“The excitement is rising on this crisp autumn day here at the Energy Futures Speedway!”  This is Luke Att’emmgo.  I’m here with Ken Ya-Lappum, and what a race we have ahead of us!  We’re just minutes away from the start of the Energy Futures 500, the race to see which energy sources will carry Mother Earth on into the future.”
            “Once again, Luke,” Ken chimed in, “this race pits two old rivals – Fanciers of Fossil Fuels, Inc. (FOFF) and Carbon-free, Healthier, Inexpensive, Next-generation Advantages Ltd. (CHINA).  The question is, will FOFF, the traditional favorite, be able to hold off this relatively new start-up, CHINA?  Or will 21st century technologies defeat those traditional economies still relying on outmoded 20th century energy sources?”
            “The starter’s flag is up…and they’re off!”  Luke exclaimed. “But wait… there seems to be some confusion in the FOFF pit.  Their ‘Beautiful Clean Coal’ entry is sputtering and coughing at the starting line!”
             “Well Luke,” Ken interjected. “I’m not surprised. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation recently found that coal isn’t the reliable energy source it’s cracked up to be.  Its equipment-related outage rate is over 12%; whereas wind’s is about 6.6%.  And coal’s reliability is worsening year by year.”
            “But just look at CHINA speed away from the rest of the field!  It’s no wonder. CHINA’s push to expand very affordable solar and other renewables has dropped renewable energy costs dramatically.  Fast-growing and economically poorer countries alike are paying attention.  More and more they’re opting for low-cost, clean energy sources they can generate themselves.
           “Consider this.  Countries like Brazil, India and Vietnam are rapidly expanding solar and wind power.  Poorer countries like Ethiopia and Nepal are leapfrogging over gasoline-burning cars to battery-powered ones.  Nigeria, a petrostate, plans to build its first solar-panel manufacturing plant.  Morocco is creating a battery hub to supply European automakers.  Santiago, the capital of Chile, has electrified more than half of its bus fleet.”*
            Later…FOFF never did catch CHINA.  Spectators drifting away from the stands wondered, “What are the FOFF execs thinking?!  Why hang their racing gloves on dirty, increasingly expensive fuels when the rest of the world is embracing a new reality?”
           Old habits (and entrenched interests) die hard.  We don’t have to let them drag us along because this is our only home.  It’s where we’re all forever… Earthbound.
            *NYTimes – Sengupta & Plumer

            Some readers will remember that Will B. Bornsoon had slipped into the Poly Cartel’s annual summit.  Ethel (polyethylene), Vinny (polyvinyl), Sty (polystyrene) and a host of others were stunned and embarrassed when Will pointed out that millions of tons of plastic pollution were already wreaking havoc on the health of both humans and the entire eco-system.  Regardless, he could see that the plastic proponents were so profitable that they’d not likely make any real effort to reduce their pollution. 
            Will turned to someone whom he thought would care and might actually do something before saddling his generation with an environmental fiasco.  He tracked down Ima Live-Rightnow. Ima set aside the holiday gift catalogs she was perusing and listened to all he had to say.
            “Lordy, I had no idea!” Ima exclaimed. “A projected billion tons of new plastics produced every year by the time you’re born in 2060!  We can’t let that happen.”  So, Will and Ima drew up a list of things Ima’s generation can do RIGHT NOW to reduce the flood of plastic pollution.

• Beware the Holidays – Ask yourself, “Do I really need to buy another kitschy plastic knick-knack?”
• Commit to Reduce - Say “no” to plastic straws and other single-use plastics.  Bring your own reusables—straw, cup, cutlery, water bottle, and food containers whenever possible.
• Cloth Shopping Bags – Imagine the thousands of plastic shopping bags you can forgo!
• Nix the Styrofoam – Use readily available eco-friendly dinnerware and beverage containers at community dinners and potlucks. 
• Reduce Micro-plastics – Never heat food in plastic containers unless you like munching micro-plastics.

 “I guess I just wasn’t paying attention,” Ima admitted. “But we must because this will soon be the Bornsoon’s only home.  It’s where we’re all forever… Earthbound.
Learn more at: plasticpollutioncoalition.org

        Lightning flashed across the sky.  Terrifying cracks of thunder rumbled as the gloom of evening closed in. “Face it.” Hugh Mann shouted over the clamor. “We’re lost!  If we don’t find shelter soon…” His voice was lost in the din.  “Look!” Ima Pearson pointed. “Isn’t that a house?  Run!”

       Ima and Hugh reached the porch just as the first sheets of rain began pouring down.  They huddled together and wondered if they’d survive the night.  Ima tried the doorlatch.  It opened revealing a dank and gloomy hallway lined with doors.
 
       Creeping down the hallway, they reached the first darkened door.  Its placard read “Resource Depletion.”  BOOM! Another ear-splitting crack of thunder almost made them jump out of their skins.  They crept on to a door that read “Mass Extinctions” then slunk past “Plastic & Chemical Pollution” and “Climate Change.” “This place gives me the creeps,” Hugh shivered. “We can’t stay here, can we?  I’m about ready to give up.”

        “Wait.” Ima shushed. “Look at that door at the end of the hallway.  Isn’t that a light shining under it?”  They made their way to “Active Hope”* and slipped in.

       The brightly lit room was comfortable and cheery.  Looking around, Ima opened a closet.  Curiously, there hung a selection of cloaks.  One was labeled “Catch an Inspiration.” Ima slipped it around her shoulders.  In an instant, she was certain they’d make it through the dark night.  “Here,” she said, and handed a cloak labeled “Dare to Believe” to Hugh.  Donning it, Hugh nodded. “Oh yeah…no sweat.  We’ll get through the night just fine.”

        The adjacent tall, narrow cupboard held a collection of staffs.  Hugh hefted one labeled “Gather Community.” It fit his grip perfectly.  Ima found one called “Strength in Uncertainty.”  As she held it she was reminded that the future is not yet written.  “Ah yes,” she smiled, “We, all of us, are the ones the world has been waiting for.”

        Comforted by the cloaks and staffs, Hugh and Ima lie down and were soon asleep.  In the morning they marched confidently past the “tricky eco-issues” doors on into the morning sunlight. “No throwing in the towel for us,” Ima declared. “It’s too important, so we’ll carry on together because this is the only home we’ll ever know.  It’s where we’re all forever… Earthbound.” 
 
*”Active Hope” by Macy & Johnson

        The Poly cartel annual summit buzzed with exuberance.  A cheering crowd welcomed Ethel,* Vinny, Proppie, Sty and Carbby as they were ushered to their usual places of honor in front of the multitude.  This year’s chairperson, Ethel, stood to address the eager assembly.

       “Thank you!  We’ve had another very prosperous year.  Worldwide, we’ve multiplied ourselves to over 400 million tons of plastic produced in just one year!  And we’re on track to triple that to over a billion tons annually by 2060.”  The crowd roared with delight.  “These humans just can’t seem to get enough of us!  And our benefactors, the fossil fuel companies, continue to supply 99% of our raw materials.  They couldn’t be happier.  With the rapid advance of alternative forms of energy eating away at their profits, the petro-crowd loves having us as an excuse to keep drilling.”

        “Excuse me.” A small voice came from the back of the hall.  Ethel ignored the interruption as the other panelists boasted about their successes.  “Excuse me!”  The young man called louder and louder while waving his arms.  Finally, an exasperated Ethel shot back, “This is highly irregular!  Just who do you think you are, and what do you want?”

       “I’m Will, Will B. Bornsoon.”  He strode up to the panelists and continued.  “Look, I know you’ve all made life more comfortable, convenient and prosperous.  But at what cost?

• Fossil fuel extraction and plastic use and disposal negatively impact a boatload of diseases including cancer, diabetes, obesity, respiratory issues, reproductive and hormone problems, asthma and more.
• Plastic items and ‘microplastics’ fly across the planet threatening the health of wild animals, plants, and the interconnected ecosystems we rely on to survive.
• Instead of being recycled, most plastic is sent to landfills or illegal dumps, or it becomes trash fouling our beautiful landscapes.
• In the oceans, marine creatures and birds become entangled in and ingest plastic.  Once eaten, plastic pieces and particles can inflict deadly injuries on their digestive tracts, including perforation of stomach and intestinal walls.

        “How can you continue to turn a blind eye?” Will concluded. 

        The panelist were stung and embarrassed by Will’s words.  They knew they’d put profits over people and the planet. That’s no way to treat our only home!  Because we’re all forever… Earthbound.  

Coming soon – Will and Ethel work for solutions to plastimania pollution. 
*Polyethylene, Polyvinyl, Polypropylene, Polystyrene & Polycarbonate

       “Misty! Is that you?” Dewey Droppe asked as a cute H2O molecule came floating by.  “Dewey!  It’s great to see you,” Misty Foggbottom grinned. “You must be new here,” Dewey smiled back. “Who woulda guessed we’d both end up in West Union, Iowa? Wanna loop-da-loop with me?” The two water molecules had briefly shared a raindrop in a typhoon over Bora Bora back in ’97.  Misty has had a crush on Dewey ever since, so she was thrilled to do some looping with him.

       Dewey was an old hand in this high-efficiency, fossil-fuel-free geo-thermal heating and cooling system.  He was eager to show off the layout.  Misty listened politely but was more interested in… well, in other things.

       West Union (pop. 2,500) in northeast Iowa is just west of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.  In 2014, its downtown streets needed a complete reconstruction.  So the city took advantage of some grant money to build in an environmentally friendly, money-saving heating & cooling system.  Today, the library, county courthouse, a law office, two banks, an insurance company and a shoe store are among the twelve buildings connected to an underground geothermal system running beneath six blocks of downtown.

       This system circulates a mixture of water and glycol through pipes where underground temperatures remain at approximately 50°F year-round. As the water travels through a series of vertical bores, it is warmed or cooled by the surrounding rock until it stabilizes at 50 degrees. It’s a temperature well-suited for cooling on hot summer days and a great starting point for heating in winter.  Heat pumps in each building use compressors and fans to further warm or cool the buildings depending on the time of year.  The high-density polyethylene pipes are slated to last 80 years or more while the heat pumps have a life expectancy of about 24 years.

       Energy costs for the buildings on the system have dropped 25 to nearly 50 percent.  Utility costs for the rest of the town continue to rise.  The local school district is so impressed, it’s installing a geothermal system of its own.

       Yup.  You guessed it; Misty and Dewey decided to evaporate together and travel the world. They couldn’t be happier!  As could we all by taking a lesson from the fine folks of West Union - environmentally friendly and money-saving smart – because we’re all forever… Earthbound.

       Ms. Sun was continuing her celebration of the galactic new year and getting a kick out of checking in on Planet Earth.  She loved eavesdropping on its transmissions.  “Those humans are fascinating creatures,” she mused. “With their recently acquired ability to transform my sunlight into electricity, they could create an Age of Abundance with more for everyone. 

      “I’m just wondering if they’ll take advantage of that, or if they’ll let politics and greed keep them locked into burning things up (e.g. petroleum products) for their energy needs.  And goodness!  The effects of the heat from greenhouse gas emissions are expensive!  One estimate of the damage - the hurricanes, floods, droughts and wildfires - from U.S. emissions alone could be $87 trillion through 2050! 

       “$87 trillion!?!  Hmm…, let’s see - One million seconds is about 12 days, while one billion seconds is about 32 years, and one trillion seconds is approximately 31,700 years.  “Wow!  In dollars that’s boatloads of money!  Seems like there are better ways to spend that kinda dough, especially when I’m sending them all the free energy they’ll ever need. 

       Ms. Sun continued to listen:*

• In just two years solar panels and batteries have cut use of natural gas by 40% in the fourth largest economy in the world – California.  (“Gosh, I didn’t realize there are 21 toxins in natural gas!”)   
• Pakistan figured out how to install the equivalent of half the country's national electric grid in eight months using rooftop solar panels. 
• Two of the world’s most challenging issues are inequality and climate change.  Widespread adoption of rooftop solar would “democratize” energy use and address both of these.

       “Yup,” Ms. Sun thought to herself, “ever since the Industrial Revolution energy production and distribution on Earth was centralized and controlled by the wealthy.  Huge fossil-fuel-fired facilities piped energy down the line to everyday folks.  Now that's flipped.  On Earth, the cheapest way to make energy is for everyday folks to point a sheet of glass at…me!

       “I’ve taken a liking to these humans,” Ms. Sun pondered.  “So I’m rooting for them to have the courage and wisdom to use all the free energy I’m sending to build a more prosperous world while preserving Earth’s lush environment.  What’s not to like about that?  After all, those folks are forever… Earthbound.”

*From a “Volts” conversation with Bill McKibben and Jamie Henn

       “Aww… Some band even wrote a song about me!” Ms. Sun gushed. “But what an odd name – The Beatles?!  Golly, another galactic year come and gone.  It’s time to check in on my planets.  Hmm…let’s see what I’ve provided Earth since last New Years - 250 million Earth-years ago.

       “Light  - Check      Warmth  - Check     Energy for photosynthesis  - Check
       That clever photosynthesis trick created trillions of tons of organic matter that eventually turned into fossil fuels enabling humans to thrive and prosper  - Check    More free solar energy than humans will ever need to power everything on Earth  - Check.”
            Ms. Sun got a kick out of listening in on snatches of Earth transmissions.  She’d recently learned that humans figured out how to harness her boundless solar energy to generate electricity.  They’d no longer have to set things on fire (and pollute their world) to have all the heat, light and power they’d ever need.  Some snatches:*

• Solar energy is now the least expensive electrical generation power source.  Solar has become everyman’s “Costco” of energy.  Why pay more?
• Last year, 95% of new generated energy around the world and in the U.S. was clean, renewable energy.  Solar isn’t an “alternative” energy anymore; it’s the main attraction! 
• With thoughtful policy changes, the world will enter an Age of Abundance -  everyone generating and storing energy for their own needs.  Imagine being free from the costs, conflicts and pollution of a petroleum-based economy!
• Every form of energy involves some trade-offs; solar’s trade-offs are minimal.  For example, a boatload of solar panels provides about 500 times as much energy as a boatload of coal.  The solar materials can be recycled over and over.  And the coal?... up in smoke!
• The cost for one gigawatt (a billion watts) of nuclear power is about equivalent to the cost for 15 gigawatts from solar and wind which can be built 3 – 7 times faster.

       Ms. Sun couldn’t help but grin. “Those clever humans!  I knew they’d figure out how to use my gifts to build a beautiful world.  And they’ve gotta do just that.  Because no way am I going to make another planet for them if they mess up the one they’ve got.  It’s their only home; they’re all forever… Earthbound.”
       *From a “Volts” conversation with Bill McKibben and Jamie Henn

       “Come on!  It’ll be fun,” Ina pleaded. “Besides it’s a fundraiser for the animal shelter.” Ann reluctantly agreed.  So Ann Tiquated and Ina Rutt registered at the door for the Chinese checkers tournament.  Their first-round competitors were the two cute guys at the next table, Luke Aheadd and Seymore Clearly. “See I told you!” Ina grinned.

       The girls hadn’t played the game since they were kids, so they wanted to avoid making mistakes. Cautiously, they slogged their marbles ahead just one slot at a time.  But the guys strategy was to send out “scout” marbles that stretched across the board.  Soon, Luke and Seymore were making double, triple and even quadruple hops and quickly filling their “home” slots - a whole different and effective way to play.

       - Elsewhere, in the world of business - The Chinese electric vehicle (EV) industry is likewise leapfrogging over its automotive competitors. "When it comes to EVs, China is 10 years ahead and 10 times better than any other country," according to auto sector analyst Michael Dunne.  China's BYD auto company leads the global EV market.  A combination of long-term planning and government funding has allowed China to dominate critical supply chains in EV battery production.  Also, China has the world's largest EV charging network.  Its EV start-up sector is barreling ahead, driven by fierce competition and a culture of innovation. (bbc.com/news)

       - Ann and Ina got clobbered at the tourney, but they did get dates for next weekend!  Meanwhile, in Ann’s day job as CEO of the huge “Lobbyers-Are-Us” consulting firm in D.C., she made a point of keeping abreast of current issues.  By some strange coincidence, she happened to read the very same BBC article referenced above! 

       Ann was miffed and immediately called her staff together. “China gets it,” she railed! “Uncle Sam is surrendering a huge technological advantage to our most powerful adversary.  Fortunately, the U.S. has already made considerable progress in renewable energy generation.  So why are we now backing away from further clean energy development?  We’re letting China leapfrog ahead of us!

       “Lobbyers-Are-Us owes it to our investors, and to the planet, to support policies that advance clean energy development.  Let’s not get ‘Chinese check(er)ed’. Our country’s financial and the planet’s environmental future are at stake.  Because after all, this is the only home we’ll ever know; it’s where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”

       Futura Childs slipped silently from the seat of her solar scooter and sneaked around to Ole Tymer’s back patio.  Sure enough, there he was snoozing in his lounger.  “Surprise! I baked cookies,” she announced.  Oly’s eldest granddaughter was a sweetheart.  They settled in for a treat of cookies and milk.

       Soon the conversation turned to school – friends, sports, classes and the rest. “In history, we’re studying the early 21st century, when you were a kid, Poppie.  That pandemic must have been a pain, so many people sick and things being shut down.  And, oh man! The climate crisis was going on at the same time.  We learned about stuff like one July, 2025 I think, there were four ‘thousand year’ downpours in less than a week!  Heat records were being broken year after year all over the world.  That was crazy!”

       “Yup, I remember my parents talking about how politicized the climate issue had become,” Oly reminisced.  One time, a bunch of people came over.  I was supposed to be upstairs doing homework, but I sat on the steps and listened in for a while.  They talked about something called the Endangerment Finding.  It stated that greenhouse gas pollution is a threat to human health and safety, so the Environmental Protection Agency had the responsibility to limit that type of pollution.

       “Well, as you can imagine, the fossil fuel folks didn’t like that!  They tried to get rid of that policy.  I remember my parents and a lot of other folks raised a stink.  There was just so much evidence of the warming and the damages to health and safety caused by emissions from burning fossil fuels.  Stuff like cancer rates 50 times the national average for communities near coal plants and all the destruction from extreme weather events.  I was just a kid, but it sure seemed to me like health and safety were being affected big time so regulations were needed.  Even so, some folks argued the EPA should butt out.”

       “Well Poppie, I’m glad your parents and others stuck with it.  The EPA kept the Endangerment Finding authority after all, so polluters weren’t able to get away with messing up the planet.  Now,” she smiled, “we’re still happy and healthy on our only home where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”
Learn more - https://tinyurl.com/565x7825       Send comments to [email protected]. Include Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2025-0194

       I. Ben Askedabunch flipped through the stack of solicitations in the day’s mail.  One for a debilitating medical condition – “Not my problem,” Ben mumbled.  One for a social services nonprofit and another for a political cause - “Not my problems.  These are worthy causes, but look at this stack!” he muttered while dropping one after another into the “circular file.”  The next piece of mail concerned some environmental crisis – “Not my prob…” Ben’s voice trailed off as he set this one aside.

       That night Ben fell into a fitful sleep cascading him from one disjointed dream to another.  Until…an ethereal figure came into sharp focus.  She was gorgeous, the most beautiful thing Ben had ever seen!  “You were right you know,” her voice flowed like sweet nectar, “to set that envelope aside. The environment is everyone’s concern.  Not really a ‘problem’ so much as a matter of relationship with me,” she breathed.

       “Relationship with you?” Ben asked. “What do you mean?  Who are you anyway?”

       “Oh Ben, you know me; I’m your mother, Mother Nature. Every human has some sort of relationship with me.  It’s up to you to decide what that relationship will be - one of extraction and depletion OR one of borrowing and replenishment?  One of domination OR of reciprocity (give and take)?  Concern only for the next fiscal quarter OR for the next millennium?  Just who are you - a passing visitor on Earth or are you OF the Earth? Your answers will help determine what you do about that envelope.” 

       Ben woke with a start.  He threw on a pair of jeans and pedaled to Wanda Steppup’s house.  He knew she’d been struggling with how to address these same questions.  As her door swung open, they both gushed, “You’ll never believe…” and then laughed at the “jinx.” 

       Ben shared details about his amazing encounter with Mother Nature.  Then Wanda related what she’d learned about some great practical resources for managing her environmental footprint.  “Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy has these super promotions going on – Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates (HEAR) and Home Efficiency Rebates (HOMES).  (focusonenergy.com)

       “But you’re so right, Ben.  By living in healthy relationship with Mother Nature, our every step will support a life-giving, vibrant environment.  After all, Earth is the only home we’ll ever know.  It’s where we’re all forever… Earthbound.”