just can't see forcing isolation on my children. The Farm in Tennessee is a pretty cool place, with a rich history. I'd love to do a 5 week apprenticeship there - live there for a time and see what it's like.

sparky wrote:also i didn't mean to promote energy gluttons with my comment earlier though it maybe more naive not to see some truth in that comment. If no actions are taken that is our current path, the renewable resources as a source of energy nation wide dropped around 12% in 2001 bringing there share down under 10%. Some of this can be atributed to a 23% decline in hydro power due to small snow packs out west.

I agree with you here, however I don't see any serious preparations being made for viable alternate energy sources. All I see is a government willing to do anything to keep the oil flowing, and an American public willing to consume without regard for the future. It's maddening. I would much rather see subsidized fuel cell development for automobiles (it shouldn't be taking this long!), rather than tearing up ANWR for whatever amount of oil there may be. I'd like to see tax write-offs on the installation of solar panels. I'd like to see water recycling devices in homes out west instead of codes preventing them. I'd really for once like to see government regulations stop fucking catering to business interests..

Yeah, yeah, I know, don't hold my breath.

Anyway, I just don't see wasting energy as a good thing regardless. I'll get off my soapbox now. Hold your applause and sighs of relief.

I have a Monkey to spank.

Post by **gulliver** » Fri Jan 24, 2003 2:34 pm

Just imagine all those lights at Prudoe Bay(and what they represent) a little farther east in that nice little dark spot