Going Green
by There is one area, though, where we could do more to reduce our energy dependence. Housing. As America begins the difficult task of pulling itself out of economic disaster, the time is perfect to make a minor adjustment in housing. Rather than building new houses to be merely energy efficient, we should begin building them to be energy self sufficient. There is no reason at all why we cannot incorporate solar and/or wind power generation methods in every house or other structure we build.
It isn’t the intent of this article to discuss whether or not global warming is a reality. To be completely honest, it really doesn’t matter either way where this article is concerned. The fact of the matter is that we need to figure out a way to live more harmoniously with our planet.
Currently, the way humanity works it to move into an area and exploit all the available resources. We mine minerals, cut down trees, dam the rivers, etc. If there is a specie of flora or fauna we don’t like we eradicate it or bring in another specie that will destroy it for us. Until very recently in our history we haven’t concerned ourselves with the consequences of our actions. In the last 50 years or so we have finally begun to realize that our actions have a lot of unintended consequences. In some cases, the “cure” for a problem has turned out to be worse than the original problem. Invasive species introduced into an ecosystem can overwhelm an area because there are no natural predators.
In recent years, humans have finally begun to consider the consequences of their actions. Unfortunately, in many cases, it is already too late. Entire ecosystems are under constant attack from foreign invasive species introduced to control an indigenous specie. In the Florida Everglades, for example, people must work every day in an effort to control several foreign invasive species of flora and fauna. Some of these species were introduced intentionally and others accidentally. Either way, humans now have to diligently monitor these species and hunt or destroy them when their population levels threaten to overwhelm the natives.
As the only reasoning specie on the planet, we are, by default, the planet’s guardians. It is up to us to ensure the survival of our bright blue sphere and its inhabitants. At the same time, we should not be expected to give up our quality of life and technological advancement. The greatest threat to our planet is our insatiable need for energy. Currently, the greatest source of energy used on our planet is oil followed closely by coal. These fossil fuels, when converted into workable energy, cause massive and destructive pollution. If this pollution could be contained in a single area, this would not be a very big deal as the inhabitants of that area would quickly die off and the pollution would end. The problem is, pollution does not stay put. It travels around the world. Recent satellite photos have shown airborne pollutants traveling from the East Coast of the United States to the West Coasts of Africa and Europe. Additionally, airborne pollution from China has been photographed traveling across the Pacific to Hawaii and the West Coasts of North and South America.
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