It seems everywhere I turn, some old company is advertising how they are suddenly so “green.” C’mon, we all know it’s just a buzz phrase advertisers are using to capture some greenBACKS. I am extremely dubious of the abrupt ‘awareness’ touted by these companies.
It’s no secret that I’m a tree hugger. I recycle absolutely everything, own a Prius, and participate in an organic farm co-op. These are things that are meaningful to me, and I believe such deeds add up over time, one person at a time. If I could afford to re-roof my house with solar shingles, I’d do it in a heartbeat. Instead, we have added insulation and are replacing some older dual-pane windows that have lost their thermoseal and are replacing an inefficient exterior door. We’re strongly weighing replacing our A/C and heating system with high efficient units, too.
One of the most promising things I’ve come across lately is creating biodiesel from algae. Algae fields can grow in symbiosis with waste treatment or carbon-producing power generation plants, and the output is astronomical (100,000 gallons per acre) compared to other production crops (corn, for instance, at 20 gallons/acre). It is a fascinating idea, and I highly recommend reading about it. Obviously there is a long way to go before we could switch completely to such technology, but consider this:
If we dedicated a space the 1/10th size of the Sonora desert in Arizona, we could generate enough algal biodiesel to meet the transportation needs of the entire U.S. population each year! We would in reality need to diversify the geographical locations of these plants, but the potential output is staggering given the land requirements. The efficiency rate of a closed system is insanely high, and I am hopeful that we might have finally discovered a crop and a method that can not only help recycle the waste and runoff of farming and ranching and human life but also turn it into a sustainable fuel source.
Can you imagine a country not dependent on foreign oil? Consider turning the $100-$150 billion annual outlay we pay to other nations into income and jobs for U.S workers. “Onshoring” our own energy resources floats my boat in a big way.
