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S'no Surprise

2/23/2015

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         Last winter the path from our backdoor to the compost pile and burning barrel was continually drifted in with two to three foot high piles of blowing snow.  This season I decided I’d cleverly apply a little snow fence technology to reduce the workload.  Anticipating mostly west / northwesterly winds, I strategically positioned the fence and then waited.

        The almost snow-less early winter months didn’t offer many opportunities for testing.  Then finally the Super Bowl Sunday storm headed our way.  I waited in anticipation for my masterful plan to unfold.  However Mother Nature had her own ideas.  Her howling winds came from the northeast, and the long-awaited snow pile settled on the wrong side of the fence – a surprisingly unanticipated outcome.  Maybe next year I’ll…

        The U.S. military has also experienced some unanticipated outcomes as a result of its experiences in the Middle East and with homeland security.  Who would have guessed that our armed forces would be leading the way in the use of locally generated power supplies such as biomass and photovoltaic (PV) solar?  In the Middle East the need for reliable power supplies that don’t depend on vulnerable tanker truck convoys prompted the spread of locally produced PV electricity at many military camps and bases.

        Here at home Wisconsin State Journal articles have explained how military bases’ reliance on the power grid leaves them vulnerable to hackers and terrorist threats.  To counteract those threats Fort Drum, N.Y. controls its entire electrical energy supply with a biomass power plant.  The base at Twentynine Palms, California saves $10 million annually by using a system of small power plants and solar panels.  By 2025 the military plans to develop 3 gigawatts of renewable energy - enough to power 750,000 homes.   We don’t generally associate the U.S. military with eco-friendly practices.  But it clearly understands the practical economic and strategic advantages of generating locally sourced, non-fossil fuel energy.  Who would have anticipated that outcome?

        Unexpected opportunities using new technologies that save money and promote a healthy environment are all around us.  It’s “sno” surprise that savvy folks, many of whom we’d not have guessed, will be taking advantage of these energy opportunities.  Maybe you’ll be the next to save money and create a healthier world as well.  That’s something we can all live with because this is our only home.  We are forever…Earthbound.  
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Oxymoronic Outlook

2/11/2015

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        Oxymorons present us with delightfully unexpected viewpoints of a situation.  Is a “jumbo shrimp” a large thing or small?  Should one clean up a “fine mess” or leave it as part of the decorum?  And how does a “paid volunteer” receive compensation, through monetary means or through personal satisfaction?  Finally, why would a “carbon fee condoning corporation” want an additional fee placed on its own product?

        Oil conglomerates are beholding to their shareholders. Their duty is to make money, and they are highly successful in doing so.  But at least one company is advocating shaving that profit a bit by adding a fee to its product.  It was with some amazement that several hundred of us listened to David Hone, a Shell Oil Co. advisor.  He indicated that his company supports a fee on carbon–based fuels.  What’s going on here?

        Hone said Shell’s position is that “adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere is a real problem and … just can’t continue” and that “action on the climate is inevitable.”  So why does Shell Oil think that placing a price on carbon fuel production makes good sense?
  • It’s simpler and more effective than top-down government regulation.
  • It lets the marketplace be the driver of new innovation.
  • It’s the lowest cost means of compliance.
  • It’s flexible and technologically neutral i.e. it doesn’t pick winners.

        In addition, a study by the highly respected Regional Economic Modeling, Inc. (REMI) recently demonstrated that if all fees collected from carbon-fuel producing industries were returned to every American household that the economy would actually grow faster than if no fees had been imposed.  Money collected from oil companies could be relatively easily distributed through dividend checks or tax credits.  A carbon fee and dividend system not only improves the economy; it also lowers CO2 emissions more quickly and to a greater degree than government regulations.

        Shell Oil has looked at the future from a fresh perspective.  With a somewhat oxymoronic flourish it has come to the surprising conclusion that a tax on its own product is a wise course of action.  Perhaps we all need to take that fresh look so that we can sidestep the worst effects of global warming, Carbon fee and dividend legislation looks like a helpful component in building the healthy sustainable future we all want.  Because our only home is right here, we are forever…Earthbound.  
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    I'm interested in the topics of sustainability and climate change especially in regards to our local area in southwest Wisconsin.

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