So we say no to coal, nuclear, gas and oil. Then what? What are we saying yes to? Some rail against wind mills saying they will ruin there view or kill too many birds. And wind mills and solar panels take more energy to create than they produce over their life. Where does that leave us? What do we say YES to?
There was an interesting IJ article last week on a visit from a Danish company talking about "thermal energy district heating" and their country's 30 year shift from a 99% energy importing country to an exporter of energy. In 30 years! While also "decreasing its noxious emissions by 13 percent in 20 years." How's that for leading by example! http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20091118/NEWS01/911180356/1124/Taking-a-lesson-from-the-Danish But we missed that boat. If we had continued on that track in the 70s when we had the chance, maybe we would be in the same boat. But the political climate of the 80s derailed all of the good work spurred by the energy crisis. And here we are today, trying the squeeze gas out of stone and swallowing mountain tops to satisfy our energy thirst. There is no silver bullet that will save us, only partial solutions that will ease our decline. Investment in wind and solar seem the only viable direction, even if they are only "energy stores" that hold current input for use 50 or more years from now when fossil fuels are scarce. Maybe they will let us down slowly. Maybe a break through will make them more viable, cheaper to produce. Without focused investment and effort, we will never know. So I implore you, rather than just saying no to fracking and nuclear and coal, think about what you want to say YES to. What do you want in your back yard? Eric _______________________________________________ For more information about sustainability in the Tompkins County area, please visit: http://www.sustainabletompkins.org/ RSS, archives, subscription & listserv information for: [email protected] http://lists.mutualaid.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainabletompkins Questions about the list? ask [email protected] free hosting by http://www.mutualaid.org
