Environment

1.What recommendations would you make to city officials in the United States to encourage energy conservation?

2. Why do you think a nation’s energy supply is important not only to the nation’s economy, but also to its stability and international influence?

Thank you to anyone who answers!!!!

1. Promote the idea through literature and incentives in utility bills. Set the example by purchasing energy from a source that is green like wind or solar. Partner with utilities to provide customers with smart grid technology and meters so families better understand electrical usage and its costs. Enter a joint venture with other municipalities to build their own green portfolio of energy production. For instance, my town bought a stake in a nuclear power plant that results in cheap electrical rates (nuclear waste if a major long-term concern, however). The county is about to start a methane capture and generation plant at the landfill too.

2. A reliable and economical energy supply is essential for a community. It assures stable assess to what is by far the most seminal component of productivity, electricity. Look at examples of how countries, even the US, have to import large amounts of energy resources to fuel their economies and you will find plenty of evidence where prices held them hostage. One hundred dollar oil paralyzed some segments of the global economy a few years back and Russia shut off a gas pipeline to neighboring countries during a winter because they did not approve of certain policies. Relying on someone else for energy is a hazardous situation, one that America needs to invest more time, conservation, exploration, and ingenuity to distance itself.

http://www.xerox.com/solidink

Children of Xerox employees share how the Xerox ColorQube will benefit the next generation through its lower environmental impact. Real-world comparisons of the waste reduced and energy saved with the installation of just one ColorQube printer are provided, demonstrating Xerox’s commitment to environmentally friendly efforts supporting sustainability, reducing the carbon footprint in their manufacturing and distribution, promoting energy saving practices such as greenhouse gas reduction and green technology such as Xerox’s solid ink.

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i am persuing my M.tech in energy and environmental engineering. from VIT university

Check out the Board of Environmental, Health, & Safety Auditors Certification programs. The requirements are quite extensive, and you really need to have a job as an inspector before you can go for this certification because of the stringent requirements of the Board.

People are acting like the planet is the most insignificant, unimportant thing, and that worrying about keeping it clean is whiny nonsense.

I’ve actually seen comments, regarding the gulf oil spill, suggesting that they just let it gush and saying "who cares, accidents happen"

Shouldn’t people be worried that they will be affected by climate change or pollution? it’ll affect the food chain, businesses, allergens, pests.

Do these people have somewhere else they’re gonna go after earth is unlivable?

Because the general population is selfish and only care about things if it directly affects or benefits them

Buildings are the SUVs of U.S. energy consumption, gobbling up 71 percent of the nation’s electricity. In this Sept. 22, 2008 talk, Arun Majumdar, Director of Berkeley Lab’s Environmental Energy Technologies Division, discusses how scientists are creating a new generation of net-zero energy, carbon-neutral buildings.

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Miriam Horn, co-author of Earth the Sequel, explores the innovations underway that could help make solar the energy source of the future. Part 1 of Environmental Defense Fund’s video series, Unleash the Future.

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Gallup asked these 2 questions in a recent poll.

"With which one of these statements about the environment and the economy do you most agree – protection of the environment should be given priority, even at the risk of curbing economic growth (or) economic growth should be given priority, even if the environment suffers to some extent?"

"With which one of these statements about the environment and energy production do you most agree – protection of the environment should be given priority, even at the risk of limiting the amount of energy supplies (such as oil, gas and coal) which the United States produces (or) development of U.S. energy supplies (such as oil, gas and coal) should be given priority, even if the environment suffers to some extent?"

For the first time in a year, environmental protection beat energy development, 55-39%. Since the BP Gulf oil disaster, over the past 2 months Democrats and Independents shifted toward environmental protection by 15 points. Republicans remained unchanged, 62-30% in favor of energy development over environmental protection.

The results for economic growth were similar, 50-43% in favor of environmental protection, ahead of economic development for the first time in 2 years. Since the BP disaster, Dems moved towards environmental protection by 12 points, independents by 17 points, and Republicans by 5 points.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/137882/Oil-Spill-Alters-Views-Environmental-Protection.aspx

Interestingly, environmental protection was valued more highly in the ’80s and ’90s, peaking at 71-19% in favor of environmental protection over economic growth in 1990.

How would you answer these questions, and what do you think of these demographics and shifts?

It’s kind of a trick question(s) when you think about it. Because the proper environmental protection was not in place the government is spending millions it can ill afford to spend in the oil leak cleanup. The livelihood of tens of thousands of people are affected and will be for a great long while. At any rate, while I feel constrained by the wording of the questions, I’d go with environmental protection because without that you’ve jeopardized the health of current and future generations, you’ve impacted biodiversity, you’re spending time and energy being reactive (a clean up & hazardous waste disposal) instead of proactive (developing cleaner fuels).

As for the demographics: It is interesting that independents topped Democrats by that margin. A shake of the head regarding the Republicans. They must have those heads in the sand so deeply they haven’t been able to pull them out yet. It’s an "old school" response in a "new school" world. Our technology will not work for us unless we make it do so. Surely Republicans can be made to understand that if you’ve polluted the oceans inhabitants to the point you can’t consume them that this would have severe consequences for our species, much less others.

It will be interesting to see how the parties handle the whole scene in upcoming election cycles.

CNN
Eco Solutions

2007-11-12
Concentrated Solar Power
Spain’s new solar power tower

A new plant uses solar technology, combined with traditional steam turbines, to generate electricity.
CNN’s Al Goodman reports.

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- A 92 mile by 92 mile area of desert filled with CSP plants could power the U.S

- Around 0.3% of Sahara could power Europe, Middle East and North Africa

- CSP can combat water shortages, avoid future humanitarian disasters

- U.S. solar industry threatened by upcoming Energy Bill

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Credit
http://cnn.com
http://suzlon.com

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Katarina Witt @ BMW’s Energy and Environmental Test Centre (ETC). See the full report @ http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=388286

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EnviroMission, Ltd. (www.enviromission.com.au; US Stock Market: EVOMY, Australian Stock Exchange: EVM) is a renewable energy developer of sustainable “green” energy solutions for the energy market. EnviroMission aims to be one of Australia’s leading producers of clean renewable energy. EnviroMission holds the proprietary rights to Solar Tower technology, a large-scale renewable energy technology based on simple fundamentals of physics — hot air rises. Solar Tower technology has the potential to offer competitive renewable energy with equal reliability to fossil fuel generators.

A single 200MW Solar Tower power station will provide enough electricity to power around 400,000 households. The energy output will represent an annual saving of more than 1,960,000 tonnes of greenhouse CO2 gases from entering the environment when compared to brown coal emissions in Victoria. The greenhouse savings equate to the removal of approximately 500,000 cars from the road. The Australian Solar Tower project consists of six distinct phases, the first two of which (project optimization and pre-feasibility commercialization) have already been completed. The third phase (final feasibility), paving the way for the implementation of the next three phases (final design, construction, and commercial operation).

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