Welcome to the Planet Forward blog.
We like to think of Planet Forward as a virtual public square, a place built upon the power of ideas from all kinds of people -- scientists, engineers, students, business owners, cab drivers, elected officials, advocates and ordinary folks. They all make their case for what we need to do about our energy future.
Launching during the first 100 days of the Obama presidency, Planet Forward is looking for the most informative, persuasive and creative online submissions: videos, animations, op/ed pieces, photo essays, podcasts, songs, poems and more. It’s up to you!
As you can see, we’ve already got some terrific submissions from a wide range of contributors. We call them 'Viewpoints' and they’re refreshingly creative, smart and real. They tell us a lot about how fast things are changing. They can help us frame the energy debate we’re having and the decisions we face.
We’ll use these ideas to make a PBS television special that will premiere on April 15th at 8 p.m. (in most cities - check your local listings for exact show times), in which we’ll ask important decision makers and President Obama’s top energy and climate advisor to tell us what they think about these ideas. We’ll have some contributors in the audience. A few will go face-to-face with the experts. I’m looking forward to that!
In the coming days and weeks, I'll update this blog. I’ll tell you how we're doing as we get ready to shoot the TV show. I'll suggest how you can join us online to be part of the discussion and get others involved. We want to have a lot of videos and voices to choose from, so please tell people about Planet Forward. Paste the address, planetforward.org, in an e-mail, text it, blast it to your friends, family, associates and social networks through Facebook, Twitter, or your blog. You can also keep up with the latest on Planet Forward through our Facebook page and our feed on Twitter.
I'll check back here soon… in the meantime, explore and enjoy the web site.
6 comments for "Planet Forward: A World Of Ideas".
1. wake up!
Ok, here is the problem: we have a lot of people talking about it but who
is really doing something. Say this ... let's go off the grid! What a grand idea,
unfortunately it immediately dooms the whole thing.
Thus I say wake up!
What needs to be done:
(1) A federal law which says no covenant shall prohibit solar collection, as in florida.
(2) Get away from thinking off the grid. Think supplement.
(3) Turn your lights off.
(4) Hey, ever consider wearing coats in your house in the winter, and in stores? What a crazy idea but guess what ... a lot of people do this exactly. And they're
going to beat us because they know what is needed.
(5) Reinstate public transportation between cities, and get on with the electric mopeds at the reasonable price of $300.
(6) Exempt any imported solar energy collection device from customs taxes.
(7) Tax gasoline like no tomorrow, on an adjustable scale. When gas prices go up, lower the tax. Keep the price of gasoline very high . Use the tax money to produce public transportation.
(8) Look at simple technology. Look at what works. Forget the crazy things.
(9) Forget solar cells (electric).
(10) Look at wind ... the rest of the world does.
(11) But do not ignore the largest source of energy available on the planet which is clean and obtained in clearly understood mechanical means ... tidal.
(12) Forget flt travel and all the crazy conspiracy theory things. There are good reasons those things don't work.
(13) And America ... get a work ethic. Get your kids to learn the math that you parents do not understand. Do not let any child graduate from high school who intends to go to college without having had calculus, physics, chemistry and biology. certification via a nationwide standard test that provides scholarships.
(14) Why is 13 so important? Because 13 is needed just so people will be able to understand the simple technology behind clean energy.
Not much more that I can say other than this. America you need to wake up, and you need to wake up fast. You are not going to be left behind. You are already left behind. It is not a question of maintaining your lead. America you must work, and hard, to catch up again ... or not as you so desire.
2. work to get gas and save the enviornment
okay, im only 13, but i know were in an economic and an enviornmental crises.
im not stupid.
but that totaly is....
and i got an idea about it:
and this is a totaly out there idea but i argue about it every day so here goes:
okay, what if we did comunity service instead of paying? we'd help the enviornment and the economy i hope.
i mean there are so many advantages!
a cleaner planet.
no people going under.
easier to be eco friendly.
umm.
well you get what im tring to say right?
happy to spit ball this on you.
:D
3. What is truely Green to the environment
For years since I first took interest in the environment and all related issues I come up with a question that I feel needs to be addressed. What is Truely Green To The Environment.
Over the years there has been many claims that we need to come up with solutions to save the environment on this little planet of ours. Many ideas have been thought out some have actually been set active on the proving ground known as " The Field ". For myself that is my classroom of sorts, I try to stay on a daily update on what's being done in design to safe guard the environment.
One matter I have wondered about is this concept called "Green", I see there are projects being put on the table and tested with a considerable amount of fan fair. An example of this are electric hybrids, electric cars, alternative fossil fuels, clean coal technology development, etc.
In my mind Green represents a practice that is safe for the environment, if a product has a low pollution factor why is that called Green when in fact its residual still is doing damage, logically I have concluded that true green development generates zero pollution levels and as well in design can remove any level of pollution from the environment completely.
4. Electric car batteries ...
There was a gentleman tonight who proposes battery exchange at the rate of $300.00 a month, $3,600.00 a year. I have never in my life spent that much money on fuel. It is apparent this idea is designed to increase the gap of the haves and have not's. Poor people once again will be left out. American GREED AT IT'S VERY FINEST. Why should an oil producer be the designated group to reap the profits from FREE RENEWABLE Resources ... Wind, Solar, Nucular.
5. Energy storage
As this might sound expensive the issue still prevails that the short fall we face is not in the production of electricity (free flowing electrons) but the transporting and storage of electricity/energy. I think the gentleman's names was Agassi, he was right, if we can get to a net metered delivery platform (individual direct use of electron capture to usage) then we will by pass the need to transport energy from the producer to the user. In this scenario the excess produced needs to either go to another device for again alternative use or storage. let me say this again, we do not have a energy production problem, we have a energy storage ( battery's, capacitors, smart systems ) and a power transporting problem; this is due to the fact that all the transmission delivery systems (utility lines) are maxed out.
Since the railroads have all the existing right-away, the quickest access to new delivery would be the merging of the rail and transmission industries in forming a joint venture, this would greatly reduce the cost of increasing the delivery of the new load source (increase production of power) and convert the diesel powered engines to electric power making both for a green right away and electric power.
Another issue is the greater the installation of Net Metered power the greater our National security becomes. The less reliant we are on long distance transmission the less affected we become from the variety of power-out issues.
Today, through the application of controlled temperature and pressure environments, we can turn all organic (carbon based products) (including plastic) into oil and gas. So the issue isn't producing more power or building platforms that deliver the power more efficiently,the issue is getting the embedded Industries to expanding their market share into high growth directions through the capital investment of implementing existing technology that is on the self waiting to be deployed.
We have been able to convert organic municipal sold waste into oil and gas since 1999; waste is our nations greatest resource.
Terry O'Malley, CEO
TOMA/PMI
6. Low cost energy
What we need is people, Gov to start doing it in effective ways. Here are some of mine and the low hanging, profitable fruit and why.
We already have all the space needed for most alt energy on our roofs, yards and parking lots. No real need to mess up virgin land in most cases. While a few things like geothermal, tidal/river power, ect may need special placements, wind and solar can be used in many areas that are where the power is used.
With simple conservation/eff improvements we can need 50% less energy is the best starting point, then home, small business who pay the most for energy should be the ones making it as they can profit the most.
Alt energy is spread out so not an Utility friendly power source and why they fight it. But it's perfect for small producers and they should be the ones getting help, education.
All we need is the cost effective equipment in real mass production which can be done at lower costs, under $4k/kw, than new coal, nuke costs, not even including their fuel cost.
We don't need more research, we need orders, production of cost effective windgens, solar thermal generators and insulating home shells to retrofit older homes, ect. The present 30% tax credits Obama, Dems already passed are enough.
EV batteries that give 200 mile range are already here and have been for 2 yrs but they have not had orders to ramp up production to lower costs because car companies won't build EV's. We had 100 mile range EV's in 1911 some that still use their original batteries, NiFE!
Even lead batteries can give 100 mile cost effective range if designed for it. I as many drive EV's every day but to get ours we had to build or convert our own!! Google EV Clubs or EV racing for more info or a club near you. The EV Killicycle does the 1/4 mile in 7.9sec, 168mph on $.01 of electricity!! So EV's can be fast, fun and still be green, eff.
A fairly good battery, NiMH patents were bought by Chevron stopping the RAV4EV production and stopping others from being started. Those sold for $45k now at 7-10 yrs old sell for $75k!!
None of these need new tech, just production, orders. Gov start up loans and equipment designs along with customer loans will make this happen fast. For about $8k/1000sq' of eff home buys the equipment to make solar/ wind power for it's lifetime saving the owner $100k or more. Done right could make money from the energy sales too.
Let's do this because otherwise energy costs will soar if not. Alt energy done right is the low cost energy and as no increasing fuel costs will stabilize energy prices by competetion.
By putting the full cost, subsidies of oil, coal in them with a 'carbon tax' instead of our income taxes, health care costs, ect will speed this up and keep $1T/yr here making jobs or it will go to Iran, Russia, oil dictators and terrorists. So Alt energy is also patriotic!!
Call your congressman, Obama and tell them to makes these happen, especially start up, equipment loans and carbon tax as it will cost much less in the short term even.