Abigail_ my inspiration

My family is the reason I care about saving energy. When I was younger, my sister left her lights on all the time. My dad would follow her around the house and turn off the lights in interest of saving energy. Finally, his last step was to remove all the lightbulbs from her room. Ever since then, I have been energy conscious…not always energy efficient, but at least cognizant. That’s a start!

Chevron

Energy Supply Companies can make a difference too. The truth is that we all need energy and we will always need it. But the way in which we get it and the way in which we use the energy we do have can make a big difference. Let’s be smarter.

Energy Statistics

To know the energy consumption, exports, general usage, specific usage, usage by gallons, etc., of the states visit this site! It has lots of information!

It’s as easy 1-2-3

Pacific Gas and Electric Company has created a website dedicated to helping consumers of all types to reduce their energy consumption. Whether you are a homeowner, a restaraunt owner, or an owner of a major corporation, this website offers advice in three easy steps. Categorized into No Cost, Low Cost and Investment Strategies, learn what you can do to help today!

The Coal Comeback

Although coal is responsible for lifting millions of people living in China and India out of poverty, the damaging effects of its widespread use is coming back to haunt the rest of the world. While millions benefit from coal’s recent success, using this type of fossil fuel is the most damaging on the environment. Coal has penetrated every aspect of the people’s lives, good and bad. It is presented as the foundation of the country’s economic development, credited with making possible everything from the railroad to skin care products. Although it makes their world possible, it makes their world, and everyon’es dirty. China’s pollution travels across the Pacific Ocean and appears in America as acid rain. The soot from power plants boosts global warming because coal emits almost twice as much carbon dioxide as natural gas. Although mandates have been made in China to reduce energy consumption and thus reduce pollution, it remains the largest producers of toxins in the environment. The situation is so grave the inhabitants of Taiyuan, China, a coal mining town, cannot be outside for fear of breathing too much coal dust.

I’m making Progress!

I added three articles in my Breaking News Section and posted the first part of the A Guide to Action page, it is nearing completion…

The Oil Drama

This past Thursday, former Washington staff staged a political crisis based on America’s dependence on oil. The issue was $150-a-barrel oil, another war in Iraq and the reimposition of the draft. All this was done to force the energy situation into the ongoing presidential debates and to call Congress to action on the matter. The purpose of this political drama was to prove that Congressional inaction and political inattention could lead to dire, yet completely foreseeable consequences. “Once a crisis actually hits, policy tools are largely ineffectual,” said Jason S. Grumet, president of the Bipartisan Policy Center. “The participants recognized that Congress has to get out in front on oil security before events overtake it.” Although “players” in this theatrical performance over dramatized the situation and their roles in it, these types of issues – increased instability in countries such as Venezuela and Iraq that could spark another war – are real possibilities and ones we must not only acknowledge but also be prepared to solve.

The Energy Diet

The principle is fundamentally the same, burn more calories than you consume and you will lose weight. Applications of this principle may change: some people excercise to burn off the excess, some people trim out the unnecessary from what they consume. Now, let’s apply this to our daily intake of energy. Although it is simply an anology, we can think of our use of energy in the same way, after all, a calorie is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of water by one degree Celsius, so either way, we are talking about energy. Now, as with most diets, it takes a transformation of the mind to transform your body; it requires a healthy and balanced lifestyle, not just a yo-yo, fad diet to get results. So, how can Americans, and all users of fossil fuels, change their atttitudes about energy in such a way to stall or reverse the environmentally damaging effects of our energy addiction?

China + India = Economic Slowdown

China and India are about to dominate the oil markets and because of their increasing demand, the prices have climbed to extremely high levels. In fact, China’s demand will soon equal all of Saudi Arabia’s oil exports. These high prices could be the cause for a major economic slowdown. However, more than the economic consequences that will result from this increase in oil use, the most pressing concerns are environmental. While China and India are the some of the greatest offenders of green house gas emissions, they could, if they introduce greater efficiencies, build up renewable sources of energy, and use more nuclear power. These two countries have a voracious appetite for fossil fuels because the need to catch up to the standard of living of developed countries. The bottom line, as Mr. Birol reports, that if “governments fail to limit growth in oil demand or to find alternative energy sources, especially in China, India and developed nations, we may see price levels much higher than we conventionally believed in the past.”

Oil and Socialism: the venezuelan dilemma

In a country where gasoline costs seven cents a gallon, there is a direct link to demands for oil and social order. These low gas prices are due to an old and very complex government subsidy which is currently costing the Venezuelan government approximately $9 Billion dollars a year, money which could be spent on social programs as the government is transforming the country into a socialist society. One citizen commented, “If you raise [the price of] gasoline, the people revolt.” However, this subsidy has two evil faces. One, it bypasses the poor while benefitting only the rich, car-owning citizens. Two, those who can afford cars chose gas-guzzling SUV’s like Hummers because it costs only $1.50 to fill up the tank. And yet another problem resulting from this subsidy is the increase in overall use of oil and thus is attributing the greater world-wide demand for oil.