Saturday, June 4, 2011

Energy... We can always use a little more...

Energy costs could be seen as being too cheap, however, they are probably right at the price most people can afford, especially the way that energy is used these days. My thought is that energy could be more expensive, especially to keep the use of energy down. If energy costs were more expensive then conservation would be a lot easier for most people.

Conservation. The word that sparks controversy no matter where you go, or what you actually mean to conserve. In this case the conservation of energy is a huge topic in the media and within governmental offices. Former president Jimmy "Cardigan" Carter, gave a good amount of speeches in the way of energy conservation. Two weeks into his presidency in the late 70's, he sat in a chair in front of the fireplace with his now infamous beige cardigan and talked with the nation about conserving oil and turning down the thermostat to save energy. Two years later, months before US hostages were taken in Iran, Carter gave another speech on national television. He spoke not of what we could do to save oil and energy individually, but asked why the nation hadn't pulled together as a whole to work on this issue. Jimmy Cardigan, years later, is still an advocate for the nation coming together to conserve. If I had the chance to talk to our former president I believe I would let him know that I think what he did was simply amazing. No other person has yet to do what he did, he called out the nation as a whole. Any energy crisis could be avoided by doing what that man did.

I think that alternative energy sources are a good idea, but under certain regulations. Free marketing in this case could turn into a potentially harmful situation for the natural environments. When Al Gore decided to let the world in on the ethanol trend, he didn't know that the ramifications would be deforestation and famine in undeveloped countries.

In my opinion it truly depends on what area you live in for anyone to decide the best renewable energy. In certain areas, wind powered energy is worth more than the cost to build the windmill farms. Solar energy sources in places that see more sun than shade is always a great choice. Hydroelectric sources seem to work great in places like Nevada, California and Arizona, where the Hoover Dam is a great source of energy to 1.3 million people.

To reduce my energy footprint, I can use less electricity. Build solar panels for my home. Harness the power of hydroelectricity for my beach house. There are so many different things that a person can do that it's impossible to plan out any exact thing.

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