19 November 2008

My First Note to the Obama Team

Today I received an e-mail (along with thousands of others) from the Obama Transition team asking to watch a video of a meeting that took place with his team for Energy and Environment. It also asked the reader to send a message to the team (which you can do here.). My message went something like this (thought it was a bit shorter, I think):

Before attempting to make renewables a large portion of our answer to energy dependence, we must encourage all Americans to do their part. Asking--or requiring--Americans to make small energy efficiency changes to their homes, or even larger renovations to make the home better insulated, will be the most effective way to increase the "net effect" of renewable energy. By decreasing dependence on energy producers we will be able to make renewables go much farther.

In order to make renewables the most effective we will need to improve infrastructure--transport lines for this new kind of energy--and also change the rules for homeowners. Incentives for solar (PV) power are a good start, but we must mandate "net metering" so investments in solar panels will allow a homeowner, if creating excess energy, to inject that energy into the grid and receive payment for that energy. This payment should be EQUAL to what utilities charge their customers--a 1 for 1 trade that will make entrepreneurs out of homeowners...increasing their homes energy efficiency, purchasing solar panels to create enough energy for the home, and even creating more energy to make money back on their investment.

The transportation of energy will need to be improved to meet the needs of a new energy future, but the transportation of people will be a required investment in order to change the way that people live, move and interact. We need to be able to look towards the larger cities--the New York City's, London's, Paris'--cities that are changing the game by offering public transit, dense, mixed-use urban environments and even free bicycles. No, most American cities are not going to be these cities, or can find logic in mimicking the development of these large cityscapes. But, we can take these ideas and adapt them to the local environment. It's not just about making cars more fuel efficient. It is about reducing the amount of cars on the roads, decreasing the number of trips taken solo in a car and making the need for a car unnecessary.

We have to re-think the way that we create energy, use energy and get outside of the box as to what the future holds. The future is here, it is time to start developing new ways to sustainably live in this challenging world.

For more on this check out this article:
Energy at a Tipping Point Part 1: A Conversation with Worldwatch's Chris Flavin

05 November 2008

Obama Wins!

It is an amazing time in our country's history. The political landscape is changing, and a record number of Americans participated in this change. We must work together to achieve greatness--no longer can we battle for only "our" side...because we are all on the same side.