Posted by RKRM on 05/04/06 12:30

"Doug Jacobs" <djacobs@shell.rawbw.com> wrote in message
news:125iaqb9f6np3bb@corp.supernews.com...
> In alt.games.video.sony-playstation2 RKRM <rkrm@nospamcomcast.net> wrote:
>> > But, none the less, do you have to burn the oil to create fertilizers?
>
>> The fertilizers ARE oil! It's a petroleum product.
>
> While most fertilizers are made from petroleum products, you have to
> remember that mankind managed to survive quite well using other substances
> for 1000s of years prior to discovering the liquified remains of
> dinosaurs.

Ya before we depleted the ground on corporate farms to the point we need
fertilizers.
>
>> If
>> > you eliminate the oil used for fuel, you can pump the rest that's
>> > "needed"
>> > from the US alone.
>
>> You can't just make ethenol for free it takes energy -- fossil
>> fuels.
>
> It may very well be that you expend more energy producing ethenol than you
> get by burning it but that doesn't mean you have to use fossil fuels to
> produce it.

Get real.
>
>> And, there's alternatives to petroleum in just about all
>> > applications as well.
>
>> No. Where do you think our energy comes from? It's all fossil fuels. Oil,
>> gas and coal. Wake up. Google it if you must but Ethanol is an energy
>> sink.
>
> I don't know about you, but about 20% of the electricity my house uses
> comes from solar, wind, or nuclear sources. Go to Google and look at
> PG&E's energy mix.

Wow. 20 whole percent? You want to know where the VAST majority of our
"clean" electricity comes from? Coal.
>
>
> Anyways, the president is just using things like hydrogen and ethenol as
> lipservice. Neither are short term solutions and scientists still have
> many issues to resolve before they're even close to introducing a
> commercially viable product.


>
> And there is plenty of stuff that we can, and should have been doing,
> since the LAST gas crisis hit back in the 70s. Things like:
>
> * Keep you car in good repair. Just changing your air filter can give
> you a couple extra miles.
>
> * Wrap your hot water heater in a fiberglass "blanket" - will help it use
> less energy to keep the water inside hot.
>
> * Fix leaky windows/doors. Help keep the heat in during the winter, A/C
> in the summer. This could be as simple as using some caulk, or sealing
> the window with one of those plastic sheeting kits for the winter.
>
> * Close your blinds during the day if you aren't home. This helps
> insulate your windows better and helps keep the heat out during the
> summer, or helps keep the cold out during the winter.
>
> * Add additional insulation to your attic or walls.
>
> None of these are especially difficult or expensive and will net you
> immediate 10-15% savings on your annual energy bills.
>
> If you want to spend a bit more, look into replacing your older windows
> with newer multi-pane models with solar coatings on them. Not only will
> you increase the value of your house, but this improvement will pay itself
> off in just a few years in terms of the energy you'll be saving to heat
> and/or cool your house. Replace older appliances with newer ones that use
> less energy. You may even be eligible for rebates from your local power
> company, state and federal government which can help defray the initial
> costs of these improvements.
>
> Personally, I'm hoping the cost of those solar-electric roof tile systems
> come down in price. I'd love to put one of those on the back roof of my
> house. By my estimates, that'd cut my electric bill almost to 0 - sounds
> good, but at $13-15k, it'd still take the system about 20 years to pay for
> itself. If they could get the cost down to about $8, I think we'd start
> seeing a lot more solar roofs.

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