The S.E.E.P. - Sustainability and justice for all.
The Slaughter Environmental and Entertainment Preserve:
rants and ravings about society and the environment
Friday, August 29, 2008
Obama's Acceptance Speech at the DNC: Inspiring and Right on Target.
This speech is a must-watch for Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and even non-voters - it will probably get you to vote for Obama. Senator Obama describes specific policy changes that he plans to address social security, healthcare, trade deficits, unemployment, renewable energy, foreign policy and more. This is certainly anything but the "empty rhetoric" that the conservatives have been describing of Obama's speeches. It is powerful, honest, and inspires hope.
Continuing Right-Wing Shortsightedness on Oil: Drilling Won't Bring Down Gas Prices!
In the continuing media campaign to get Americans to want to drill offshore and in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge, Hannity and Gingrich are shown here once again making fun of conservation techniques and attempting to discredit the real solution: DECREASE OIL CONSUMPTION AND TRANSITION TO ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES. It's really that simple. The "drill, drill, drill" philosophy might get us a little more oil in the relative short term (3-5 years before we start seeing any actual oil), but by staying with our current infrastructure, demand will continue to rise, and the future result will be the same - rising oil prices and the continued "addiction to oil".
The alternative is to change how we use oil now by conserving, and continue to develop battery and alternative fuel technology so that in the next 1-5 years your next new car will be electric or fueled with cellulosic ethanol or algae-based biodiesel instead of oil. In the same time it would take to see anything from drilling new wells, we'll be well on our way to kicking fossil fuels to the curb.
What kills me is the continued lack of professionalism and blatant skew put on this type of reporting from Fox News and many conservatives. They scoff at inflating your tires, where in fact, keeping your tires at proper pressure can improve mileage by as much as 3.3%, which is not bad for such an easy solution. Combine that with people using public transportation, riding bikes for local trips, carpooling, and other basic, money-saving conservation strategies, and a solid plan for renewable technology implementation, and we simply won't need to drill.
We can only hope that our future and current leaders have the foresight and wisdom to guide us there rather than staying with the reactionary, short-sighted status quo.
I am an ER doc in central California that enjoys the outdoors, has a small gadget problem and has a huge interest in sustainability and environmental policy. We are on a rapid road to the destruction of our planet's ecosystem as we know it. Our current political system has allowed lobbyists, corporate and personal interests to dictate our environmental policy and ignored scientific data regarding global warming. We the people need to stand up and show by the choices we make and our actions that this is not acceptable. Drive less. Bike more. Get a fuel efficient, hybrid, or alternative fuel car. Use public transportation. Get solar. Turn off lights. Use less power. Get energy efficient appliances. Buy organic and locally grown foods. Buy products that are sustainably produced. Consume like you give a damn.
