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  • From: <eureka AT hctc.net>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Observations from my State Convention
  • Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:49:10 -0500

Yes, there actually was discussion on the need to reduce consumption, although we all know it would be difficult to legislate something like this. It was clear that the attendees are or are ready to personally reduce consumption. There were several groups with booths in the exhibition hall that are dedicated to educating the public about ways to reduce consumption, but I suspect (although I haven't read all the literature I picked up yet) it is the usual, flourescent lights, caulking windows, etc. At least the need for local food was brought up in the meeting.

I listened to 10 speakers on their respective energy fields. The fossil fuel experts (straight out of Houston's oil district) there agreed the U.S. has less than 12 years of oil left in the ground, which would put us more beholden to outside sources (and the war machine that secures it) if we don't urgently put our efforts into wind, solar, and geothermal. One expert spoke for nuclear power, but the overall response (even from the other experts) was they didn't trust storage of nuclear waste and that every aspect of nuclear power produced more CO2.

There was a very nice set of illustrations someone made that looked like stools, where the seat part was labeled "the environement" and the various energy solutions were the legs. The current "stool" showed the oil leg so large and the rest of the legs so spindly by comparison that the seat would obviously not be sustainable. The proposed "stool" showed a balanced approach where oil was greatly reduced, so that wind, solar, geothermal, etc. were of equal size.

I also enjoyed meeting several of the top Texas Dem politicians who seem very aware of the direction we need to go with energy. I don't think Rick Noriega-D for U.S. Senate will have trouble getting elected, as the encumbant Republican was one of the legislators who voted against Iraq vets getting full benefits.

--Sage


On Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:39:02 EDT
Clansgian AT wmconnect.com wrote:


>Mostly, I enjoyed attending the meeting on energy, where peak oil was discussed and the need to quickly develop wind and solar alternatives.

Sage, any talk about, not alternatives, but changes in society and lifestyle (and infrastrcture) to simply use less energy and not move around so much?

I've talked about this with our legislators, face to face, (easy to do as the show up at any and all photo-ops, up for reelection this fall, don't you know) and I just get a headache.

That's where some leadership would come in handy, but alas, I'm seeing none of it.

James </HTML>
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