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A Simple Way To Offset the Environmental Effects of Driving Your Car
We all love our cars. They give us the freedom to come and go as we please, to get to work, to visit family and friends, to go shopping...on our own schedule. But automobiles also effect the environment by polluting the air we breathe and, in...
Another Doomsday, Another Dollar: Shifting Science Towards Peace and Ecology
In his book, Our Final Hour, Cambridge professor and Britain’s “Astronomer Royal” Martin Rees predicts humanity has no more than a 50/50 chance of survival into the next century and that by 2020 a million people will perish due to scientific error...
Create an environmentally friendly shopping policy
These days, buying green products does not mean sacrificing your quality of life or needing to become a hippy. There are many high quality environmental products which are better for the environment and your health. Today, you have far more options...
Energy Conservation - How Small Changes can dramatically reduce your Energy Bill
There are many good reasons to conserve energy. If we use less
gas, oil and electricity we will save money, and the pollution
associated with extracting and using fossil fuels will decrease.
Reducing greenhouse gas production may help to reverse...
Photovoltaic Systems - Energy from the Sky
As people search for alternatives to fossil fuel energy, solar
energy emerges as one of the cleanest and most practical sources
of electricity. Solar panels can be installed on rooftops or any
area that receives a lot of sunshine. The solar...
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So, Donald... An Open Letter to Donald Trump
Soaring oil and gas prices and the devastation of Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita have finally brought an issue into sharp focus
for the public: When it comes to energy, we're in trouble! We
import far more crude oil than we produce in the United States;
fully 70 percent of our oil comes from five countries in the
Middle East, arguably the most volatile and politically unstable
region in the world.
We need to develop sustainable, renewable, safe sources of
energy to provide power for our homes and businesses. One real
danger is, however, that as the memory of Katrina fades and the
prices drop at the gas pump, the public will also lose focus,
and fail to continue the pressure needed for politicians to
generate change. What we need is a standard bearer - a big,
vocal, powerful, charismatic standard bearer.
So, Donald... When are you going to build the world's first
off-the-grid skyscraper?
Just think of it - wind turbines on the roof, sheets of solar
panels covering the south side of the building, and, to heat and
cool the building, biodiesel, manufactured on site from
discarded vegetable oil collected from the best restaurants in
Manhattan. In the interior, piped-in sunlight brightens the
living area while saving on electricity; a gray-water system
recycles water throughout the building and can be reused for
showers, baths, and lush gardens on every floor. Bamboo flooring
and other renewable materials create a rich ambiance while
promoting the concept of green living.
While you're at it...
How does an "Adopt a Smokestack" campaign sound?
In talking about decreasing our dependence on foreign oil, one
alternative being discussed is relying more on domestically
mined coal. At this moment, coal burning is already responsible
for generating more electricity in the U.S. than any other
method. Unfortunately, much of this coal is being burned by
obsolete, highly polluting utility plants. In the Midwest alone,
over a hundred aging coal burning plants spew out pollutants
responsible for acid rain which has killed hundreds of lakes,
streams, and rivers in the Northeast. Large amounts of mercury
from these plants are deposited in the water and end up in both
freshwater and ocean fish, turning one of the healthiest sources
of protein into one of the most dangerous - mercury in
fish
threatens the unborn children of women who ingest it,
threatening neurological damage which results in a lifelong
sentence of some measure of disability. Airborne pollutants are
also responsible for an exponential increase in asthma,
particularly in children. Increasing the use of coal without
implementing immediate pollution controls would only intensify
the pollution and its consequences.
Environmental experts familiar with coal burning plants estimate
that it would cost a million dollars per smokestack to decrease
the pollutants emitted to acceptable levels. The utility plants
themselves have resisted this expenditure, and have lobbied
successfully to stop governmental enforcement of environmental
regulations; the fledgling Bush administration quickly stopped
lawsuits, begun by the EPA during the Clinton administration,
which would have forced these plants to implement pollution
controls.
So, Donald, where do you come in? With your visibility, your
cult status, and your corporate clout, you could easily raise
the money to fix every smokestack in the country. NFL and NBA
players, CEOs, Hollywood actors, producers, and directors,
multimillionaires with old money and new - and don't forget
Oprah - all have the means to donate a million dollars, or more,
to adopt a smokestack. We could virtually eliminate the
pollution problem from these coal burning plants in short order
- much more quickly than will be accomplished by lawsuits and
governmental interference. We could offer to fix these
smokestacks in exchange for one promise - that the utility
plants do not sell their pollution credits to anyone else.
All of the technology needed for both of these projects is
available today, and would put this country on the path to
sustainability and energy independence in short order. And
Donald, you could pull it off, in grand style.
I can see into the future: a Newsweek cover with a
picture of a towering Donald Trump, and the title, "Donald Trump
Saves the World." Has a nice ring to it.
About the author:
Aldene Fredenburg is a freelance writer living in southwestern
New Hampshire and frequently contributes to Tips and
Topics. She may be reached at amfredenburg@yahoo.com.
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| Department of Energy - Homepage |
| Governmental department whose mission is to advance energy technology and promote related innovation in the United States. |
| www.energy.gov |
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| Department of Energy - Page not found! |
| US Department of Energy information for consumers, business, and communities. Links to many energy pages of the DOE. |
| www.energy.gov |
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| Energy Quest Room |
| California Energy Commission's energy and environmental education site for students, parents and teachers. Includes information, Q&As, projects, ... |
| www.energyquest.ca.gov |
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| The Energy Story - Introduction |
| Detailed guide explains what energy is and where it comes from. |
| www.energyquest.ca.gov |
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| EIA Energy Kids Page - energy facts, fun, games and activities |
| Features various sections about energy including what it is and the forms it comes in. Find out how humans use energy through quizzes and a 'fun facts' ... |
| www.eia.doe.gov |
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| Energy Information Administration - EIA - Official Energy ... |
| Section of the US Department of Energy (DOE) providing statistics, data, analysis on resources, supply, production, consumption for all energy sources. |
| www.eia.doe.gov |
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| Energy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Free encyclopedia article explaining the scientific notion of energy. Includes units of measure, energy transformation concepts, types of energy, ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
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| Department of Energy - Homepage |
| U.S. Department of Energy Awards Contract for Management and Operation of Ames ... The Energy Star label is the government's seal of energy efficiency. ... |
| www.doe.gov |
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| Home : ENERGY STAR |
| US EPA Energy Star programs and products help save the environment and save consumers money by using less energy through advanced design or construction. |
| www.energystar.gov |
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| National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) Home Page |
| Facility of the US Department of Energy (DOE) for renewable energy and energy efficiency research, development and deployment. |
| www.nrel.gov |
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| European Commission - Energy - Home page |
| Welcome to the European Commission's "Energy" website ... A European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy ... |
| ec.europa.eu |
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| DTI - Energy - Introduction |
| The DTI’s Energy Group deals with energy-related matters, ... UK energy statistics are provided, including production, consumption and prices. ... |
| www.dti.gov.uk |
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| U.S. DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Home Page |
| US Department of Energy web site for information on energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. |
| www.eere.energy.gov |
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| Energy for America's Future |
| Provides an overview of President Bush's energy policies. |
| www.whitehouse.gov |
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| International Energy Agency |
| Energy Security, Growth and Sustainability through Co-operation and Outreach. |
| www.iea.org |
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| energywatch: Home Page |
| Independent gas and electricity consumer watchdog, providing help to domestic, commercial or industrial energy (gas and electricity) consumers. |
| www.energywatch.org.uk |
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| EnergyAustralia - Home |
| Details of one of Australia's largest and oldest gas and electricity supply companies. Includes information on accounts, energy saving tips, appliance sales ... |
| www.energy.com.au |
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| U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources |
| Has jurisdiction over energy policy, regulation, and research. Also deals with energy and mineral conservation, ports used for energy transport, irrigation, ... |
| energy.senate.gov |
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| bloomberg energy prices |
| www.bloomberg.com/energy/ - Similar pages |
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| Energy Bulletin |
| A clearinghouse of information concerning the peak in global energy such as oil and gas. |
| www.energybulletin.net |
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