OK, first let me hug the planet with my public service announcement for EARTH DAY 2008 -- so lets start with my basic message: do the right thing.
And now, my commercial:
Did you know that electric demand for lighting could be cut in half if every household replaced its five most commonly used incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs? Earth Day 2008 is a great chance to start thinking about small, everyday decisions that can have a big impact on the environment. For example, turn your lights off when they are not in use and replace incandescent light bulbs with newer, efficient models.
While Earth Day comes just once a year, protecting and preserving our environment for future generations is something to think about every day.
There, I feel greener already.
But how will we really get there? Last week I attended a meeting of the California Foundation for the Environment and the Economy. The conference concentrated on the role that natural gas will play in getting us to a green future -- basically how natural gas could be the bridge to that new green future -- the transition form carbon to clean.
Natural gas is an excellent clean fuel source that can allow us to bridge to green -- a blue bridge to a green future.
New state-of-the-art clean-burning natural gas facilities are going to be needed in order to really afford us the ability to sustain and support a transition to green. In the last year, over 7500 MWs of new coal generation facilities have been cancelled. But what will replace them as the consumption continues to grow?
My suggestion: conservation, efficiency, new renewables, new transmission and new gas fired generation. Again, we need it all. And lots of it. Even if we are even moderately successful in curbing our apetite for more energy, we will need to need to secure the new infrastructure that will replace the current aging system -- something I will go into on another post.
So, do your part -- and Happy Earth Day!
