Earth Hour 2008, it’s a start

As the sun set around the planet last night, so too did a symbolic ‘setting sun’ take place for one hour to signify our understanding of what life would be like if we did not have electricity to light our homes and commercial districts.

For the second year, civilization, beginning in Auckland, New Zealand and Sydney, Australia and continuing across the Asian continent and through Europe and Africa lit candles instead of light bulbs in a show of solidarity with the Earth.

North and South America dimmed the lights from Nova Scotia to Times Square to Las Vegas to the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco.

Earth Hour 2008, promoted by the World Wildlife Fund and the Sydney Morning Herald, was embraced by people across all walks of life and political boundaries. The demonstration is an attempt to bring about a greater awareness of our dependence on electricity, which the production of contributes to carbon emissions, and is estimated to have reduced electricity consumption in Sydney by between 2% and 10% for that hour.

Estimates of carbon dioxide reduction vary greatly. In 2007, the Bangkok Post claimed 102 tons were saved, the WWF put the figure at 41.6 tons. Toronto Canada claims it saved close to 500 tons. Separate studies show the savings was much less. No matter what figures you subscribe to, anytime we can reduce electricity dependence we are reducing carbon output.

Some critics say the timing of the event, so close to sunset, negates its advantages and that photographs and figures are manipulated to embellish the effectiveness of the event.

It is estimated that the entire world emits around 27 billion tons of CO2 each year, through transportation, electricity use, deforestation. Americans have the biggest annual carbon footprint at 20 tons, each. That works out to about 6 billion tons from the U.S. alone based on population statistics as of July 2007. Critics say that turning off electrical appliances for one hour is not going to have much effect on our overall damage.

Critics be damned. The event took place and will take place again next year. This represents action instead of talk. We were only asked to give one hour. If the critics would rather find fault in every attempt to reverse our detrimental effects on this planet then they are going to do it no matter what. This is something that needs to be supported. We need to show our unity towards a commitment to finding a solution to climate change.

This years event was a greater success than last years and I am sure next years event will bring more participation. And along the way other events will take place that will lead to yet others, and so on. Collectively, every event adds to a positive momentum to reduce our dependence and increase our awareness of the problem. We can make a difference, and we will, with or without the naysayers.

The first step in finding a solution has been taken, and that is admitting there is a problem, i.e. global warming does exist. Now politicians, always a few steps behind, need to be convinced. The next step is doing something effective. We enjoy showing off our ‘greenness’ by changing our light bulbs or shunning plastic water bottles and shopping bags or turning our lights off for one hour, but these actions alone are not going to reverse the mess we have created. We need to convince politicians and corporate leaders that issues such as the search for alternative energy, development of sustainable living practices, and climate change are the most pressing issues for our future.

Earth Hour is just a start but I am still asking Are We Green Yet?

Sources:

WWF Earth Hour

Toronto’s the Star.com

Time magazine

CNN Planet in Peril

I’m dreaming of alternative energy

I’m dreaming of a future with alternative energy. Residences with wind and solar devices that provide all of their energy needs. Vast fields of switchgrass and other crops grown for ethanol production that effectively cut our dependence on foreign oil.

Decreased destruction to our environment due to decreased need to search for more oil in our national parks and reserves.

OPEC shrinking in world importance because of a lesser demand for their natural resources. Wars becoming a less viable option because we don’t need to covet our neighbors oil resources.

Maybe this is only a dream but there is no denying it is one worth struggling for. And we can make it happen. If only we were motivated enough to commit to it. Our lack of motivation to implement alternative energy policies has become very costly.

For instance, in our rush to secure continued access to global oil reserves we are spending billions on the military to that end. Money that would be better spent for research of alternative energy sources. While we are playing this hand, other countries, such as France and Germany, have already developed alternative energy policies and have decreased their dependence on oil rich countries. This is turn increases the cost of oil to America, because of the rule of supply and demand. OPEC wants to keep their revenue stream fat and if other countries don’t buy from them then the countries that do have to take up the slack, meaning higher cost to us.

The cost of a barrel of oil is far higher than OPEC’s asking price. The true cost is in its kilowatt/hour ratio. Billions are spent each year in securing of oil, in searching for oil, in the mobilization of our military to assure its continued flow to the U.S. The value of American soldiers lives has no price tag but must be included in the cost of our dependence on oil to squander on oversized SUV’s and transportation of products that consumers can live without.

The U.S. has the a more highly evolved, technologically advanced military than anyone else but we are being left behind in the race toward technological developments of more efficient renewable energy systems. This, to me, is a gravely missed opportunity that will eventually cost us dearly.

Alternative energy will greatly reduce our dependence on the natural resources of other countries. This alone would do more to ease political tensions than any diplomat could ever hope for. It will also reduce the need for such a large military.

To believe in the need for reduced greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprints to have a healthier existence is a no-brainer. Yet we are convinced that the cost of alternative energy is too prohibitive. How do these costs compare to the number of deaths from smog-related heart attacks and lung cancer, asthma suffering, costs to clean the air we breathe, costs to clean up the huge stretches of shoreline every time a monstrous oil tanker breaks apart, cost to the environment from searching for a few barrels of oil in places like the Alaska wildlife reserve and Colorado’s national parks or the continued removal of coal by strip-mining the West Virginia landscape. The loss of lives and the continued destruction of pristine and beautiful places such as these is unforgivable when we have valid alternatives.

To make the change from what we have always done to a healthier and less expensive existence takes a leap of faith.

It is human nature to take the easy approach to what we do. Right now it is easier to just plug into the grid because it is already there. We only seem to be motivated to implement an alternative when what we have is taken away from us. Forward thinking people see that we will someday be without fossil fuels, someday our ability to create electricity from water will have diminished due to the increasing demand of an ever increasing population.

We are a part of this ecological system, we do not have to be a slave to it.

The state of California and Texas have incorporated wind energy into their energy programs. Other states such as Massachusetts have been stymied by Senators like Ted Kennedy, who claims wind turbines are great but are unsightly and a threat to birds. This idiotic statement illustrates our greatest problem with moving forward with alternative energy. We need to get people like this and others who are in big oils pockets, out of congress and replace them with people of foresight, people who place the threat against our soldiers lives and the environment above the threat to a few birds.

Replacing ‘old school’ politicians is only part of it. Consumers need to do their part by demanding the market supply alternative energy appliances.

Companies are developing small residential wind turbines and cheap portable solar panels.

Akeena Solar signs manufacturing partnership with Kyocera

Stormblade: the first truly quiet residential wind turbine

Residential solar kits are available

Governments are beginning to respond as well.

South Australia, through new solar feed-in laws, will pay householders and small energy consumers using solar panels twice the value of electricity they put into the electricity grid.

Arizona lawmakers are pushing legislation to create tax breaks for solar energy providers and to attract solar energy use for homeowners.

Maybe my dream for alternative energy isn’t very far off after all.

Natures refrigerator

Mother nature provides us with refrigerated air every winter, right? So, why not use that free cold air to keep our food cold?

Ben Hewitt posted his energy efficient refrigerator idea on his webpage green homes to show everyone it can be done.

The only drawback is that you have to live in the frozen north country where winter temps hover around the ungodly lows of your electricity-chomping freezer.

The idea is to build an area against an outside wall and use small computer fans to suck in the outside air so it circulates through the insulated fridge. You can get the details on his webpage.

Sounds super easy, right? It is. Of course, he can only use it from mid-November to early-April, but this counts for a nice savings on his electricity bill. The temperature in the homemade box stays at 40F. And for the rest of the year the space can still be used as, oh, say a closet.

I wonder what he does with the fridge when he is not using it to keep his beer cold? I’ll bet he stores his empties there until it’s warm enough to take them to the recycle-bin. Maybe, Ben, you can come up with a DIY freezer for your frozen dinners.

Now, If only we can use the heat of Summer to keep food cold then we could toss our fridge for good. But then we wouldn’t be able to get water and ice from the door.

This is an ingenious idea to get off the grid, even for a short time. Every bit of electricity we don’t use keeps a few pennies in our pocket and lessens our carbon footprint. Kudos to you Ben for a truly green way to replace an everyday energy sucking appliance.