Ahira's Hangar

One of my favorite subjects, alas poor Mother Earth! I won't go around ranting, just yet, about Dick Cheney, Haliburton Oil and the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge or the Middle East, Israel and the War 4 Oil. Today I think I'll talk about Wind, Water and Solar Energy. I used to install solar panels for a living and living in NM, or anywhere else that gets a good amount of sunshine, they made perfect sense. But as soon as Jimmy Carter's tax incentives for solar heating ended and the electric companies started lobbying hard very few people, at least in America, have continued to express interest in that form of energy. Cities and businesses are using solar panels so why aren't we all? The whole state of California could power itself on Wind, Water and Solar energy if it wanted to but instead we get these "rolling blackouts" that threaten 1/2 the country's electricity and the country's economy. I saw an article the other day on "surf power" in Scotland- a plant by the sea harnesses the tidal forces and it's enough to power a town of 10,000+ indefinately. There's plenty of "surf" power, plenty of wind power and plenty of solar power...and plenty of electric, solar and other sources of power for vehicles--but of course if that was readily availible all the wealthy automakers and Oil companies would go out of business and the U.S.'s armed forces would have nothing to fight about and the Muslim extremists would calm down and Israel would have to take care of itself and inter-religious bigotry would die down and the overall health of the planet would improve and the "greenhouse effect" would not continue it's dramatic increase and the ozo..... Fall Far and Well Pilots!<i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 8/17/06 10:59 pm
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Now, there's a solution I can support! Energy independence! Oil companies have created havoc for way too long: buying up any invention that makes a car run on anything but gasoline (making us dependent on oil); and our refusal to buy the few electric cars there are because we want more power. I like the way you think, Danlo. Arise now, Riders of Théoden!Let horse be bridled, horn be sounded!Forth Eorlingas!<i></i>

" Energy independence" .. I like the sound of that ..

True solar energy is not a resource we are going to run out of in a hurry!!

We have to get the governments thinking 'sustainable development strategies' .. and abiding by their Kyoto Protocol committments.

Sadly .. the US is no more interested in reducing greenhouse gasses than Australia .. we shamefacedly increased our committment and then exceeded our expected increase!! oh the shame of it all.


Many Australian's have solar powered hot water services but once again we dont use solar energy to power much more. 2 electric car companies have put our electric cars .. Toyota and Honda I think .. they are hybrid cars .. they work on a mixture of electicity and petrol .. and they are purported to function on par with any other 'orthdox'/petroleum driven vehicle on the market ..but you can see that the days of the 'petrol driven vehicle' are clearly numbered .. the question will be how much damage will we do and how will we fix it??

The potential is obvious and enormous for solar power .. We need energy today .. we demand it now .. and while the focus is on the 'now' there is no incentive for industry to establish viable alternatives. Any government that is elected for 3 or 4 years is not really foreseeing enough to look beyond that time frame. A tyranny would actually be more effective in reaping change .. democracies give short term governments .. and that is the irony! Naturally I am not suggesting a tyranny is the answer .. we love our democracies but it is one of the downfalls that come with a democracy!

I dont have this vision that corporations are evil .. they really arent interested in being evil .. they are interested in being profitable .. they dont go out of their way to do something bad or destructive to the environment .. but they also dont go out of their way to do good and preserve the environment. They are more like voracious insects .. they can strip a field bare in a day - causing tremendous damage.. but you know this is just an inevitable consequence of their existence. Corporations .. like insects .. can be managed .. with good husbandry and sensible ecological control measures .. but all that requires wise farmers .. or in this case wise governments .. thinking ahead and planning for next seasons crops and the generations that will inherit the farm .. not just the here and now .... health and healing<i>Edited by: Skywier  at: 5/6/02 12:44:18 pm
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"We don't inherit the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children" no I don't want to badmouth coporations but look what Nestle did to the children of Africa, look what Shell, DeBeers and others did to South Africa, look what Browning-Ferris is doing to the US, look what Mitsubisi is doing to the Indonesian Rainforest, look what the Brazilian gov't's doing, and allowing international companies to do, to the Amazonian Rainforest look at Bechtel and Halliburton world-wide. Look at what historically happened to the Mediterranean basin after deforestation--can you spell Sahara? I don't know about you but I like to breathe--and all these "international companies" registering and moving "offshore" to avoid taxes in their home countries worry the hell out of me--who is going to have the jurisdiction to monitor and restrain them? No one sees the "Big Picture" no one cares for the future of our children--so when they end up hating us, don't be surprised... Fall Far and Well Pilots!<i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 8/17/06 10:49 pm
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I hope you dont have the impression that I am defending the actions of corporations .. that actually I hoped was a point I made .. albeit fasecistly .. My point is that to make a difference .. we must face the reality .. that the success of this planet hangs on .. the committment governments make to enforce/manage .. corportate interests/actions.

I totally agree with you re: Shell .. Nestle .. Mitsubishi etc .. They are committed to profit .. at any cost .. but governments can influence a change in their priorities .. the power is with them .. They can challenge corporate power .. it can be done .. They can modify their voracious nature .. mangage it better .. They require good husbandry .. imo .. better husbandry .. but governments and populations need to value the legacy which is this planet .. we will leave to future generations .. there has to be a better way of change .. that is more effective than bitching about the way things are ..

We have to change the general populus' or make them more aware of the need to honour strictly Kyoto protocols and agreements .. committments .. Our governments need to feel pressured by 'us' .. to convince them .. that the environment and environmental issues are a high priority to the people of each nation state .. health and healing<i></i>

**Obviously what Sky is saying, btween the lines, is that the real enemy is the general populace's apathy and lack of "grass roots" political organization. Now, granted, many populations r 2 poor, 2 politically repressed or 2 busy merely ekeing out an existence 2 engage in political organization. But many of the more "affluent" democractic populations, which also constitute the majority of internet users-btw, who are blessed w/this opportunity just sit on their hands screaming "not in my back yard!" and never even bother 2 understand their potential effectiveness in this cause. I don't kno about Australia but the citizens of the US r the #1 offenders of apathy and not working 2gether 2 ensure our government enacts "responsible environmental stewardship". Germany and France seem 2 b making more headway in terms of the "Green movement"--but any "Green movement" in the US is laughed @ or merely tolerated by the majority of Americans. I've worked 4 Toyota, I've driven a Prius, they r great cars. I can't tell the dif bween them and a regular car--xcept the fact that it get over 56mpg in the CITY and u can't hear the engine (at all) when u idle.
**The reason I mention cars is that cars r a prime xample of the American environmental problem: FEAR. Fear that the auto makers will go out of business, fear that the oil companies will go out of business. But what Japanese (mind you) cars r beginning 2 show us is that it is possible 2 integrate the 2 forms of energy and eventually wean us off oil. Afraid of losing your job in the auto industry: start working on alternatively powered vehicles, Afraid of losing your job in the oil related industries: start worting in the wind, solar, tidal, alcohol, corn, magnetic power industries. Afraid of the government clamping down on these "new' industries as puppets 4 "Big industries" and "Big money" actively work 2 change that. We r 2 lazy and affraid. Roosevelt spurred the US in2 WW2 by saying "the only thing we have 2 fear is fear itself" god if he only knew how prophetic he was! Jefferson said that "constant revolutions are the only things that will keep the constitution honest". This is another revolution that we Americans r missing--and it's 1 we can't afford not 2. How far do you fall Pilot?<i>Edited by: danlo60 at: 6/8/02 3:01:34 pm
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In this country in general there is a popular appeal towards environmental measures .. Our federal government however, is as bad as yours when it comes to fulfilling their environmental commitments ..

The Howard government has the support of the business sector and visa versa .. he is not afraid to defy international protocols re the environment in favour of economic protectionism.

what I am saying is that rather than screaming 'OH YOU BIG BAD CORPORATE EVIL ONES'!! .. ..which .. admittedly .. is rather satisfying .. we need to create a balanced perspective .. provide governemntal incentives for environmental protection measures. but imo this can only be realised if the people get behind these issues. health and healing<i></i>

Speaking of the enviorment, I subscribe to National Geographic and in this or last months issue it was talking about the decrease in the water of the world. On the radio I heard talk about a "war of water" in the Middle East or Africa. Theres so little water now and so many more people living not only in that region but the entire world. <i></i>

I'd like to hear more about that .. here water conservation is also a priority and we face significant risk of water deprivation. And still people pour gallons of water down the drains and on their lawns. I wonder what it will take for people to take these fundamentally finite resources seriously ..

Recently an oil tanker spilled oil into the Barrier Reef .. an icon of natural beauty .. the clean up begins but the cost has not even been calculated yet. Its a tragic situation .. mirrored in locations all over the world .. You'd think we'd employ substantive method of environmental crisis avoidance or minimisation .. natural reserves like this should never be at risk of environmental damage of this nature. health and healing<i></i>

We can always use good news .. and last night in the Senate here it was announced that scientists have identified a global reduction in CFC's (chloro-fluoro carbons) in the atmosphere ..

.. they feel the Montreal Protocols are primarily responsible .. ie the banning of products manufactured with CFC's ..

.. they further envision the regeneration of the hole in the ozone layer .. They predict that within 20 - 50 years this will occur and that Australias harmful UV rays will return to normal levels.

I was blown away by this news!! Certainly something celebrate. health and healing<i></i>

Mt Fuji's snowcap is melting at high speed? What else is next? The true human being is the meaning of the universe. He is a dancing star. He is the exploding singularity with infinite possibilities. <i></i>

2002? Interesting...notice I didn't say Ethanol once (but I was damm tempted!!!)? *****
Before, you are wise; after, you are wise. In between you are otherwise.
Fravashi saying (from the formularies of Osho the Fool) <i></i>

It's all very well to start introducing alternatives like ethanol, but the simple fact is that until a crisis forces reliance on it, it's never going to replace petrol.

Oil companies will be ready to make the switch, but as long as petrol continues to be as profitable as it is now, they have no incentive to change over.

--A ____________________________________

A sense of the sardonic preserves a man from believing in his own pretensions. -The Sayings Of Maud'Dib<i></i>

damm! I suddenly feel like I've experienced other usages of corn! Screw me! *****
Before, you are wise; after, you are wise. In between you are otherwise.
Fravashi saying (from the formularies of Osho the Fool) <i></i>

Huh???

--A ____________________________________

A sense of the sardonic preserves a man from believing in his own pretensions. -The Sayings Of Maud'Dib<i></i>