Join or start a Transition Initiative in your community
“The Transition Movement is a vibrant, grassroots movement that seeks to build community resilience in the face of such challenges as peak oil, climate change and the economic crisis. It represents one of the most promising ways of engaging people in strengthening their communities against the effects of these challenges, resulting in a life that is more abundant, fulfilling, equitable and socially connected.”
Find a transition group near you: http://transitionus.org/about-us
Join us for a presentation:
Transitions
by Eric Lindberg from Transitions ~ Milwaukee
Time: Thursday, April 28 • 5:30pm - 8:30pm
Location: House of Tawet, Coffee house
601 N. Broadway
Green Bay, WI
________________________________________
Created By Helfenstein Soup Council, inc., Kim Diaz
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More Info HOT Stone Soup Evenings Presents: Eric Lindberg from Transitions Milwaukee speaking on the Transitions movement of building sustainable communities with local Resilience, Self-Reliance, Renewable Energy & Cooperation.
http://www.amazon.com/Transition-Handbook-Dependency-Resilience-Guides/dp/1900322188#reader_1900322188
Showing posts with label Peak oil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peak oil. Show all posts
Monday, April 25, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Earth Day Economics: A Green and Prosperous Future
From an article in the Shepherd Express by Doug Booth, a retired Marquette University economics professor, a founder of the Driftless Area Land Conservancy, and author of The Coming Good Boom: Creating Prosperity for All and Saving the Environment Through Compact Living:
The astounding success of the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, under the tutelage of a true Wisconsin hero, Sen. Gaylord Nelson, marked the coming of age of the environmental movement in this country. Environmental victories in the 1970s included the passage of such landmark legislation as the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species acts. Earth Day ushered in a new environmental era, and today the quality of our lives is much improved for it.
Unfortunately, our work remains unfinished.
Our single greatest environmental threat today is global warming brought to us by the burning of fossil fuels to power our cars, heat our homes, grow our food and fabricate and operate all our wonderful consumer gadgets. Scientists tell us that greenhouse gases from fossil fuels act like a "tea cozy" around the Earth, bringing forth dangerous environmental harms reported in the news on a daily basis—a shrinking polar ice cap, rising sea levels, more powerful storms, droughts and wildfires.
Reducing Fossil Fuel Consumption
Bringing global warming to a halt can be accomplished with a simple act—freeing ourselves from the environmental tyranny of fossil fuels. Some will say this is easier said than done, but doing so will bring on what I call a "good boom" that will lift all our boats. The "good boom" will be an economic expansion created through compact urban living, clean energy, more grassland and less corn, green cuisine, letting forests grow old and more. It will also help us address global warming. . . .
Wind and Solar Are the Future's Power Sources
Necessary to moving beyond fossil fuels is a switch to truly clean sources of renewable energy. Notwithstanding Gov. Scott Walker's attempt to bring wind energy to a screeching halt with onerous regulations, both wind and sun are the primary energy sources of the future. For example, California lawmakers recently approved a rule requiring utilities to derive one-third of their power from renewable energy sources within 10 years. As we do more of anything in our economy, its cost inevitably falls. This is happening already for both wind and solar energy. The Great Plains is on track to becoming the Saudi Arabia of wind energy, and throughout the Midwest industrial belt, old factories are quickly being refitted to produce wind generators and solar panels. Despite the naysayers, the wind and solar energy revolution is under way, bringing forth an abundance of new jobs—windsmiths, solar panel installers, weatherization specialists, solar engineers, wind and solar equipment fabricators and, here in Milwaukee, urban farmers.
To be sure, the fossil fuel industry will resist going quietly and will defend to the death its right to pollute the atmosphere without cost. Eventually, the industry will lose this battle and will pay the public piper through some form of a tax on greenhouse gas emissions.
The astounding success of the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, under the tutelage of a true Wisconsin hero, Sen. Gaylord Nelson, marked the coming of age of the environmental movement in this country. Environmental victories in the 1970s included the passage of such landmark legislation as the Clean Air, Clean Water and Endangered Species acts. Earth Day ushered in a new environmental era, and today the quality of our lives is much improved for it.
Unfortunately, our work remains unfinished.
Our single greatest environmental threat today is global warming brought to us by the burning of fossil fuels to power our cars, heat our homes, grow our food and fabricate and operate all our wonderful consumer gadgets. Scientists tell us that greenhouse gases from fossil fuels act like a "tea cozy" around the Earth, bringing forth dangerous environmental harms reported in the news on a daily basis—a shrinking polar ice cap, rising sea levels, more powerful storms, droughts and wildfires.
Reducing Fossil Fuel Consumption
Bringing global warming to a halt can be accomplished with a simple act—freeing ourselves from the environmental tyranny of fossil fuels. Some will say this is easier said than done, but doing so will bring on what I call a "good boom" that will lift all our boats. The "good boom" will be an economic expansion created through compact urban living, clean energy, more grassland and less corn, green cuisine, letting forests grow old and more. It will also help us address global warming. . . .
Wind and Solar Are the Future's Power Sources
Necessary to moving beyond fossil fuels is a switch to truly clean sources of renewable energy. Notwithstanding Gov. Scott Walker's attempt to bring wind energy to a screeching halt with onerous regulations, both wind and sun are the primary energy sources of the future. For example, California lawmakers recently approved a rule requiring utilities to derive one-third of their power from renewable energy sources within 10 years. As we do more of anything in our economy, its cost inevitably falls. This is happening already for both wind and solar energy. The Great Plains is on track to becoming the Saudi Arabia of wind energy, and throughout the Midwest industrial belt, old factories are quickly being refitted to produce wind generators and solar panels. Despite the naysayers, the wind and solar energy revolution is under way, bringing forth an abundance of new jobs—windsmiths, solar panel installers, weatherization specialists, solar engineers, wind and solar equipment fabricators and, here in Milwaukee, urban farmers.
To be sure, the fossil fuel industry will resist going quietly and will defend to the death its right to pollute the atmosphere without cost. Eventually, the industry will lose this battle and will pay the public piper through some form of a tax on greenhouse gas emissions.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Shortsighted energy plans just won't cut it; renewables needed
From an editorial in the Sheboygan Press:
President Barack Obama has twice in the last year called for the nation to reduce its dependence of foreign oil by embarking on a multi-faceted plan on energy.
Obama's first call for energy independence was followed less than a month later by the Deep Water Horizon oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
We hope that the president's latest energy initiative is followed not by a disaster, but by a commitment from Congress to develop a national energy policy. A commitment from the American people to be receptive of alternative energy sources would be nice, too. . . .
Until recently, we thought Wisconsin was poised to become a leader in helping the nation reach that goal.
Wind power was one area where Wisconsin was setting the pace.
The state had sensible rules on where wind turbines could be located in relation to residential properties and the state was on its way toward making progress on using this renewable energy resource. But those rules are on hold and are likely to be changed to the point where it will be impractical for companies interested in locating wind farms to do business in Wisconsin.
This is not only shortsighted in development of renewable energy sources, it is also a job-killer because the companies that now make wind turbines in Wisconsin are already talking about relocating to states where wind power is welcomed.
The easy thing to do is to keep relying on oil and coal to power our cars and heat our homes. The wise thing is to develop a long-range plan that relies on renewable energy.
President Barack Obama has twice in the last year called for the nation to reduce its dependence of foreign oil by embarking on a multi-faceted plan on energy.
Obama's first call for energy independence was followed less than a month later by the Deep Water Horizon oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
We hope that the president's latest energy initiative is followed not by a disaster, but by a commitment from Congress to develop a national energy policy. A commitment from the American people to be receptive of alternative energy sources would be nice, too. . . .
Until recently, we thought Wisconsin was poised to become a leader in helping the nation reach that goal.
Wind power was one area where Wisconsin was setting the pace.
The state had sensible rules on where wind turbines could be located in relation to residential properties and the state was on its way toward making progress on using this renewable energy resource. But those rules are on hold and are likely to be changed to the point where it will be impractical for companies interested in locating wind farms to do business in Wisconsin.
This is not only shortsighted in development of renewable energy sources, it is also a job-killer because the companies that now make wind turbines in Wisconsin are already talking about relocating to states where wind power is welcomed.
The easy thing to do is to keep relying on oil and coal to power our cars and heat our homes. The wise thing is to develop a long-range plan that relies on renewable energy.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Geologists: Energy's future in for big change
From an article by Joe Knight in the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram:
"This is the age of oil, but the age of oil is about to end," said Lori Snyder of UW-Eau Claire's geology department.
In 1950, the U.S. did not import any oil. Today, we still like our cars, and we have to import 60 percent of the oil we use to support our driving habit, she said.
Vehicles may have gotten a smaller and more fuel efficient since the 1950s, but our appetite for energy - the majority of it coming from fossil fuels - is huge. Today the average American uses three times the amount of energy we used in 1950, Snyder said.
Snyder and J. Brian Mahoney, also of the geology department, discussed the future of fossil fuels and energy Tuesday night for an "Ask A Scientist" program at UW-Eau Claire.
An audience of mixed ages attended, and many asked questions of the scientists, but the answers they received painted a less-than-reassuring picture of our energy future.
Fossil fuel basically is solar energy trapped by plants and bugs - sometimes millions of years ago - that never completely decomposed. We have extracted the fuels and used it to power our cars, heat our homes and generate our electricity, but supplies are becoming scarce, the geologists said.
Oil supplies in the U.S. peaked in the 1970s, Mahoney said. World supplies of oil that is readily accessible are peaking now, he said.
There are some alternative sources of oil, such as sand tars in Alberta, Canada, which are being mined, but they require a substantial amount of energy to extract and are costly to the environment, Mahoney said.
We still have an abundance of coal in the U.S. - enough to meet our electrical needs for 200 to 250 years, Snyder said. Unfortunately, coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel for emissions. We're already altering the composition of the atmosphere, and continuing at the current rate or increasing emissions brings about more questions about climate change and what life on Earth might be like in 100 years, Mahoney said.
"It's taking us to a place we don't really understand," he said.
"This is the age of oil, but the age of oil is about to end," said Lori Snyder of UW-Eau Claire's geology department.
In 1950, the U.S. did not import any oil. Today, we still like our cars, and we have to import 60 percent of the oil we use to support our driving habit, she said.
Vehicles may have gotten a smaller and more fuel efficient since the 1950s, but our appetite for energy - the majority of it coming from fossil fuels - is huge. Today the average American uses three times the amount of energy we used in 1950, Snyder said.
Snyder and J. Brian Mahoney, also of the geology department, discussed the future of fossil fuels and energy Tuesday night for an "Ask A Scientist" program at UW-Eau Claire.
An audience of mixed ages attended, and many asked questions of the scientists, but the answers they received painted a less-than-reassuring picture of our energy future.
Fossil fuel basically is solar energy trapped by plants and bugs - sometimes millions of years ago - that never completely decomposed. We have extracted the fuels and used it to power our cars, heat our homes and generate our electricity, but supplies are becoming scarce, the geologists said.
Oil supplies in the U.S. peaked in the 1970s, Mahoney said. World supplies of oil that is readily accessible are peaking now, he said.
There are some alternative sources of oil, such as sand tars in Alberta, Canada, which are being mined, but they require a substantial amount of energy to extract and are costly to the environment, Mahoney said.
We still have an abundance of coal in the U.S. - enough to meet our electrical needs for 200 to 250 years, Snyder said. Unfortunately, coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel for emissions. We're already altering the composition of the atmosphere, and continuing at the current rate or increasing emissions brings about more questions about climate change and what life on Earth might be like in 100 years, Mahoney said.
"It's taking us to a place we don't really understand," he said.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Energy costs are down, but when will grocery prices follow?
From an article by Doug Zellmer in The Northwestern (Oshkosh):
The cost of gas and diesel fuel is in freefall — a victim of dropping demand and a general softening of the global economy.
Rising fuel prices have been the overwhelming culprit this year for just about everything that’s needed transportation to retail stores and other outlets. Trucks run on diesel, which nationwide averaged nearly $3.42 a gallon today, compared with about $4.10 a gallon a month ago, according to AAA Wisconsin.
Farm commodity prices, which play a role in the cost of food, have also dipped of late, but farmers are still reeling from a spike in input costs for spring planting and summer fieldwork, including diesel fuel and fertilizer costs that nearly doubled from a year ago.
So, when will consumers see lower prices in the grocery store?
Hold onto your cheddar cheese spread because it’s not likely to come right away to your favorite store. And when it does arrive, don’t look for drastic price reductions for most food items, said agriculture and food experts.
“The long and short of it is you probably won’t see prices shoot down dramatically. We’re still looking at food inflation of 5 or 6 percent this year,” said Brandon Scholz, president of the Wisconsin Grocers Association.
Paul Ketring of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, said lower energy costs and how much it will impact groceries is anyone’s guess.
“It’s too early to tell. The way the system works it doesn’t reflect those changes immediately,” said Ketring, who works with the Farm Bureau’s Market Basket Survey of grocery stores in Wisconsin.
The cost of gas and diesel fuel is in freefall — a victim of dropping demand and a general softening of the global economy.
Rising fuel prices have been the overwhelming culprit this year for just about everything that’s needed transportation to retail stores and other outlets. Trucks run on diesel, which nationwide averaged nearly $3.42 a gallon today, compared with about $4.10 a gallon a month ago, according to AAA Wisconsin.
Farm commodity prices, which play a role in the cost of food, have also dipped of late, but farmers are still reeling from a spike in input costs for spring planting and summer fieldwork, including diesel fuel and fertilizer costs that nearly doubled from a year ago.
So, when will consumers see lower prices in the grocery store?
Hold onto your cheddar cheese spread because it’s not likely to come right away to your favorite store. And when it does arrive, don’t look for drastic price reductions for most food items, said agriculture and food experts.
“The long and short of it is you probably won’t see prices shoot down dramatically. We’re still looking at food inflation of 5 or 6 percent this year,” said Brandon Scholz, president of the Wisconsin Grocers Association.
Paul Ketring of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, said lower energy costs and how much it will impact groceries is anyone’s guess.
“It’s too early to tell. The way the system works it doesn’t reflect those changes immediately,” said Ketring, who works with the Farm Bureau’s Market Basket Survey of grocery stores in Wisconsin.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Wisconsin’s newest wind projects in the Fox Valley
RENEW Wisconsin's summer/fall edition of Wisconsin Renewable Quarterly is now online, including the following articles:
Peak Oil Spices Meeting with Cong. Baldwin
Countdown to Solar Tour
Solar H2O on Madison Fire Stations
Global Warming Task Force Report
Wisconsin’s Newest Wind Projects
PHEV+Wind=Clean Air
Small Wind Conference Wrap-up
Calendar
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Another strike against oil: Mother Nature's wrath
From an editorial in The Northwestern (Oshkosh):
It was certainly no butterfly. But hard to dispute we aren't feeling the "flap of its wings."
The spiking variations in gas prices around the Oshkosh area and the Fox Valley in the wake of Hurricane Ike supply more motivation to pursue alternative energy sources. Obviously, Mother Nature hasn't a care about the location of domestic oil rigs and refineries.
On Monday, the price of an unleaded gallon of gasoline was on its way up, anywhere from $3.80 at one Oshkosh filling station to $4.20 at another in Fond du Lac. If you don't like Ike, we understand. It's having an impact on gasoline prices everywhere.
Do our congressional and presidential candidates care to talk about this most recent and potent shortcoming of oil and its production as the rhetoric heats up on more drilling in North America's hurricane alley?
Does the latest pain at the pump everyday people in places like Fond du Lac, Oshkosh and Appleton endure matter – places far from hurricane territory yet places, as of Monday, trying to fathom a 40-cent variation in surging unleaded gasoline rates?
Ike's wrath is only the latest reminder of all the limitation that comes with oil and our addiction to it. News flash: Its production and price are at the mercy of monster storms … in addition to Middle Eastern interests that control it and don't share our purest, most democratic, most fundamental human values. Not to mention its limited supply globally… not to mention the pollution it causes. Only an addict would tolerate all of these unhealthy drawbacks to feed his cravings.
For a nation that put human beings on the moon almost 40 years ago, our approach to pushing for renewable, alternative, clean sources of energy is weak, and Ike's wake reminds us of that.
Our push for things like hydrogen-fired, clean-burning automobiles is anemic when it should be surging, itself the focus — the raging eye — of a presidential campaign and election. Real leadership and real solutions on alternative energy have been relegated to a few lines of a political speech, no focused, attainable energy challenge laid before the feet of the American people other than unformulated energy independence benchmarks.
It was certainly no butterfly. But hard to dispute we aren't feeling the "flap of its wings."
The spiking variations in gas prices around the Oshkosh area and the Fox Valley in the wake of Hurricane Ike supply more motivation to pursue alternative energy sources. Obviously, Mother Nature hasn't a care about the location of domestic oil rigs and refineries.
On Monday, the price of an unleaded gallon of gasoline was on its way up, anywhere from $3.80 at one Oshkosh filling station to $4.20 at another in Fond du Lac. If you don't like Ike, we understand. It's having an impact on gasoline prices everywhere.
Do our congressional and presidential candidates care to talk about this most recent and potent shortcoming of oil and its production as the rhetoric heats up on more drilling in North America's hurricane alley?
Does the latest pain at the pump everyday people in places like Fond du Lac, Oshkosh and Appleton endure matter – places far from hurricane territory yet places, as of Monday, trying to fathom a 40-cent variation in surging unleaded gasoline rates?
Ike's wrath is only the latest reminder of all the limitation that comes with oil and our addiction to it. News flash: Its production and price are at the mercy of monster storms … in addition to Middle Eastern interests that control it and don't share our purest, most democratic, most fundamental human values. Not to mention its limited supply globally… not to mention the pollution it causes. Only an addict would tolerate all of these unhealthy drawbacks to feed his cravings.
For a nation that put human beings on the moon almost 40 years ago, our approach to pushing for renewable, alternative, clean sources of energy is weak, and Ike's wake reminds us of that.
Our push for things like hydrogen-fired, clean-burning automobiles is anemic when it should be surging, itself the focus — the raging eye — of a presidential campaign and election. Real leadership and real solutions on alternative energy have been relegated to a few lines of a political speech, no focused, attainable energy challenge laid before the feet of the American people other than unformulated energy independence benchmarks.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
States, not Congress, are energy leaders
From an editorial in the Sheboygan Press:
Wisconsin has positioned itself well for the development of alternative fuels that someday will replace the fossil fuels we are now burning.
We are well ahead of the curve on the conversion of cellulose-based materials into fuel, whether it be corn, corn stover, wood waste or switch grass.
For sure, the state is doing its part not only to research and develop the fuels of the future that will reduce the amount of oil needed to be imported — and boost the state's economy at the same time. Wisconsin is also blessed with one of the best research facilities in the world — the University of Wisconsin, which also puts us well ahead of other states.
Whether you agree with the conclusions of Gov. Jim Doyle's Global Warming Task Force or not, the fact remains that the world's supply of fossil fuels — oil and coal in particular — is not unlimited, and demand will not likely decrease.
Alternative sources of energy must be the focus now and in the future.
Proponents of drilling for oil in ocean waters off the U.S. shore and in the Alaskan wilderness make a strong argument — and these ideas deserve to be considered along with nuclear power as the nation looks for energy answers.
But we think the more immediate and longer-term solution to energy needs is development of renewable sources, which have the potential of reducing the cost of energy.
Once the oil and coal are gone, they are gone for good. Not so with many of the energy sources already in use or under study; they are renewable and can be further developed and made more efficient and less costly.
It would be great if Congress had the same focus on energy that Wisconsin and other states have. While individual states can play a role in finding the solutions to the energy future, the lack of a national energy policy and plan leaves the U.S. in a vulnerable position when dealing with supply and demand issues.
But there is nothing to indicate that Congress, which will come back into session following Labor Day, has any intention of tackling energy issues before the November election.
But when they do, perhaps our federal lawmakers can take a cue from states such as Wisconsin that have set realistic goals of using more renewable sources of energy and are encouraging the research into alternative fuel sources.
What the nation doesn't need are short-term, feel-good ideas being promoted by the presidential candidates, like John McCain's proposal for a gas tax holiday or Barack Obama's call for tapping into the nation's oil reserve.
Wisconsin has positioned itself well for the development of alternative fuels that someday will replace the fossil fuels we are now burning.
We are well ahead of the curve on the conversion of cellulose-based materials into fuel, whether it be corn, corn stover, wood waste or switch grass.
For sure, the state is doing its part not only to research and develop the fuels of the future that will reduce the amount of oil needed to be imported — and boost the state's economy at the same time. Wisconsin is also blessed with one of the best research facilities in the world — the University of Wisconsin, which also puts us well ahead of other states.
Whether you agree with the conclusions of Gov. Jim Doyle's Global Warming Task Force or not, the fact remains that the world's supply of fossil fuels — oil and coal in particular — is not unlimited, and demand will not likely decrease.
Alternative sources of energy must be the focus now and in the future.
Proponents of drilling for oil in ocean waters off the U.S. shore and in the Alaskan wilderness make a strong argument — and these ideas deserve to be considered along with nuclear power as the nation looks for energy answers.
But we think the more immediate and longer-term solution to energy needs is development of renewable sources, which have the potential of reducing the cost of energy.
Once the oil and coal are gone, they are gone for good. Not so with many of the energy sources already in use or under study; they are renewable and can be further developed and made more efficient and less costly.
It would be great if Congress had the same focus on energy that Wisconsin and other states have. While individual states can play a role in finding the solutions to the energy future, the lack of a national energy policy and plan leaves the U.S. in a vulnerable position when dealing with supply and demand issues.
But there is nothing to indicate that Congress, which will come back into session following Labor Day, has any intention of tackling energy issues before the November election.
But when they do, perhaps our federal lawmakers can take a cue from states such as Wisconsin that have set realistic goals of using more renewable sources of energy and are encouraging the research into alternative fuel sources.
What the nation doesn't need are short-term, feel-good ideas being promoted by the presidential candidates, like John McCain's proposal for a gas tax holiday or Barack Obama's call for tapping into the nation's oil reserve.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Four-day workweek for Outagamie County employees draws attention
From an article by Ed Lowe in the Appleton Post-Crescent:
T.G.I.F. would hold new meaning for hundreds of Outagamie County employees in the vision of County Executive Toby Paltzer, who sees wisdom in giving them Fridays off.
Paltzer's call last week for a study of shifting some or most of the county's full-time employees to four 10-hour workdays — Mondays through Thursdays — was born of financial necessity. The attempt to curb the county's spending on heating fuel could pay other dividends, he says.
The idea, which Paltzer said is widely popular among the county employees, is for now only the subject of an internal study. Even so, it's drawing attention throughout the state, especially among leaders of governments facing projected budget deficits caused, in part, by soaring heating fuel costs.
"I'm getting calls from Milwaukee and all over about this," Paltzer said. "This is a hot topic because in government we can't keep doing things like we have in the past. We need to start crunching the numbers to do something about these new costs for fuel."
Paltzer concedes his staff has prepared no estimates on the potential savings the shift would provide. The proposal, first reported by The Post-Crescent on July 10, warrants study, though, he said.
Not everyone is so sure. Grand Chute Town Chairman Mike Marsden, formerly the county's public works director, made that clear Tuesday when he urged his Town Board to go on record against the notion.
Bargaining chips
Marsden called Paltzer's scheduling proposal "bad business" in general and bad news for local governments in particular.
If the county adopts the four-day workweek, Marsden said, unions representing employees in surrounding communities will begin seeking the same perceived employment benefit.
"Once a municipality gives something (new) to employees … it creates a snowball effect," Marsden said.
Paltzer said simply studying the issue isn't a problem.
"It's not going to hurt anyone to take a look at it," Paltzer said. "We're not just going to jump into this full steam, but how will we know if we don't evaluate this?"
T.G.I.F. would hold new meaning for hundreds of Outagamie County employees in the vision of County Executive Toby Paltzer, who sees wisdom in giving them Fridays off.
Paltzer's call last week for a study of shifting some or most of the county's full-time employees to four 10-hour workdays — Mondays through Thursdays — was born of financial necessity. The attempt to curb the county's spending on heating fuel could pay other dividends, he says.
The idea, which Paltzer said is widely popular among the county employees, is for now only the subject of an internal study. Even so, it's drawing attention throughout the state, especially among leaders of governments facing projected budget deficits caused, in part, by soaring heating fuel costs.
"I'm getting calls from Milwaukee and all over about this," Paltzer said. "This is a hot topic because in government we can't keep doing things like we have in the past. We need to start crunching the numbers to do something about these new costs for fuel."
Paltzer concedes his staff has prepared no estimates on the potential savings the shift would provide. The proposal, first reported by The Post-Crescent on July 10, warrants study, though, he said.
Not everyone is so sure. Grand Chute Town Chairman Mike Marsden, formerly the county's public works director, made that clear Tuesday when he urged his Town Board to go on record against the notion.
Bargaining chips
Marsden called Paltzer's scheduling proposal "bad business" in general and bad news for local governments in particular.
If the county adopts the four-day workweek, Marsden said, unions representing employees in surrounding communities will begin seeking the same perceived employment benefit.
"Once a municipality gives something (new) to employees … it creates a snowball effect," Marsden said.
Paltzer said simply studying the issue isn't a problem.
"It's not going to hurt anyone to take a look at it," Paltzer said. "We're not just going to jump into this full steam, but how will we know if we don't evaluate this?"
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Look beyond old thinking to solve energy problem
From a letter to the editor of the Appleton Post Crescent:
. . . Asking "what can we do to lower the price of oil?" will return answers like "drill." This "Plan A" business-as-usual thinking ignores the certainties that our reliance on those resources underlies global warming and that oil is nonrenewable.
Plan A also implies that the United States is incapable of finding ways to be more efficient in our use of energy resources and to find cost-effective alternatives.
Somehow, Denmark and Germany can do so, but it's beyond us? How defeatist. How insulting.
How about if, instead, we ask, "What can we do to advance our country with non-polluting and renewable or perpetual energy resources?"
Plan B answers this question with a multitude of currently available options to use resources efficiently, reduce demand and employ alternatives.
Many technologies are ready now and more are coming. We could grow more world-class industries to build the efficient vehicles, turbines, building materials, etc., here rather than importing them from other countries.
We'd be a stronger nation for it.
Joy Perry,
Larsen
. . . Asking "what can we do to lower the price of oil?" will return answers like "drill." This "Plan A" business-as-usual thinking ignores the certainties that our reliance on those resources underlies global warming and that oil is nonrenewable.
Plan A also implies that the United States is incapable of finding ways to be more efficient in our use of energy resources and to find cost-effective alternatives.
Somehow, Denmark and Germany can do so, but it's beyond us? How defeatist. How insulting.
How about if, instead, we ask, "What can we do to advance our country with non-polluting and renewable or perpetual energy resources?"
Plan B answers this question with a multitude of currently available options to use resources efficiently, reduce demand and employ alternatives.
Many technologies are ready now and more are coming. We could grow more world-class industries to build the efficient vehicles, turbines, building materials, etc., here rather than importing them from other countries.
We'd be a stronger nation for it.
Joy Perry,
Larsen
Monday, June 16, 2008
Obama: U.S. can't drill out of gas crisis
From an article by Ben Jones in the Appleton Post-Crescent:
KAUKAUNA —As gas prices top $4 a gallon around the Fox Valley, Sen. Barack Obama said a reduction in consumption, not new domestic drilling, will provide relief.
"If we reduce our consumption of oil, that's what will reduce gas prices, the presumptive Democratic nominee said in a one-on-one interview with The Post-Crescent during a campaign stop in Kaukauna.
“There’s really no other way of doing it.”
“We can’t drill our way out of the problem because there's just a finite amount of oil out there and you have got increasing demand from countries like China and India.
“And so the way we are going to see gas prices reduced is when we start using the oil that we get, more intelligently than we are doing now.”
Obama said the U.S. needs to “ramp up” its use of alternative energy and improve vehicle fuel efficiency.
“The thing that is going to reduce gas prices over the long term is reduced demand,” Obama said.
“That’s something we have not focused on.
“(President Bush) has not had an energy policy to accomplish that, and I think that's been a mistake.”
KAUKAUNA —As gas prices top $4 a gallon around the Fox Valley, Sen. Barack Obama said a reduction in consumption, not new domestic drilling, will provide relief.
"If we reduce our consumption of oil, that's what will reduce gas prices, the presumptive Democratic nominee said in a one-on-one interview with The Post-Crescent during a campaign stop in Kaukauna.
“There’s really no other way of doing it.”
“We can’t drill our way out of the problem because there's just a finite amount of oil out there and you have got increasing demand from countries like China and India.
“And so the way we are going to see gas prices reduced is when we start using the oil that we get, more intelligently than we are doing now.”
Obama said the U.S. needs to “ramp up” its use of alternative energy and improve vehicle fuel efficiency.
“The thing that is going to reduce gas prices over the long term is reduced demand,” Obama said.
“That’s something we have not focused on.
“(President Bush) has not had an energy policy to accomplish that, and I think that's been a mistake.”
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Running on solar: Cars that need no gas
From the Web site of the Sierra Club:
There are hybrids. There are electric cars that plug into a wall and get their juice from whatever mix the electric company is offering. And then there are electic cars that are charged by solar panels on the roof of one's house. They never need gas, and the power is free after the set-up cost.
We wondered: How tough is it to do this? Are electric cars hard to find? Is it difficult to get a rooftop solar collector set up? Here are the stories of vehicles that run on empty.
Darrell Dickey: A New Car -- And Fuel for Life
Darrell Dickey regularly commutes to work 24 miles, one way, by bike. But when it's too cold or wet for the bike, or when he and his family travel long distances from their home in Davis, California, he drives a battery-powered electric vehicle that he charges with photovoltaic (PV) panels mounted on his garage roof.
"Five years ago, I spent about $45,000 and got a brand new car (the RAv4EV) and the solar system," he says. "We're still driving the car every day, and the solar system will continue to make fuel for whatever EV we drive in the future. For $45,000 we bought a new car and fuel for the rest or our lives."
In 1996, Dickey was invited to test-drive the GM "Impact", which he then leased for two years. (The Impact later became the EV1, the first modern electric vehicle.) "We loved that car and hated to give it back," he says. But the Toyota Rav4EV had just become available for purchase, so he bought the electric vehicle he is driving today.
Dickey says the inspiration to drive electric comes from having a child. "It would embarrass me to have to explain to my daughter why we continued to import and burn oil when we knew the consequences," he says. "Having no tune-ups and no trips to the gas station ever is just icing."
By installing a solar system atop his garage, Dickey took the next step in driving a totally clean car. "Now," he says, "I can deflect the comments that my 'electric' car is just a 'coal-burning' car. EVs are the ultimate flex-fuel vehicle. You can make electricity out of just about anything: sun, wind, natural gas, coal—even gasoline! Your fuel can be totally domestic, or in my case, totally local."
Asked how long it will take for the PV system to pay for itself, Dickey replies: "If we think of everything in terms of what it costs us in the short-term, we're screwed. It's the same argument people use against the Prius: When will it pay back in gas savings? But that only accounts for the money paid at the pump. What of the billions of dollars that leave our economy for oil, or the billions of our tax dollars that go toward tax incentives for oil companies? What of the cost of the military and the lives lost to protect our oil?"
But the short answer for the solar pay-back, he says, was "the instant I turned my system on." Dickey had been paying $75 a month for electricity. He took a loan out to buy the PV system, and pays $70 a month toward that loan. "My electricity and gasoline bills are now zero, and next year when my loan is paid off, this investment will be paying me probably for the rest of my life. My PV system covers the power for my home and my car. It displaces $90 worth of electricity and over $100 worth of gasoline every month. So my estimate of how long until the system pays for itself is no time at all!"
There are hybrids. There are electric cars that plug into a wall and get their juice from whatever mix the electric company is offering. And then there are electic cars that are charged by solar panels on the roof of one's house. They never need gas, and the power is free after the set-up cost.
We wondered: How tough is it to do this? Are electric cars hard to find? Is it difficult to get a rooftop solar collector set up? Here are the stories of vehicles that run on empty.
Darrell Dickey: A New Car -- And Fuel for Life
Darrell Dickey regularly commutes to work 24 miles, one way, by bike. But when it's too cold or wet for the bike, or when he and his family travel long distances from their home in Davis, California, he drives a battery-powered electric vehicle that he charges with photovoltaic (PV) panels mounted on his garage roof.
"Five years ago, I spent about $45,000 and got a brand new car (the RAv4EV) and the solar system," he says. "We're still driving the car every day, and the solar system will continue to make fuel for whatever EV we drive in the future. For $45,000 we bought a new car and fuel for the rest or our lives."
In 1996, Dickey was invited to test-drive the GM "Impact", which he then leased for two years. (The Impact later became the EV1, the first modern electric vehicle.) "We loved that car and hated to give it back," he says. But the Toyota Rav4EV had just become available for purchase, so he bought the electric vehicle he is driving today.
Dickey says the inspiration to drive electric comes from having a child. "It would embarrass me to have to explain to my daughter why we continued to import and burn oil when we knew the consequences," he says. "Having no tune-ups and no trips to the gas station ever is just icing."
By installing a solar system atop his garage, Dickey took the next step in driving a totally clean car. "Now," he says, "I can deflect the comments that my 'electric' car is just a 'coal-burning' car. EVs are the ultimate flex-fuel vehicle. You can make electricity out of just about anything: sun, wind, natural gas, coal—even gasoline! Your fuel can be totally domestic, or in my case, totally local."
Asked how long it will take for the PV system to pay for itself, Dickey replies: "If we think of everything in terms of what it costs us in the short-term, we're screwed. It's the same argument people use against the Prius: When will it pay back in gas savings? But that only accounts for the money paid at the pump. What of the billions of dollars that leave our economy for oil, or the billions of our tax dollars that go toward tax incentives for oil companies? What of the cost of the military and the lives lost to protect our oil?"
But the short answer for the solar pay-back, he says, was "the instant I turned my system on." Dickey had been paying $75 a month for electricity. He took a loan out to buy the PV system, and pays $70 a month toward that loan. "My electricity and gasoline bills are now zero, and next year when my loan is paid off, this investment will be paying me probably for the rest of my life. My PV system covers the power for my home and my car. It displaces $90 worth of electricity and over $100 worth of gasoline every month. So my estimate of how long until the system pays for itself is no time at all!"
Monday, November 19, 2007
UW-Green Bay seeks return to Eco-U
From an article by Sean Ryan in The Daily Reporter:
In an attempt to reclaim some of its 1960s glory as Eco-U, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is going to try heating its buildings with biodiesel.Katers also serves on the Operations Committee of the Focus on Energy Renewable Energy Program.
The college was one of four UW campuses that Gov. Jim Doyle wanted to become energy independent — meaning it doesn’t pull any power from outside utilities — by 2012.
The idea of burning biodiesel rather than natural gas in the boiler that heats the university’s buildings is one part of that broader effort, said John Katers, associate professor of natural and applied sciences at UW-Green Bay. And if it succeeds, the university might get the same kind of attention it received in the 1960s, when Harpers magazine dubbed it Eco-U for the university’s environmental education programs, Katers said.
Friday, September 21, 2007
"End of Suburbia" film showing October 4th
The End of Suburbia: Oil Depletion and the Collapse of The American Dream presented by: Energy Coalition for a Sustainable Fox Valley (ECOS-FV) Thursday, October 4, 6:30 pm – 8:00pm Menasha Public Library, Company E Room, lower level
The End of Suburbia (78 min.) is a 2004 documentary film that discusses the dwindling supply of cheap energy in the form of fossil fuels and its effect on society. Suburbs support more than 50 percent America's 297 million people. The End of Suburbia explores the question of sustainability of the American way of life as global demand for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply. The consequences of inaction in the face of this global crisis are enormous. What does Oil Peak mean for North America? As energy prices skyrocket in the coming years, how will the populations of suburbia react to the collapse of their dream? What can be done NOW, individually and collectively, to avoid The End of Suburbia? Author James Howard Kunstler, who is prominently featured in the End of Suburbia will be speaking at Lawrence University on October 30th. His books are The Geography of Nowhere, and The Long Emergency. The End of Suburbia was awarded a prestigious Chris Award at the Columbus International Film and Video Festival in November of 2005. The documentary also received The Environmental Vision Award at the Putnam County Film & Video Festival in September, 2005. The director is Gregory Greene and the producer is Barry Silverthorn. For more information: Contact Roger or Connie Kanitz, 722-6438
The End of Suburbia (78 min.) is a 2004 documentary film that discusses the dwindling supply of cheap energy in the form of fossil fuels and its effect on society. Suburbs support more than 50 percent America's 297 million people. The End of Suburbia explores the question of sustainability of the American way of life as global demand for fossil fuels begins to outstrip supply. The consequences of inaction in the face of this global crisis are enormous. What does Oil Peak mean for North America? As energy prices skyrocket in the coming years, how will the populations of suburbia react to the collapse of their dream? What can be done NOW, individually and collectively, to avoid The End of Suburbia? Author James Howard Kunstler, who is prominently featured in the End of Suburbia will be speaking at Lawrence University on October 30th. His books are The Geography of Nowhere, and The Long Emergency. The End of Suburbia was awarded a prestigious Chris Award at the Columbus International Film and Video Festival in November of 2005. The documentary also received The Environmental Vision Award at the Putnam County Film & Video Festival in September, 2005. The director is Gregory Greene and the producer is Barry Silverthorn. For more information: Contact Roger or Connie Kanitz, 722-6438
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