When the truth is inconvenient . . .

[Carlene 12]

We are energy whores....all of us. The average home built today has 5 times as many electrical outlets as one built 50 years ago. I think it's a safe assumption to say that we probably use 5 times as much electricity as our parents/grandparents did. At least 5 times.

My mom's house, where I grew up, had no computer, one refrigerator, one phone, no video games, no DVD recorder/player, one TV, no kitchen counter appliances (slow cookers, food processors, etc), no electric toothbrushes, no rechargeable anything, no garage door opener, and until I was almost grown, no clothes dryer or dishwasher.

My house has 4 TVs, 3 cell phones (w/chargers), 5 cordless phones (w/chargers), 3 DVD players, 3 computers, two refrigerators, and a whole host of bathroom and kitchen appliances. My kitchen has 11 (double) wall outlets. I have dusk-to-dawn landscape lighting in my front yard and a security light in back, plus a flagpole that is lighted. My neighbors have swimming pools with electric powered waterfalls and hot tubs, plus the filters, cleaners, etc. And Water features (with or without Koi pond) are very popular in my area.

Whatever happens, we have no one to blame but ourselves.

[lizrbit 0]

im an energy whore..and i feel better having come out of my closet.

I have SOME es bulbs in my house but hate their blue horrible light. I run electric heaters like i need them for life support (kinda do, its below freezing here) and i leave lights running 24-7 in my front window of my business...EVEN when im not here, and EVEN when im not here for three months.

Im kinda sorry, but in truth, i would much rather have another electric blanket.

[Wheetsin 714]

Electricity and fossil fuels are different beasts. Electricity is renewable. Fossil fuels, coal, oil and natural gas are not.

[Carlene 12]

Electricity and fossil fuels are different beasts. Electricity is renewable. Fossil fuels, coal, oil and natural gas are not.

We use fossil fuels to generate electricity, so it's only renewable at the expense of natural gas, coal, etc. There are some nuclear plants in the US, but not many. The one in my area shut down a number of years ago, after the electric company got us to pay for it. They claimed electricity would be so cheap, they wouldn't even bother to meter it. Yeah.....right. Now we have some of the highest electric rates in the country.

[Carlene 12]

Here is a nice pie chart that compares the various types of energy used to produce electricity for the US in 2005. As you can see, about 70% fossil fuels were used.

[anonemouse 1]

Not all electricity is generated using fossil fuels. A lot is generated hydroelectrically or by wind-power, in some areas. Of course, here in Kentucky, it's coal being burned that generates the majority of our electricity.

[Carlene 12]

Not all electricity is generated using fossil fuels. A lot is generated hydroelectrically or by wind-power, in some areas. Of course, here in Kentucky, it's coal being burned that generates the majority of our electricity.

The chart I posted was nation-wide. The majority of our electricity in the US is generated by fossil fuels. In my area, it's natural gas because that's what we have on hand.

[Wheetsin 714]

I know, and that makes me sad because electricty is 100% renewable. It is green. But we're not allowing it to be, we're dirtying it up. The technology is out there and readily available. I guess it just cuts into profits too much. It's sad that some states produce over 50% electrictiy from nuclear sources, many in the 20% - 30% range, but there are still many at 0%. And renewables have a high of about 25%.

In terms of electricity generation, fossil fuel power plants garner the lion's share (roughly 72 percent) of the little more than 4 trillion kilowatt hours of electricity produced in 2005. The most important fuel in this regard is coal. Coal-fired power plants accounted for nearly 50 percent of total electricity generation in 2005. The next largest source of electricity generation was from nuclear power plants (19 percent), followed by natural-gas fired plants (18.6 percent). Electricity generated from renewable sources like hydroelectric and wind, while signifi- cant, accounted for only about 9 percent of the total electricity generated in 2005.

Since 1980, electricity produced by nuclear power has increased at a 4.6 percent annual rate, considerably more than that produced by natural gas (3.1 percent), coal (2.2 percent) and renewable sources (0.9 percent). Electricity generated from petroleum products, such as fuel oil, has fallen at a 3 percent annual rate since 1980, from a peak of about 17 percent of total electricity production in 1977, to 3 percent of the total last year.

[Carlene 12]

I know, and that makes me sad because electricty is 100% renewable. It is green. But we're not allowing it to be, we're dirtying it up. The technology is out there and readily available. I guess it just cuts into profits too much. It's sad that some states produce over 50% electrictiy from nuclear sources, many in the 20% - 30% range, but there are still many at 0%. And renewables have a high of about 25%.

From the folks who bring us electricity in my area....

TXU Power has a balanced portfolio of merchant generation plants – a total of 19 in North America. This diverse fleet includes 14 gas, one nuclear and four lignite-coal fueled plants to meet the energy needs of more than 5.9 million customers.

Only ONE plant uses renewable fuel to generate its product, yet they call that "balanced". What a crock.

[MyKdsDad 1]

Dang skippy, Carlene!!! I think all of you should get a wind turbine for the back yard, solar panels for the roof and a pedal powered washing machine. Be sure to chop plenty of wood for cooking and heating in the winter, too. No wait! The wood would be polluting, so no wood burning. You could put in one of those underground residences. 65 degrees all the time down there. Just have to wear a big sweater all the time. Live close to your work and the grocery store...wait! Too much wasted energy growing that food. You should put in a garden and learn how to can. But you have to have heat to can, so..... but then you could eat nothing but raw vegetables, until they quit growing, but then..... It's all making my head hurt. (He said with a grin and a wink)

[green 6]

Up here in Ontario we call electric power hydro; this is because we used to get all our hydroelectric power from the Niagara Falls and that power was cheap and green. That era disappeared a long, long time ago. We rely on coal burning and nuclear plants now, and we import energy from the States. Electric energy is now very expensive and we use a lot of it - particularly in the summer. Our summers are so hot and humid that we are A/C junkies and the provincial government will, on very hot days, issue warnings that we are using up pretty much all the power available. They tell us we might suffer brown-outs or even rolling black-outs. Of course these conditions coincide with those days when there are also smog advisories and folks are advised to stay indoors and to avoid driving! Driving (with your A/C blasting), you see, only adds to the toxic fumes trapped in this hot humid bowl of air which simply won't move! Summer in the city can really suck where I live!:phanvan

[green 6]

Dang skippy, Carlene!!! I think all of you should get a wind turbine for the back yard, solar panels for the roof and a pedal powered washing machine. Be sure to chop plenty of wood for cooking and heating in the winter, too. No wait! The wood would be polluting, so no wood burning. You could put in one of those underground residences. 65 degrees all the time down there. Just have to wear a big sweater all the time. Live close to your work and the grocery store...wait! Too much wasted energy growing that food. You should put in a garden and learn how to can. But you have to have heat to can, so..... but then you could eat nothing but raw vegetables, until they quit growing, but then..... It's all making my head hurt. (He said with a grin and a wink)

Actually Carlene has made a number of excellent points. The issue of trying to live a green life is a complicated one. Our basic standards have risen and the lifestyles which were acceptable to our parents or grandparents are not acceptable to us. (This may be why it takes two working parents to maintain a family....)

I live in Toronto, Canada. This is a city of 3 million and we have been having on-going problems with garbage disposal. This has forced the city to take a green approach to dealing with our crap. For over a decade we have been recycling our paper products, cans, plastics, and glass. Now we recycle our compostables and you would be both surprised and revolted by what the city considers to be compostable. But it seems that our recycling efforts are advanced compared to other municipalities!

Nevertheless, there is a lot that is left over and we have been paying the state of Michigan to deal with our leavings. This was okay under the Republican majority; the Democrats, however, were appalled (and who could blame 'em).... Go figure, eh. And there were a few unpleasant tales of garbage trucks overturning on major highways, an ugh! situation for sure.

Certainly this business of going green is complicated and one is inclined to wonder about it. I read an article about an environmentally conscious Canadian couple who had given up on their SUV, had chosen to ride bicycles, and to use an energy efficient vehicle when needed. They then realised that the fruits and vegetables which they were eating were creating a big energy footprint as these were brought locally from anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000 km away.

They determined that they would try to eat nothing which had originated from further than a 150 km radius; that they were able to do this was only because they live on Canada's left coast, the kind coast. They managed to make a meal that was heavy on potatoes, onions, dried herbs which they themselves had grown, local brie and butter, local salmon, local blueberries, and local wine. It seems that the meal wasn't bad - the guy was a good cook - but it cost around $130. And they were looking at eating more of the same until the Canadian growing season.

"It ain't easy being green," as the song says but I personally see nothing wrong nor risible with doing a little personal assessment on energy usuage. It is always interesting to see what we can and can't live without. In my case my mate and I have switched to the curly light bulbs in a number of areas of the house. And although he drives we walk or use public transit whenever we are in the city. We have also worked hard to make our house, an older house, more impervious to winter.

On the other hand, I won't sacrifice my excessive A/C use in the summer. That is my line in the sand.

It is true that I suspect that the present trajectory which the earth is now on is unstoppable and yet I would like to see people in this part of the world paying more attention to their energy usuage patterns and to their overall lifestyles. I suspect that my reasoning is this: our careless, greedy and callous behaviour has resulted in a large scale alienation from nature, human history, and a sense of an ability to really engage with our environment - both the social and the natural.

Added notes: going green can mean saving money, eh. I also remarked that one poster commented that she liked an electric blanket; well, a duvet would keep a grrl just as warm and save on power costs.

Ghost power is another issue and another source of power loss. All those instant power-ons for the TV, computers, etc are because those machines are never switched off! They are switched into power saving mode but they are, in their ghostly fashion, hoovering up power.

Alrighty, this has been an overly long post/rant. Bye.

[Carlene 12]

We recycle, and we have a compost heap. Also a set-back thermostat and ceiling fans in every room. My car has only 4 cylinders - hubby's has 6. But we don't walk anywhere, except for exercise. There is nothing close enough to walk to. And we have no mass transportation system. Everytime I go to DC, I'm impressed. The uniform there is business dress with tennis shoes for the commute, and all the women carry their dressy office shoes in their bag. Plus, it must be the dog-friendliest city in the world.

[mousecrazy 2]

Some of us are roughly in the same age bracket...does anyone know how our push to remove flouro-carbons from hairspray and deoderant impacted the environment. I so clearly remember the beginning of Earth Day...well, maybe not all that clearly, but somewhere around the age of 13 or so. We were going to save the world and clean it up, and one of the first things to do was get rid of that spray deoderant. Was that the culprit? If so, shouldn't things be improved? No one uses spray deoderant anymore, do they?

That said, I do enjoy the personal challenge of keeping power cost low, and also compost for the yard/garden...the computers probably suck the most power around here (in more ways than one!) :heh:

[Wheetsin 714]

You guys will like this. Our neighborhood - up until about a year ago - provided free trash removal once per week, with no limit on the number of bags. Large/bulky items are picked up once a month, yard waste three times a year but you can hire a separate company any time. About a year ago they changed the rules. We're now given one tub for recycling paper and plastic, that is picked up once a week. We're also limited to 2 trash bags per week. Cardboard will be picked up if it's placed under the tub, but not if it's in the tub (or if it's beside the tub, or...)

The biggest change I have seen in the last year is that most of our neighbors who used to put out piles of 13g kitchen trash bags now put out 2 55g contractor bags.

We aren't allowed to have compost bins/piles, nor are we allowed to have vegetable gardens, though we can have flowerbeds, plant trees, etc. We're also not allowed to have sheds, in-ground pools or permanent above-ground pools, but we can have hot tubs.

We live in a suburb area. The much smaller city that we border implemented a recycling program about 10 years ago. Ours is an extension of theirs. Our city didn't do it sooner because, "Their taxes are higher and they can afford it."