Going Solar

Well, I finally did it. I had my first appointment with a solar installation specialist from a company in Berkeley called Alter Systems. They were professional and efficient. A salesperson and an engineer came over to check out the roof and give me the lowdown on going solar. Although our electricity usage is not that big (the salesperson said it's the lowest he's seen, at under $50 per month) and there would be a 10-year payback period (e.g. it would take the system about 10 years to pay for itself) I'm still interested in getting the system because I truly believe in putting my money where my mouth is, and if I'm out here hootin' an' hollerin' about global warming and using renewabe energy then I better hoot an' holler at myself first, ya know? Still, it would be a chunk of cash for us (they estimate $15,000) and we would have to take out a home equity line of credit to do that, and so it would be quite expensive for us.

We also discussed energy conservation and that's the fastest "payback" you can get (i.e. installing ceiling insulation, weather stripping our windows, replacing our hot water heater with an "on-demand" heater).

What are your thoughts? Anyone out there familiar with installing solar-powered system? Have an opinion one way or another?

As the Ice Melts

All over the world, glaciers are melting. This is not news; however, their continued rapid melting is a stark reminder of the very real and dire effects of global warming. Much (if not most?) of the world's population depends upon glaciers for their drinking water, farming, livestock and industry. With glaciers receding, less fresh water will be available and the ocean level will continue to rise. Glacial melting also harbingers flooding and concomitant disease.

Growing up at the edge of Lake Ontario in New York state, I remember learning in grade school how the Great Lakes were the largest body of freshwater in the world. We were told that someday there would likely be a national water shortage due to less than sound farming practices and that other states would demand water from the Great Lakes. Little did we know that a water shortage would reach beyond our national scope and threaten every corner of life on this planet.

Water is the very essence of life. Without, we cannot survive. Check out this NYTimes story on India's glaciers for more about glacial retreat:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/17/science/earth/17glacier.html?ex=1342411200&en=b931b648bd17c0e2&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Renewable Energy Action

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) has a new action alert out. Click on this posting's title above ("Renewable Energy Action") and it will take you to their action page. All you have to do is fill in your information and a letter will be emailed or faxed (your choice) to your local representative about supporting various renewable energy bills. It's easy and fast, should only take 5 minutes of your day. The earth thanks you!

The Bulb

Ok, so it's been, like, almost a month since my last post. I've been meaning to post, but, geesh, I just got caught up in... life. My best friend had a baby, so I went and spent a week in babyland; then when I got back there was summer school to work at, the house to take care of, the yard to ponder.... you get the picture. But still, amongst the fullness of life-i-ness, I have been endeavoring to keep up with my green pledge. So far, the fruits of my labor have seemed small in comparison with my dreams and ambitions. My hopes for a solar estimate for the house are still in the works; I've done a self-energy-audit online; continue to shop at the farmers' market and Berkeley Bowl (for those of you from the East Bay, you know what I'm talkin' about; Berkeley Bowl is the next best thing to an open air farmers' market); eating way less meat, and of the meat I eat, only poultry and fish; washing in cold water only; minimal watering of the yard (only for plants and vegetables, but not the grass; trying to figure out what to do with the grass; at this point will likely replace it with wood chips since it's become a yellow dry mass of hay); and other small stuff.

Which brings me to, "The Bulb", http://www.thebulb.com/store/default.aspx.

The Bulb is the name of a compact flourescent bulb that not only saves energy and emits less carbon than regular bulbs, but also gives green on another level: purchase of The Bulb buys carbon offsets, which is a good thing. (See Wikipedia for a primer on carbon offsets http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_offset.) I've managed to replace most of the lights in our home with these bulbs (I say most because I need to purchase a ladder to get to the rest) and am quite pleased with the results. Basically, I don't notice a huge difference in the lighting. Some folks I have spoken to who have not yet replaced their bulbs with compact flourescents have exclaimed that the light from these bulbs is "cold" or that it will "take too long" to turn on (I think they are thinking of those flourescent lights in the 1970's that we had as kids in school; they took a while to get going, would kind of flicker for a couple seconds before coming on), but I have not experienced this. If you haven't replaced your bulbs with more energy efficient ones yet, I highly recommend doing so. It is probably one of the easiest and fastest steps you can take to greening your home. I ordered The Bulb online. It was easy and no fuss. Plus, it buys you carbon offsets through http://www.carbonfund.org/ Check 'em out.

Support Wind Energy

The Senate is considering a Renewable Portfolios Standard (RPS) which would require electricity generators to have a larger percentage of energy generated by renewables such as wind and solar. Check out the American Wind Energy Association link below. They will walk you through all the proposed legislation and it's easy to email a letter to your state senators. Just fill in your info and click send. If we are to make a dent in climate change it will be imperative that we take action and put our money and energy where our mouth is. Take action now: the Senate may be voting as early as today and tomorrow.

http://capwiz.com/windenergy/home/

Energy Fight in US Congress

Ok Folks, it has officially begun: the fight for energy planning has begun in congress this week, and it is gnarly. Big coal, nuclear, oil and corn farmers are all duking it out to see who can get the most subsidies and least restrictions written into the bill. Renewable energy (wind, solar, biomass) could very well get the short end of the stick, even though those are the energies which should be getting the most attention. Unfortunately, many democrats (as well as republicans) are backing Big Coal and this is bad news for climate change, since more coal plants =more C02 emissions and more C02 =global warming=destruction of the planet=bye-bye humans.

In fact, two democratic representatives, Rick Boucher (VA) and John Dingell (MI) have proposed legislation that would REVERSE a supreme court ruling that stipulates the EPA must regulate C02 emissions as a pollutant. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (San Francisco in the house!) courageously blocked an additional proposal by Boucher and Dingell which would have undercut California's tough standards on C02 emissions by allowing federal regulations to override tougher state regulations. What the heck is going on with democrats? I guess that's why I became "independent" about 10 years ago...

Check out the NYTimes article on the Energy Bill and let me know your thoughts.


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/12/washington/12energy.html?ex=1339387200&en=597bc04d92fe983a&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

More on Peak Oil

Here's the wikipedia entry on Peak Oil.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_oil

I found it helpful, especially the notion that:

"peak oil does not mean that we will run out of oil, or even that we will cease to make major oil discoveries, but rather that we will be unable to maintain current levels of oil production." (Italics and bold mine.)

Beware the subtle nuances whenever you read material about energy use/climate change (or anything else for that matter!)