[Gasification] Conserve -- Go Really Green -- That's the Answer

[Dick Glick]

Hello --

Must be -- is it because today celebrates 'St. Patrick' -- everybody wants to be 'Green'! 
  a.. Formula 1 -- that's one of racing's most famous sporting organizations -- one of its teams wants to be thought of as 'green' -- they're using less fuel? 
  b.. (E-Mail) March 16, 2007, New York Times Op-Ed Columnist Thomas L. Friedman's; "Marching With a Mouse" -- contains:
    a.. There aren't By a lot of environmental groups with their own investment bank consultants, so when you hear that Environmental Defense has just hired the boutique Wall Street firm Perella Weinberg Partners, you know that we're in a new world. Every college activist should study this story, because it is the future. In the old days, when activists wanted something done, they held a sit-in or organized a protest march. Now they hire an investment bank."
    b.. O.K., maybe every activist group can't afford Goldman Sachs, but such groups should nevertheless analyze how Environmental Defense and the Natural Resources Defense Council used the Internet and the market to save the planet from tons of CO2. The story started last year when a giant Texas power company, TXU, announced plans to build 11 coal-fired, CO2-belching power plants, raising the ire of environmentalists worried about climate change. Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense, which has an office in Texas, wrote to John Wilder, TXU's chairman, and asked for a meeting, but was brushed off. TXU made it clear that it was on a fast track to build its plants and had the governor of Texas on its side.
Somehow -- managing to make the TXU's investors and some 'green' organization look 'Green';
  1.. When yesterday's New York Times signaled the purchase of two 1700 MW nuclear power plants by TXU --  
  2.. And today's edition of the Times carrying an item -- that a Japanese nuclear problem -- was covered up by the operators -- and since it occurred well some time ago so that the legal limit for reporting had expired -- with legal action now expired!  
  3.. And how many of these 'nuclear accidents' get swept aside -- by the nuclear power enthusiast?  
  4.. And where does there spent fuel go? 
  5.. Mr. Friedman needs to read the New York Times!
And then (E-Mail) the March 16, 2007 of the New York Times carried the 'green': "Counties Launch Anti - Global Warming Plan" -- 
  1.. WASHINGTON (AP) -- Residents of Virginia's largest county might soon see more vegetation growing on roofs and more green space in new neighborhoods as part of a multimillion-dollar initiative to combat global warming. 
  2.. The changes are part of a new national program called Cool Counties, which Fairfax County is launching along with several partners: the Sierra Club; Washington state's King County, which includes Seattle; and Illinois' Cook County, which includes Chicago. The program hopes to encourage each of the nation's more than 3,000 counties to do its part in reducing greenhouse gases, officials said Thursday.
And what are they going to do:

  1.. "Two new fire stations, built in part with recycled materials, make use of clean energy sources. The county government obtains 5 percent of its electricity from wind power and operates 90 hybrid vehicles. And it has purchased thousands of acres, including the 3,200-acre former Lorton prison site, for conservation." 
  2.. "He wants the county's fleet of 3,600 police, fire and other vehicles to be replaced with less-polluting vehicles over time. He also wants to double the county's use of wind power in five years, to 10 percent. More than 400 buildings, including schools, can be retrofitted to be made more environmentally friendly or replaced, he said."
The counties need help -- 

  1.. Wind is not the answer -- 
  2.. Hybrid vehicles are not the answer 
  3.. Governments should -- require that building conversions and new developments absolutely minimize energy consumption -- with government support to insure that there are no excuses! 
    a.. Employ District, Distribute Energy Systems -- to maximize energy efficiency -- connected to existing transmission systems 
    b.. Use proper lighting -- sky lights and fluorescent 
    c.. Require ground effect heating and air conditioning 
    d.. Use tankless hot water -- with solar feeds
  4.. Governments should control vehicle fuels and movements 
    a.. Should buy or convert vehicles to be fueled by natural gas and renewable natural gas, if available  
    b.. Offer true advantages for mass transit use 
    c.. Maximize car pool opportunities -- not just one 'lane' 
    d.. Support rail -- high speed and local 
    e.. Install remote operational offices for functions under their direct control and make it advantages for others to so as well
The item included: 
  "Glen Brand, the Sierra Club's Cool Cities director, praised the new county-based initiative as another important step toward reducing harmful emissions. He said that while there are upfront investments, most environmental measures should pay for themselves over time by reducing energy bills."

And then -- for what it's worth -- (E-Mail) March 16, 2007 -- the New York Times contained this item: "This Was World's Warmest Recorded Winter "


  "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - This has been the world's warmest winter since record-keeping began more than a century ago, the U.S. government agency that tracks weather reported on Thursday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the combined global land and ocean surface temperature from December through February was at its highest since records began in 1880."


  "..... Global temperature on land surface during the northern hemisphere winter was also the warmest on record, while the ocean-surface temperature tied for second warmest after the winter of 1997-98.  Over the past century, global surface temperatures have increased by about 0.11 degree F (0.06 degree C) per decade, but the rate of increase has been three times larger since 1976 -- around 0.32 degree F (0.18 degree C) per decade, with some of the biggest temperature rises in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere."

Conservation and renewables are the answers -- not talk and wasted dollars on insufficient solutions. Yes to strong government growth requirements -- no to nuclear -- no to coal!

Best, Dick 
Dick Glick, PhD
President
Corporation for Future Resources
1909 Chowkeebin Court
Tallahassee, Florida 32301
Phone: 850-942-2022
Fax: 850-942-1967
Email: dglickd at pipeline.com 
URL: www.CorpFutRes.com
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