Comments on: Oil Change: Share Your Ideas

By: Brandon Rutter

Brandon Rutter — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 06:23:34 +0000

Agriculture has been mentioned a few times here. Though organic and local is better than "conventional", our current agricultural practices both greatly reduce the CO2 absorption capabilities of the landscape, and take a lot of energy (generally in the form of fossil fuels) for tillage and other inputs. There are many other reasons to do it, but a transition to a perennial crop agriculture has the potential to drastically reduce oil consumption in this sector. The Land Institute works on perennial grasses, while Badgersett has hazel and chestnut systems going into production. It is a drastic but attainable goal.

By: Al Rubin

Al Rubin — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 02:03:12 +0000

A previous post stated that cities needed to improve their public transportation systems. I live in Philadelphia and Ihave to say that our public transport system, SEPTA has to be one of the worst public transport systems I have ever experienced in the world. I'm not going into a lot of detail here, but, they are constantly running late, I think their rates are out of site, and if I took a train to work, I could not get home. They stop running to the outlying areas just before midnight!!!

By: isabel

isabel — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:42:16 +0000

Gas tax as soon as prices get below $2 a gallon.
No more wars to corner oil markets.
Put freight back on the rails ENTIRELY.
Develop Amtrak into a service that can be taken seriously.
Economic development in regions now dependent on coal and mining jobs.
Give significant tax breaks in every state for:
- manufacturing/selling affordable hybrid and plugin cars
- buying affordable hybrid and plugin cars
- insulating and weatherstripping one's house
- developing/selling renewable resource technology
- schools that teach about renewable resources
- utilities moving to renewable energy sources
- towns/cities that recycle and educate residents
- towns/cities for improving public transport service
- selling transport ID cards cheap to elderly and needy
- converting single-family to two-family houses in areas with accessible public transportation.

By: greenliving

greenliving — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 17:13:29 +0000

Solar energy is not a practical form of energy. Current technology is unable to draw much amperage from solar energy at an affordable price. The future of energy is in wind turbines. And increased investment in public transportation.

By: Albert Gamble

Albert Gamble — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:11:50 +0000

There is no easy solution to getting airplanes off of fossil fuels but there is no reson we can not get our homes completely off of fossil fuels. We need to push for the day when every home has solar panels and Vertical Axis Wind Turbines on the roof. On most cloudy days, it is windy so your roof would always be producing energy. The technology is here, we only incentives to make it more affordable and make the payback time quicker.

By: wjdewey

wjdewey — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:37:43 +0000

When somebody finds a way to make 3(CH4) + O2 -> C3H8 + 2(H20) we can use Mr. Pickens' natural gas more easily, and also cook up all the methane we need from any old biomass.

By: vryslly

vryslly — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:22:46 +0000

I've seen news articles and video about an automobile engine that has runs on water. The inventor is reportedly negotiating a deal with the US military. If an engine like this is truly possible then why can't it be made available to the public? A car that runs on water would be a great way to break our dependence on foreign oil. It would also provide clean transportation based on a renewable resource. Additionally, if ocean levels really do rise from melting ice caps we could develop a desalinization process that could provide fuel for these vehicles and keep the ocean levels in check.

It's just a thought, but I can tell you that if I were at all mechanically inclined I'd be working this myself!!!

By: astroknott

astroknott — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 23:12:15 +0000

OK you got me. You are right, nuclear power wouldn't exactly be simple. I shouldn't have used that word, I was trying to make a point. While, not simple, it is doable. There is no new technology needed. As far as the waste goes the French have been "recycling"? don't know if thats the right word to use but in any case they have a technology that allows them to re-use spent fuel again. I am sure there is still some waste but much less. Also I still hold out hope that fusion power will become practical before too long. Time will tell.

I am not a big fan of bio-fuels, at least not as they are being developed now. You don't turn one of your most important food crops into fuel. Namely corn. It has risen the price of virtually everything in the grocery store. It would make much more sense to bail the grass along the side of the highways and turn that into methanol. They are going to be mowing it anyway so why not bail it. Using corn is nothing but a subsidy to corn farmers. It is all politics and no practicality. Vegetable oil is not a practical alternative for the general public. Nothing against using it, in fact I think it should be used. But it can't make a huge impact on our national fuel use. I doubt that there is enough land in the country to make enough bio-fuels to actually meet this countries needs. Hence the ONLY viable option, at least for the time being is to drill. T. Boone Pickens has a fairly good plan that could get us by for a long time while alternatives are being developed.

We have to be practical. Drilling, while simultaneously developing alternatives is the only reasonable thing to do. Many politicians, however, seem to want to play politics by making the oil companies out to be the EVIL villain. Even though we pay about 18 cents per gallon to Washington while the oil companies make about 8 cents. So who is the real bad guy. Everyone seems to be perfectly willing to hate the oil companies when Washington is chiefly responsible for the mess we are currently in.

By: Elizabeth Hill

Elizabeth Hill — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:36:23 +0000

First, I think this is a really good idea, to get people sharing more ideas on how to solve some complicated problems. I think we need action on all different fronts. I do want to reply to the astroknott comment above, too, by saying it is definitely NOT just a simple solution to drill more oil; oil is a fossil fuel which is not renewable and WILL run out eventually. And, nuclear power is likewise no simple solution; there are many other problems created by nuclear power plants, namely nuclear waste.
The main idea I wanted to share, though, is driving on used vegetable oil. My husband has been doing it for a few years now (and helping others to convert their cars, as well), and it seems like a good part of the solution to me. I recognize that there is not enough used oil to run all vehicles, by any means, but I think we might as well be using the resource produced by restaurants and schools and anywhere that fries food. You can only use it in diesel vehicles, but there are plenty of those out there. And, wouldn't you much rather be behind a big semi truck smelling vegetable oil than diesel fumes? Plus, it's a free resource (most places, anyway), and it's a way to reuse. It's a biofuel that doesn't take away from our food crops, it is used for food already.
One other thing I want to say, which reiterates many other people's comments above, is that the main key is reducing, reducing, reducing! Use less oil and other fossil fuels. period.

By: astroknott

astroknott — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 03:43:09 +0000

Here is a thought. DRILL MORE OIL! Simple. Or build lots of nuclear power plants and use the power to extract hydrogen from seawater and use it to power our cars. I know this is considered "radical" but sheesh! its simple and will easily fix the problem. Lets get REAL.