Most of our energy in this country is derived from coal.  Coal, a fossil fuel created from the remains of plants that lived and died about 100 to 400 million years ago, is primarily used for electricity in the United States.  Coal is a nonrenewable energy source; it takes millions of years to form, and the U.S. currently has only 285 years worth of coal left if we continue to burn it at our current rate.  The use of coal creates huge environmental concerns.   Mining coal is dangerous and expensive work and the mining process destroys the surrounding ecosystem.  In addition, coal contains organic sulfur which, when burned, is released into the air, contributing to acid rain and global warming.   Coal-burning power plants are a significant contributor to global warming.  Because of this knowledge, alternatives are slowly being created.  If you live in the DC Metro area and get your power from PEPCO, you can elect to receive either a portion or all of your electricity from clean-burning wind energy.  Energy produced from wind farms is wind- and fuel-free.  It is only pennies more expensive than traditional coal-derived energy.  Signing up is very easy!   Click here for more information on how to get clean-burning, wind energy. 

Solar power has the potential to be a virtual cure-all to our dependence on fossil fuels, but the cost of producing the number of solar panels to harness that energy has made solar power cost-prohibitive.   However, the National Center for Solar Energy (NCSE) near Sde Boker, Israel, has developed a method for harnessing solar power that will, for the first time, compete with conventional energy sources, such as coal.   The scientists at this center have developed a new solar technology that is so efficient that the cost of converting the sun’s rays into energy will be negligible.

The type of solar panels commonly used contain silicon, making the production cost of such panels very expensive.  These panels change light into electricity and then store that light.  According to the Director of the NCSE, the new technology developed by NCSE uses a parabola-shaped glass plate that not only absorbs light but also focuses that light on one central point.  As a result, their technology is able to extract a thousand times more energy than traditional solar panels, resulting in a product that is 1,500 times less.   NCSE is in talks with Zenith Solar to create a home system of solar cells based on this new technology. 

We could make great strides in reducing dependency on foreign oil and greenhouse gas emissions if we all just hopped on bicycles each day instead of getting into our cars.  More cities than ever are creating bicycle lanes, installing public-use bicycle racks, and passing legislation that makes it safer than ever to bike.  DC, where I live, is a prime example of this new trend.  Under DC’s current master plan, the city is supposed to have 40 miles of new bike lanes striped by the end of 2007 (of course, there are some problems with implementing this master plan). 

As someone who has used just about every bike lane in the city and surrounding suburbs, I can attest to the benefits of bike lanes.  Bike lanes and sharrows (see pictures) are essential for safe cycling.  Contact your local legislators and city council members and tell them that bike lanes and sharrows are critical infrastructure that will help reduce traffic, obesity, and pollution. 

 If you’ve never cycled before and want to start, begin by visiting your local bike store and finding a bike that’s right for you.  Be sure to purchase a bike that matches the kind of riding you’ll be doing.  There are plenty of stores that carry used bikes.  Some of my favorite local bike stores include

• College Park Bikes (College Park, MD)
• Proteus Bicycles (College Park, MD)
  
• Silver Cycles (Silver Spring, MD)
• The Bicycle Place (Silver Spring, MD)
• City Bikes (Chevy Chase, Adams Morgan)
• Capitol Hill Bikes
  

 Finally, check out your local bicycling advocacy group.  The Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA) is a great source of information for cyclists in the DC-metro region
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GM might have helped kill the first electric car but it does appear that they are trying to rectify their past wrong-doings.  Or maybe they have witnessed the exploding success of the Toyota Prius and want to get in on the action.   I don’t think they are incredibly sincere about saving the environment (after all, they still manufacture the Hummer), but the Chevy Volt, a versatile hybrid vehicle, does offer promise.

To get updates and inside information on the Chevy Volt, check out this blog - www.gm-volt.com.  

Tim Flannery presents a detailed scientific account of the effects of human activities on our entire ecosystem.  This book is a must-read for understanding the science and hard data behind the science of climate change.  www.theweathermakers.ca/

Critical Mass is a movement of bicycles through the streets, an "unorganized coincidence."  It’s a movement against the use of fossil fuels, for the environment, and for the support of safe cycling on streets.   Critical Mass events take place on every continent except Antarctica and are growing steadily.   Just show up to show your support!

Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed - In this long look at history, Jared Diamond warns us of the mistakes past societies and civilizations made when they failed to heed warnings that they were depleting their natural resources and destroying their environment.  Told through short stories involving multiple and diverse societies that ultimately collapsed, Diamond presents through history what could become reality for us if we don’t change our approach to living on Earth.

Winning the Oil Endgame - This amazing independent synthesis looks at our current oil dilemma from an economic perspective.  It examines the problems we have created for ourselves by depending heavily on and profitting off of  oil, as well as the myriad of solutions that exist at our very fingertips.  The thing I really like about this book is that the authors examine the less obvious costs associated with oil consumption, such as job loss, depletion, military conflicts, and the compromised stability of markets in other countries.