Solving the energy problem

Philosophy Forums Science, Technology, and Math
1

Solving the energy problem would go a long way toward easing all the negative effects we’ve started experiencing because of the relatively fast run-up in energy costs. So instead of looking for someone to blame, writing it all off to nihilistic futilism, let’s try to come up with a coherent description of the cause, the possible solutions, and some sort of time table that we can act on personally as well as a global citizen.

Axiom: We all move to the point of greatest pressure If this is a reasonable perspective, then what can we do immediately? Leave the long-term solutions alone for awhile and come up with a viable plan to get us through the next few months.

It seems to me that the most I can do short term is two-fold. I can practice conservation at every level of activity. This is pretty simple stuff for the most part. Try to use less energy - period. Without writing 101 tips for conserving energy, (another thread?) the goal is to reduce usage as far as possible. I can do that.

Part of conservation also means a reassessment of want versus need. This may save more energy than anything else I could do. Defining what I need instead of what I want will mean less consumption of everything, and everything consumes energy. (I’ll leave in a couple of wants just because) If you think about it, analyzing everything we have and do as an expenditure of energy, allows us to see the trade-offs in those grey areas. Do I stop buying paper towels and save the energy required to harvest and process trees? The alternative is to use a rag, hot water, and detergent. So I saved a tree, but used energy to heat water, and added pollution to what used to be potable water that has to be treated at the sewage plant…

That’s about all I can do in the sort run but I’m thinking about a neighborhhood party to look at car pooling and any other simple things that might be done on the conservation side…

OK. Someone else’s turn.

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O:) Go veggie. Every step in the food-chain is a 90% energy loss in conversion.
O:) The classic brick in the toilet resevoir.
O:) Cycle for the short trips.
O:) New bulbs.
O:) Wash the dishes by hand.

3

kill an environmentalist and they’ll use even less energy…

-Imp

4

The energy issue is by far the most fascinating problem we face today.
An interesting aspect that I was recently made aware of on the London Underground is that the trains regain some of the energy they lose when they slow down, their traction motors become generators during the braking of the train.
A man who had visited the Soviet Union was telling us a couple years back that there was so much waste of energy due to its availability. People leaving the lights on, ac with the windows open, hot water running for no reason etc. The same is true now, skilled professionals are making considerable amounts of money with respect to their bills, hence the excess waste.
Here’s my list:
Turn the computer off when not in use (though new computers generally don’t use that much electricity anymore and most of it goes to running the cooling system and the monitor as far as I’m aware)
Use public transport
Turn the lights off
Don’t open the fridge much and try to fill it up so less cooled air escapes when you open it.
Use a microwave instead of an oven when possible
Educate conservatives with little to no knowledge of environmental issues who blindly and devotedly follow the party line

Actually, you can probably find all this and many more with just a google, or here’s an interesting book I’ve recently started, Environmentally Conscious Alternative Energy Production by Myer Kutz though the price is fairly steep.

5

Imp- what about an environmentalist who supports gun ownership and instead of sputtering “peace and love” would gladly shank the creep hitting on your daughter.

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that’s great… but if he believed as the environmentalists believe, he’d do the honorable thing and stop all his energy use or he’d be a hypocrite… breathing uses energy…

-Imp

7

:evilfun:

“Why are you shooting me!?”

Because you’re breathing!

8

Which sane environmentalist, hippie and educated alike, ever advocated giving up energy as a whole? Where do you get these arguments

9

there are no sane environmentalists

-Imp

10

Rouzbeh,

Imp doesn’t need arguments. He just makes statements of opinion. Whether they make any sense is someone else’s problem. :laughing:

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Well for the purpose of this argument
Which sane environmentalist, hippie and educated alike, ever advocated giving up energy as a whole? →

  1. Sane environmentalists don’t advocate death of their own species.
  2. There are no sane environmentalists
    Therefore, all environmentalists want to kill humanity. I don’t know how to respond to that, you’re wrong.

The energy debate is a very interesting topic, given how everything around you including the computers people are typing on all come from various parts of the world, from the extraction of the raw material to their transportation and processing. I’m surprised that not understanding the impact of a global fuel shortage, the interest of most people is limited to the price of gas when refueling their personal cars.

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Washing dishes by hand generally uses more water then a dishwasher, turning your computer on and off uses more energy then leaving it on. Shutting your car off intead of leaving it idle is a hard one because while running it is emmiting fumes but it uses less gas then turning it on. So either conserve gas by leaving it idle or shut it off to keep the emmisions down.

Using less electricity will drive the cost of electricity up but, we are conserving energy just not our own because we have to work harder to pay for the higher cost. So thats a coin toss.

So to be a good ecological consumer dig your own roots and fetch your own berries, live in a hut made from fallen branches and stare at the ceiling. Yea team! =D>

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I can hardly believe washing dishes by hand consumes more water than a dishwasher. However, I don’t run the water through the whole process. I turn the water off when not rinsing.

Becoming vegetarian is a good energy reducer. So are the high tech light bulbs and appliances. Washing machines, refrigerators, and hot water heaters, well as the computers, have all become more energy efficient.

Look for green housing. When electricity was abundant, we built homes and buildings without consideration of energy use, and are now returning to old fashioned building technology with high tech improvements. That means, archeture that pays attention to environment and places windows where they are best suited for the environment and weather in the region. Thick mud walls are excellent insulators, and in hot climates you want the windows on the least sunny side. Building materials matter and I except we will get new choices, now that the whole building industry is turning to green housing.

Reducing our use of energy will not increase rates, because reducing our energy use means we do not have to invest in new energy sources. In my area, the electric company is publically owned and has done a lot to reduce our use or energy while also investing in alternative energy like wind mills. The electric company will come to your home and check out what you can do to reduce the amount of energy you use, and some improvements are subsidized. It promotes transitioning to high tech, low energy consumption, appliances. When we pay our electric bill, we can specify if we want to pay a slightly higher price for the investment in alternative energy.

Recycle everything possible, and when possible, don’t buy the unnecessary packaging, or unnecessary anything. Shop second hand stores, unless what you want to support an industry. Try to know something about the industries you support, so you aren’t supporting poisoning the environment or exploiting people.

PS, I watched a show about Sumeri swords last night, and realized being a good warrior has always given males a model of high esteem. Today, we meet new challenges, and those who can meet them well, gain in esteem. We know what we are doing makes a difference, so we can feel good about selves; that is having a high morale. We gain social status amongst those who share our values. The reverse is also true. Arguing against conservation is not good for social status, except perhaps among the young who think being imprudent is a legitimate way to get attention and has some merit. The forces for good and evil will determine what happens and how soon. Mature people are those who act with consideration for following generations.

14

:laughing: I know its hard to believe but I had it shown to me. When we wash dishes by hand we tend to not let dishes build up. we wash them generally at the end of the day if there is 4 or 5 or 10 pieces right? Well when we use the dish washer we set the dishes in and let it get full before we wash. In the old days you had to really pretty much wash the dishes before setting them in the washer so that is how it is hard to believe. It would use a bit more water. Now, other than scraping debris off you don’t have to rinse them. The machines are powerful enough, the detergents are powerful enough to wash stuck on foods off, except those nasty little milk rings at the bottom of glasses, :laughing:

You are not using as much water A single person that hand washes just their dishes every day is using more water and energy then a good machine does.

15

Piss on a tree

You save water from flushing, energy by not turning on the bulbs, and you water the plants!

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You must have yellow dead plants from all that watering :laughing: I can always tell when our male cats have a pissing contest. Plants die. My husband killed part of the yard by always peeing in the same spot after katrina when we had no water or electricity. don’t pee on plants it kills them. :laughing:

17

Oh… ok.

Then just fart on it I guess, :laughing: .

Hang your laundry, dont use a dryer.

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Unless your dryer is solar powered :-"

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-Imp

20

oh hell no…

equal rights for fire hydrants NOW!!!

-Imp