Energy 4 Living
I don’t take any great delight in sounding off like a prophet of doom. There are plenty of motivated, hyper-conscientious chest beating conservationists advocating the need to protect the planet without adding my voice to the collective masses. However, anyone who has merely bothered to glance at the evening news once in a while is sure to have noticed the growing concerns that the world is slowly but surely marching towards a severe energy crisis.
Interestingly, there are nay-sayers to the proposition that an energy crisis is unavoidable. I’m open to at least listen to anyone’s opinion, but on this particular point I can’t help returning to the fundamental parameters which seems to govern whether it is an inevitability…our current methods of energy production devour our natural resources faster than the earth can create them.
It seems to me it doesn’t matter how you slice up that equation, it always comes down with a negative on the side of future generations.
To some degree therein lies the problem. There has, almost undeniably, been a come-what-may approach to energy use, with each generation passing the baton of responsibility for conservation on to the next. But how long can we continue to close our eyes to the problem?
We’re all experiencing the pinch that comes with rising oil and gas prices, with an ever increasing demand and a corresponding shortfall resulting in an increased cost in energy resources. Experts estimate we’ve already consumed over 50% of the available oil globally, and at the current rate of consumption are likely to use the remainder in the next three decades. That’s likely to be in our lifetime, and certainly that of our children. We’re nearing the end of the road.
We could always wait for science to save us, to develop some sort of clean alternative to oil, coal and nuclear power. After all, we’re the smartest species to dirty the planet in the last billion or so years, why wouldn’t we rise to the occasion and find a way? Probably because we’re also the laziest…and almost certainly the most egocentric. What if we can’t find a way soon enough? What if it’s all too little too late?
Ok…enough gloom for now. The reality is that whilst the long term problem of over consumption is likely to need to be dealt with on a global level, we individual members of the community can do our part to minimize the impact immediately. It starts with being aware of the problem, and then being prepared to do something to actively assist it. The good news is that there are some pretty significant benefits in doing so, not just to the planet at large, but to our hip pockets. That has to be a win win situation.
Home sustained alternative energy solutions are a highly feasible and cost effective way to minimize our own carbon footprint. Thousands of people (even ones who aren’t too handy with a set of tools) are making the change and minimizing their reliance on government generated and supplied energy, and are breaking free of the grid. There are numerous options for creating energy through wind power, solar power and home based electricity. You’ll find a range of articles, tips, advice and products specifically designed to help you achieve this very goal on this site, and I wish you success in making your contribution to a better future and for making your own energy 4 living.
