Thinking outside the gas tank

[John Leary]

20 years ago today, a scientist named James Hansen testified to Congress about a phenomenon he'd identified called "global warming". He spoke urgently of the need for governmental action on the matter.

20 years later, James has testified to Congress again. He said we're almost out of time, and if we don't act before next year, we will likely pass the tipping point and experience "disastrous climate changes that spiral dynamically out of humanity’s control."

He also said that for Americans to worry about oil is pointless, as we cannot possibly prevent oil from being burned by other people around the world. He recommended instead that Americans completely phase out the one fossil fuel we do have control over: Coal.

Full text of Hansen's speech is here (PDF).

As I posted awhile ago, 45.1% of PSEG's NJ electricity comes from coal, and 40% comes from nuclear. Thus, if you want to contribute to keeping our ecosystems intact, one of the easiest ways to help is to switch your utilities service to NewWindEnergy.com. I switched to this company many months ago, and the whole time my service has remained reliable, high-quality, and as inexpensive as before. I recommend them very highly.

Thanks to everyone who takes part!
J

[Morris Kafka]

Hi John!

This is totally a subject for the newsletter. I tried to find the new wind energy site via your link but it was blank. Please tell me about how you switched and how it actually supports wind energy. I am ready to switch. I already selected a green energy company for my MA apartment and they send out info. on what they are doing to help - it seems so little and so slow though.

We are running on empty and our heads are in the sand ... we are just so used to burning out the day so to speak that we are like Nero fiddling & even when we are told we go on not caring. I'm in a tizzy over this ... Help!

Thanks, Mo

[John Leary]

This is totally a subject for the newsletter. I tried to find the new wind energy site via your link but it was blank.

The site seems to be down right now. It was up yesterday, so hopefully it'll be up again tomorrow.

Switching was very simple. I gave them some information about my current PS&G account, and they arranged with PSE&G to be the electricity provider (PSE&G still charges me for "delivery", and both charges appear on the same old PSE&G bill, payable to PSE&G).

It was about as simple as could be imagined, and if there were any increases in cost they were absolutely minimal.

[Gary Manigian]

There is also this: CleanPower ChoiceProgram:

http://www.njcleanenergy.com/renewable- ... tart-today

[Morris Kafka]

Hi Folks & thanks for the replies. I will look at these groups sites. My big question was not how to switch but how to know if these other companies are just "greenwashing" or if they are actually, seriously doing a good job of creating alternate power sources. In many cases these companies take green sounding names and shuffle funds around without actually sponsoring or building windmills or solar, etc. Their websites all have glowing images and talk as if they are doing good but ultimately I want to see if I can find the most serious ones that aren't just playing shell games with my funds as is the case with too many of these opportunistic holding companies.

The ugly truth is that PSE & G gets virtually none of its' energy from any renewable sources - they send a disclosure card with their bills periodically and it shows how much coal, nuclear and oil we are using. At least their website advocates conservation and they give helpful hints that make sense to the public but that is only one aspect. The pressure should be on them, as an historic NJ institution dedicated to "Public Service" to switch over. One good way to do this is to buy from others who are proven better - and let PSE & G know why we are making such a switch - coupled with the indiation that if they improve we will consider buying directly from them again. Likewise the pressure should be on our state government to offer support and incentives to alternatives and to start modeling better conservation behaviour in our government buildings, etc. ... [at a local level, with no fanfare, NB City Hall switched most of its' lighting over to compact florescents by just changing bulbs in their elegant old chandeliers]. As mentioned this will all be fodder for a newsletter article if I can come up with enough info.

[Rich Menashe]

i was listenening to a Yankee game and they recommended taking the 3 or 6 train to the game-
"it is more environmentally friendly since they are electric-
the electricity is produced by the indian point power plant that produces no greenhouse gases"-
no discussion of how nuclear material is mined, recycled or disposed of and no mention that the plant is on a fault line or within the radius of 10-20 million people if there is a catastrophe there.
rich