Post from Will Walker's Blog:
The Green Bandwagon
| By Will Walker - Aug 31, 2008 11:14:19 AM ET |
| Also listed in: We Want Clean Power Companies |
Is anyone else as freaked out as I am by all these corporate "green" commercials? It's an understatement to say that I am skeptical not only of corporate motives (which, of course, are driven entirely by profit) but, more importantly, of their ability to deliver on their promises without massive unanticipated costs. Every day, I get more frightened that this movement of ours is being corrupted by corporate agents who only see an opportunity to make a quick buck rather than an opportunity to rescue the planet from sure environmental devastation.
We have already seen some of this corruption in upstate New York with the wind farms in the northern part of the state. Wind companies are apparently colluding with local officials to gobble up land, and in the process they are dividing communities and exploiting vulnerable populations.
It's time for us to take some responsibility for the forces we have played a role in unleashing. If we don't our whole movement may be tainted and the opportunity for meaningful change lost.
We have already seen some of this corruption in upstate New York with the wind farms in the northern part of the state. Wind companies are apparently colluding with local officials to gobble up land, and in the process they are dividing communities and exploiting vulnerable populations.
It's time for us to take some responsibility for the forces we have played a role in unleashing. If we don't our whole movement may be tainted and the opportunity for meaningful change lost.
Comments are closed for this post.
Funny, I have a friend here in Michigan named Will and he owns a recycling company.
Anyway, I hear you. I can't believe the automakers are coming out with commercials that make it look like their cars are soooo fuel efficient. Like the Saturn Vue, touting itself as a gas "sipper" at 26 miles per gallon. Heck, my old clunker low tech '94 Toyota 4-Runner gets almost that if I practice hyper miling. And I'm running into the ground until the hybrid plug-in biofuel clean diesels hit the showrooms.
This is supposed to be a revelation, a benefit? You shouldn't even be in the conversation if you're under 35 miles a gallon. If I were an automaker, I would be embarrassed to make such a bogus claim. We should all be getting 40 mpg by 2010. That's what the market wants. With clean emissions to boot!
We've got some budding wind farms out here in Michigan, mostly leased by farmers. We'll have to hold on and see if they start barking. Any time big business energy gets involved, that corruption like in New York State can't be far behind.
Speaking of upstate New York, Praxair is trying to lure one of your towns (can't remember which) and Holland, MI into a multimillion dollar "clean" coal carbon sequestration power plant. That means they'll pipe the burned carbon gases into the ground. And dig this, this new plant will INCREASE our energy bills by 60%. Are they crazy?
Let's see... they want to kick the environmentalists in the teeth, sell the population on "new, clean" technology (nothing about coal is clean), and pick our pockets while were down. Naw, there's nothing wrong with this picture is there? I think I'll move to Brazil where they are light years ahead of us.
Meaningful change? You gotta wait for the revolution, pal.
1-Toyota put out the RAV4E (for ELECTRIC) in 2003, range, 150 mi. @ 78mph w/a full load (read 4 200+lb persons & 125lbs of "luggage". Poor Toyota was mfg'ing the batteries under lease of patent m. GM, who sold to Texaco, who sold to Citgo(as in Hugo Chavez) & the plug got pulled. Take a min., do a search on Rav4E...& see I speak the truth. The technology has BEEN OUT THERE.
2-Opening Poster(Will), stop Whining! Not on a soapbox, just stating facts....
A-We have a '97 Ford 7.3 Powerstroke Extended Cab Diesel which gets 22mpg. It's 2WD & I use it for work. Haven't bought diesel in 2 + years, as I make my own biodiesel, and have a 120 gal. tank in the bed for WVO which it's also set up to run off of directly...combination of the 2 has a cost of about 55 cents a gallon & ZERO harmful emissions.
B-We got a mortgage, we bought the Solar Panels, and we produce 10kw of electricity when the sun shines.
C-I went to Pacwind.org and bought a VAWT (Vertical wind turbine->imagine squirril cage fan, mounted on an ALTERNATOR, mounted on a pole...another 9kw produced any time the wind blows > 3mph & < 100mph.
D-Converted a military skid mounted 15kw 60hz generator to also run on bioDiesel AND WVO...any time I have a few dozen gallons left over, I fire it up, and all of this is while helping out local restaurant owners who were having to PAY to get rid of their used cooking oil.
YES, all of this DID cost a lot of money...guess what, folks, instead of TALKING about what everybody ELSE SHOULD Do, we chose to actually DO IT Ourselves, and compliments of Net Metering, we get a hefty check back from our utility company every month, and needless to say, aside From that CHECK, I've been tempted for a long time to tell them to "Go Pound Sand". Our bill has been zero for a while now, our income mid range 4 figures per month for an equally long while. Imagine this....the Sierra Club Members in Gainesville produce over 100kw added back to GRU (Gainesville Regional Utilities) every month. They like me Practice before they preach.
You want to change the world?
You Want to Make Sure the "Cause" doesn't get "hijacked"?
Well then start IN YOUR BACKYARD!
Stop worrying and start DOING!
Talk is cheap, keystrokes cheaper, I typed this & sent it to all of it's readers via Batteries in my garage, paired to 9kw in inverters, getting charged by silicon chip by day & wind as this is typed. & for me at least it wasn't cheap words, it was FREE ELECTRICITY!
Shut Up & Start Shopping!
When the naysayers give You Grief, whip out Your wallet (as I do) & Show 'em Your Pride(solar panels) & Joy (VAWT) & march 'em over to Your vehicle...wife & I are converting 2 cars to h2o Hybrids next (yes, that means they run on WATER!).
Leadership by example isn't the "best" way, it's the ONLY way....to actually LEAD.
(Ask me how many solar panels Al Gore has?)
Clean Coal?
NUKES? WHY? (for either option)
I'd take Coal over NUKES and neither by preference...You know why MY way isn't getting press & Exposure? Because mine doesn't NEED an Electric "Company". We could easily power our NEIGHBORHOOD, so when they (Progress Energy) say NUKES are "clean" I want to bring them some Radium in a DeCon Suit at the public hearing & ask them what the half life is?
I'm allowed to be sarcastic, I walk the walk already, remember?
It feels good, join in, start shopping start producing.
i'm changing careers right now and renewables..wind in particular...is a major area i'm targeting. i've been networking with as many people as possible in and around this industry.
I've learned that there are two types of wind farm developers...the legitimate ones that negotiate the land deals, build, operate and maintain the turbines/farms and the corrupt ones, or "land pirates/flippers," like you've experienced in NY, that are simply in for the $ tied to the land deals...with no regard for the local population and long term sustainibility of the projects, etc.
I'm told that there is only about 7-8 legitimate wind farm developers (utility scale), out of about 25 operating in the US. Not sure if this is completely accurate, but it wouldn't surprise me, unfortunately. The only way to defuse these greed driven entities is to stick with those that are committed to the industries "best practices" and the long-term viability of the projects including all thier stakeholders.