Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009 - (Page 4)

SLDT OUR VOICE Energy Savings Accounts It appears that people have discovered the value of saving. For years, the numbers have shown that our national savings rate was extremely low as people chose lines of credit over the pay-asyou-go lifestyle of generations past. The current financial crisis appears to have altered that trend as people realize a need to set aside a portion of what they make as a hedge against a potential loss of personal income. What if we applied that savings concept to our deposits of fossil fuels? Why not treat them as energy savings accounts, and rather than spend them fast as we can, we slow down that expenditure as part of a smarter energy future? The odds of us totally abolishing the use of fossil fuels near term in favor of alternative sources like wind, solar, geothermal and renewable fuels, are not good. The development of these alternatives needs to be accelerated and brought online to become the primary energy sources of the future. However, fossil fuels will continue to be the low-hanging fruit for energy consumption, and that is the problem. After it’s all picked, we’ll face a tough climb to the next tier of alternative resources if we don’t find ways to slow the pace of the easy picking. Fuel prices have fallen like a rock off a cliff since the days of $4-5 gasoline less than a year ago. Nobody really wants to think about the fact that they will jump back up as soon as the world economy picks up. They’ve dropped primarily due to lower demand around the world caused by the financial crisis. Natural gas prices will continue to go up because it is increasingly the fuel of choice to power electric generation plants. It is cleaner burning than coal. Coupled with its use for home heating and industrial production, its value will also go up significantly. As for coal, while very abundant, it is by far the most environmentally polluting of the fossil fuels. Though the economically viable technology to make it the “clean” source that many envision is still not here, I believe it will be developed because of coal’s abundance and availability, especially in this country. So where does that leave us? It begins with efficient use of our existing energy sources to make them last as long as possible as alternatives are developed and brought online. It just makes sense. If you lose your primary source of income, would you spend every dime you have set aside as fast as you can? Or would you look for ways to efficiently use your savings until you find a new source of income? As we work our way out of this financial crisis, I believe that the current, public mindset for saving can also be addressed to energy. It will make sense to people. They can relate to the concept. They well remember the days of running up debt with excessive spending. They will relate to what it feels like to have no credit and mounting bills with nothing to fall back on. In the end, it’s a matter of balance and moderation. People will eventually put less into savings and spend more, which will fire up the economy. People like nice things and that won’t change. Likewise, in the case of these energy savings accounts— deposits of fossil fuels—we’re not going to stop using them and shift immediately to alternatives. But we can make them last longer and be a little tighter with every withdrawal. SLDT Rob Kundert, Senior Editor We welcome your feedback Reader responses to articles in Sustainable Land Development Today are encouraged and may be sent via mail or email (Editor@SLDTonline.com), or online through SLDTonline.com. Mailing address: Sustainable Land Development Today, Attention: Editor, 275 East 10th St. Suite 201, Dubuque, IA 52001 4 March 2009 Sustainable Land Development Today http://www.SLDTonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009

Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009 Contents Our Voice: Energy Savings Accounts Mining the Sewers for On-site Reuse Modern Flood Disasters The Financial Challenge of Leed® Technology: Opportunities Exist to Buy in Now SLDI In Focus: A Look Inside Calendar of Events Energy: Solar Power on Rails Industry News Products & Services The Bottom Line: Green Lending – Class G Advertiser Index Editorial Board SLDT Resources Last Word: Not All Gloom & Doom

Sustainable Land Development Today - March 2009

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