| Solar energy at home will make a difference in | | | | Going cold turkey is just not a good answer. Our |
| your energy cost but can it solve our energy | | | | entire infrastructure is built around oil. |
| crisis? Even the most cynical among us can see | | | | But, a slow gradual decrease just might take too |
| that we are facing an energy supply problem of | | | | long. |
| world wide proportions. The industrialized nations | | | | And technology, seems to be a two edged sword |
| use far more than their share of a dwindling | | | | in the discussion. On the one hand advances in |
| supply of fossil fuels. China and India are fast | | | | efficiency of solar and wind power make them |
| becoming the world's top super-consumers of oil | | | | more affordable and viable alternatives but at the |
| and gas. Without a doubt, energy resources will | | | | same time, increases in efficiencies of oil |
| continue to become a bigger and bigger problem | | | | extraction seem to make all the fuss about |
| globally. | | | | renewables sound like overkill. |
| The evidence is all around us in rising prices and | | | | But this is not just an one point problem. Fossil |
| declines in supply so sharp that politicians hint at | | | | fuel consumption leaves massive amounts of |
| tapping our strategic national reserve just to ease | | | | pollution in its wake. Any attempt to shift from oil |
| pressures at the pump. Some scientists have | | | | and coal towards wind, solar and hydrogen not |
| speculated that we have already reached 'peak | | | | only eases pressure on dwindling sources but |
| oil,' that moment in time when the rate of oil | | | | reduces the amount of smoke, smog, carbon |
| production enters a state of ultimate decline. | | | | dioxide and dozens of other chemicals that are |
| Meaning, we will never pull more oil from the earth | | | | released into the air and water. Reducing use of |
| in any given year than what we have already | | | | fossil fuel is just cleaner. |
| extracted. | | | | There are steps each of us can take to reduce oil |
| Not only have there been three major energy | | | | consumption. Scour your daily activities and find |
| crises here in the US in the past thirty-five years | | | | ways to cut down on extraneous energy use. A |
| but we have seen numerous conflicts recently | | | | conscious effort to consolidate car trips, turn off |
| that either directly or indirectly involved access to | | | | the lights when you leave the room and a serious |
| or production of oil. We have also seen staggering | | | | consideration of solar and wind energy for your |
| increases in the price of oil in the past five years | | | | personal use is what each individual can do. |
| alone. That all adds up, my friends, to a problem. | | | | Reduce the amount of energy you need and find |
| The real problem is that, by all accounts, it is only | | | | a way to produce the amount you do need via |
| going to get worse. Worldwide demand increases | | | | renewable sources will not only improve your |
| as more countries industrialize, supply decreases | | | | bottom line but reduce demand, thereby increase |
| because there just isn't that much left and we | | | | supply and reduce the price of energy but, you'll |
| need to start talking about a solution, as in right | | | | be eliminating pollution and pave the path towards |
| now. | | | | a better world of the future. |
| What can we do about it? Just saying, "Stop using | | | | The increase in technology and interest in |
| oil," is a trite, unhelpful and unrealistic answer but it | | | | alternative energy like solar panels and wind |
| is, unfortunately the ideal. Our economy, and | | | | turbines have brought the price of home energy |
| security, not to mention our social infrastructure | | | | production to within the reach of most of the |
| have been built around cheap and plentiful fuel. | | | | homeowners in the U.S. |