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S U S T A I N A B I L I T Y : E N E R G Y
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Renewable Energy & Public Lands
An Important Part of the Climate Solution
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| Story reprinted with permission, The Wilderness Society |
From the threat of climate change to the devastation caused by drilling and mining, it is clear that to sustain our wildlands and our human communities, we need to transition from our reliance on fossil fuels toward a sustainable energy economy.
To achieve this goal, we'll need a diverse approach that includes:
Serious efforts to lower energy demand through conservation, energy efficiency, and smart grid technologies — applying 21st century technologies to reduce the need for new sources of power, turning off lights, cell chargers, TVs and other devices when not in use, increasing appliance efficiency, and improving building insulation;
"Distributed Generation" like rooftop solar and community wind projects — limiting new transmission needs by creating power where it is used; and
"Utility-Scale" wind, solar, and geothermal plants — large, efficient renewables plants are needed to take the place of polluting coal-fired power plants.
Our public lands have a role to play — along with state and private lands, they harbor substantial wind, solar, and geothermal resources. Developing some of these resources will be an important part of the energy solution. Renewable resource development is not appropriate everywhere on public lands, however, and development that does occur on public lands should take place in a responsible manner.
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Click here to learn more about The Wilderness Society's plan for "Defending our best lands from irresponsible development" and for "Pushing cleaner, sustainable energy policies forward."
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Photography
Bright Angel Point, Grand Canyon North Rim. © Kathryn R. Burke
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Ed,: At San Juan Publishing, our mission is responsible living: honoring our heritage and preserving our current resouces for a sustainable future. The scene pictured above is often obscured by a smokey haze from nearby power plants and a blanket of smog, or as naturalist Edward Abbey defined it, "a rolling cloud of mustard gas" originating in the Lost Angeles Basin. Renewable energy resources, including replacement of gasoline-powered vehicles,
will save this canyon and other geological wonders from destruction, like what happened to some of Europe's antiquities, particularly in Rome and Egypt.. Read Mr. Burke's suggestion of how we can fix things now, while developing solar and other renewable resources and ridding ourselves of coal contamination. The solution is much more attainable than many people realize. |
Additional Reading
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Copyright 1996-2010, San Juan Publishing Group, Inc., dba San Juan Silver Stage
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written authorization of the publisher.
INFORMATION: email: Info@sanjuanpub.com |
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