Escape Nephi’s Vision: Take the Solar Tour!
Things get pretty angry here at One Utah. Heck- that’s one of the reasons I read and write for it. But anger can be a positive influence. It motivates many of us into taking immediate action- even if it’s just out of self-defense. Here in Utah, we have a serious problem that needs to be dealt with urgently: air pollution. We have another problem that some of us don’t quite believe yet but deserves attention nonetheless: global warming.
Every day, we hear and read more doomsday reports about our imminent, environmental demise. But instead of wringing our hands, huddled in cellars surrounded by gallon cans of pork and beans, reading Lehi’s Dream waiting for Jesus to ride his chariot down South Temple, there are things we can do now to reverse the damage. Drive less. Use less electricity. And invest in renewable energy. Fade to black- cut to commercial.
As a member of the Utah Solar Energy Association and a spokesperson and advocate for energy conservation and air quality efforts, I urge you to consider a home or business solar system, whether for power, water heating or whatever, from one of the many qualified dealers and installers in our state.
To see what people in Utah are doing to fight air pollution and human-induced climate change (if you can handle the inconvenient truth) and give you some ideas of what will work best for you and what you can afford, take the Utah Solar Tour Saturday, October 6. Homes and businesses all over Utah open their doors to show you their systems, answer questions, cleanse your fear of being Left Behind, and graduate from the ranks of the Green Guilty to Eco-Pioneer!
You’re even invited to come over to my house. We’re having pork and beans. Plenty for everyone.
September 21st, 2007 at 9:05 am
Thanks for the info re: solar tour — it sounds like something I’d like to do. I’ll probably post this on my blog.
My biggest problems with solar are the lack of money: we’re lower-middle income with two kids — and the fact that we rent and probably won’t be owning for quite some time.
I’d love to learn more about it though, and spread the word.
I’d also like to start out with some fun small things, like a solar powered battery charger, or solar powered toys that you can find in the REAL GOODS catalog.
September 21st, 2007 at 9:06 am
Where can I find more info about the tour?
September 21st, 2007 at 2:52 pm
After the rapture and armegeddon, those of us left behind will need a few solar panels.
Ken, I don’t think too many people argue against warming, it is how and how that gets people going.
Here is a piece I wrote, that Cliff would never top post so this is my only way to get ‘er dun.
Anthropogenic global warming, i.e. “human induced”
It has become apparent to anyone that has been watching American media these days, that lies are told for the purpose of facilitating an agenda that none of us as citizens really want. I refer of course to the Iraq war, the run up to it, the mis-information that led to the Congress, and many of the American people to support the current debacle under false pretenses. This activity is the essence of bad politics.
Let us apply what we have duly learned from unfortunate experience in Iraq, to the current press to have “human induced global warming” accepted as fact, by largely political motivation in my view.
First; Is the world warming up? Since I grew up in a State(Vermont) that only some 14.6k years ago was covered by some 2 miles of ice in places, I would say yes. The Great Lakes were fully under this 10k ft. of ice until the “melt off” began. So anyone can say, that for a volume of ice that lay upon the continents so thick, that it lowered sea level 300 ft. from where it is currently today, that end of the the ice age constitutes “global warming”.
Was the great melt off induced by carbon, moreover, “human induced carbon”? Sadly for the believers, there isn’t any evidence for this. So what made the ice melt? Spontaneity of the Earth, the Suns’ increased power, the loss of the Earths albedo? Albedo is the reflective properties of the planet, that declined significantly when the ice melted, leading to greater heat absorption, and thus more melting.
It would behoove humanity to understand this dynamic before claiming that our outputs will be responsible for the end of life as we know it.
Let us assume carbon is the culprit inducing warming. It would seem wise to see what portion of carbon put into the Earths atmosphere would be our part.
The melting of the glaciers, and the subsequent exposure of the covered land mass, and the general warming of the Earth, that we cannot claim responsibility for, would lead to masses of more carbon being released. This is due to fact that frozen land mass, and associated rotting and release of biological carbon(like rotting trees)commenced in a much quicker fashion after the ice melted, and the land masses warmed. About 1/2 of all carbon put into the atmosphere is re-absorbed by the living systems of the Earth. Trees, plants, and animals.
This is good synopsis of what has gone one since the last ice age melted. http://members.aol.com/trajcom/private/carbon3.htm
As atmospheric carbon levels increase, we can expect an increase in the rate of growth of forests, and plants, and bigger that, as carbon concentrations impact this. So carbon has the means of being mitigated by plants and trees, perhaps then mans biggest contribution to warming is the reduction of growing land masses. In this regard, paving and building cities, would likely be our greater contribution.
An often ignored greenhouse gas in methane, it cannot be removed from our atmosphere by lifeforms.
Contrary to what people imaging the greatest source of methane production on Earth, according to David Suzuki, is rice production. Yes, the growing of rice produces methane at the root, and given that better than 1/2 the world eats it as a staple and then does the morning daily would contribute mightily to this green house gas. Not to mention livestock production, another factor.
However, in the State of Washington, a very agricultural and industrial powerhouse, the #1 source of greenhouse gases both methane and carbon these past few years…has been the reactive Mt. St. Helens. In addition FYI, there are 38,000 active volcanoes on the ocean floor of the Pacific alone. Hmmm. One active volcano produces more carbon than all human activity in WA. Wonder what the other 38,000 do?
The next factor of carbon/methane emission is melting permafrost. The numbers are staggering, and we humans are a pipsqueak. One scientist claimed that if the sources of carbon for the last 200 years were the World Trade Center, then human contribution would be the height of the linoleum on the first floor.
I could go on, but let’s talk about the politics, not very long, as it is simple, as most politics, and pretty boring. Money, and control of people. To first control people you must control their minds. To wit FEAR is mostly utilized. If one can’t see this relationship between “terrorism” and our war in Iraq and the misinformation that led to it, and the “sky is falling” misinformation of global warming politics, there will not be much I, or anyone can do to set you right. Politicians count on this. So like religion, GWOT, and global warming then become forms of belief in the minds of the people, who have already made them up.
The ultimate reason is remove monies from one group to another, and to facilitate greater control by a very few people over the masses of the human populace.
I would recommend that if you do not wish to used by the political priests and believe in “human induced global warming” you should do as Ken Schreiner did, build a meaningful means to mitigate you contribution of green house gas. Either quit driving, or build a solar system. The politicos have an underlying agenda that you may not know of or understand. For example, how did 911 lead to invading Iraq? By foisting total nonsense on a naive populace. The consequences are mind-boggling are they not?
Your life, your contribution, you can easily understand.
Please do not empower any more malicious political monkeying around by following the clarion call of deception.
September 21st, 2007 at 11:59 pm
I wish I could see Ed Begley’s reality television show. He was on Steven Colbert’s interview and there was a picture of him riding his stationary bike in the front yard which would allow him to run his computer all day. This guy has been bringing awareness of energy for how many decades now? One of the true believers who did something rather then ignoring the problem like everybody else, including myself.
September 22nd, 2007 at 7:36 am
Jenni: go to http://utsolar.org or click on the link from Utah Solar Energy Association for details on the tour. Thanks for all the great comments. Again, forgetting the spector of global warming, Utah needs renewable energy to solve our air pollution problem and to regain the energy independence we lost when became slaves to OPEC, Exxon-Mobil, the Robert Murrays and other coal/robber barons, and which led us to fight two costly and ridiculous wars.