Native American Wind Farms - Carbon calculator fun!

[Senior citizen]

In her formal endorsement of John Kerry, Winona LaDuke mentioned working on Native American windfarms. I googled and came up with the Windbuilders site. It has a kewl carbon calculator. You enter how many miles you drive and fly regularly, how much energy your home uses (from your energy bills), and it calculates how many carbon tons you are responsible for, and how much it would cost you to offset them with a donation.

My energy usage was much lower than the national average, and I was able to offset it with a $10.00 donation.

Having recently read Mike Ruppert's, "Crossing the Rubicon," I am acutely aware of peak oil and its impact on world affairs. I think the native energy projects are the way to go. Here's the link:

http://www.nativeenergy.com/windbuilders.html

"The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind...." --Bob Dylan

[NMDemDist2]

1. i pay an extra $6 a month to the power company to support solar

power research and facility building

[Senior citizen]

3. Way to go!

I love solar. It was my main energy source when I lived aboard a small sailboat. Solar cells rock, and they don't need gas or make loud noises.

I think things will improve for alternative energy when President Kerry takes over. The chimp is so tied to big oil it's a wonder the White House hasn't turned a greasy black.

[NNadir]

2. My family came in at around 20 MT for a family of 4.

This is lower than average apparently, but still a rather large number.

[Senior citizen]

4. That's VERY impressive.

With a family of four you have a lot of necessities that I don't have.

Living alone and not driving, I have it easy. I take the bus about once a week, but they didn't count that.

But I'm a fanatic about conserving electricity. I just got rid of a cordless phone because it was an energy drain and used batteries, and the old-style cord phone works when the power goes out. I've got only florescent bulbs, and I've gotten over the novelty of having electric room lights. I'll turn one on when I need it, and turn it off immediately when I don't, but I have a 13-watt florescent desk lamp that I keep by the computer until bed time, and then carry into the bedroom at night. Most of my energy use is the refrigerator--it's an energy-saver model, and I keep the settings as low as possible without spoiling the food, but it is still the biggest part of my electric bill. I try to dress more or less warmly depending on the weather, instead of using the building's air conditioning, as it is very inefficient and uses too much electricity. I use a lot of blankets, but I do have an electric blanket for very cold nights and a floor fan for very warm days--I just don't seem to need them very often because San Diego has such a temperate climate.

The news just predicted increases in the costs of propane and heating oil, and showed a family that can't pay their electric bill. Gas pump prices are hitting record highs, and I feel sorry for people who have to live in the suburbs because of high city rents, and then commute long distances to low-pay jobs. This is getting scary!