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Renewable Energy and Social Consciousness

By Craig Shields
December 30, 2009 | 5 Comments

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I was watching a short documentary on the 1960’s pop band The Mamas and the Papas, and I was struck by something lead singer Denny Dougherty said: "It was a time we all knew we were making a difference."

That’s quite a thought, isn’t it? There actually are times in history when the societal mood swings into apathy, when situations around us appear to be spiraling out of control, where social consciousness is at an ebb. By contrast, the beauty of the mid-to-late 1960s was that practically everyone felt empowered to change the world for the better.

So where are we now? As I've written at extensively 2GreenEnergy, I believe that the current zeitgeist contains a great deal of this feeling of empowerment – and I think our national—and international—discussion of the subject of energy is an important piece of proof of this.

The awareness of our challenges and our options with respect to energy policy is almost universal right now. Want proof? Eavesdrop on a few randomly chosen cocktail party conversations during this holiday season; you won’t have to travel far around the living-room rug to come across discussions of global climate change, the impact of developing countries, electric transportation, disappearing rain forests, carbon tax, and the impact we all have one another in this ever-shrinking world.

I know there are some powerful and ruthless people whose motives contain not a whit of concern for the health and safety of the people of the world, nor for the quality of the world they would leave to their descendents. But I think they have their work cut out for them if they think – given this cultural circumstance -- that they can blithely carve up our mountains and ruin our skies and oceans. Atrocities that could have been swept under the rug a few years ago will simply not fly in today’s interconnected and information-rich world. The sheer intensity of the debate, the raw numbers of people who care – together with the maturation of renewable energy technologies and the consequent lowering of costs – have conspired against the oil and coal companies to such a degree that I have to think they are truly on their way out.

We really do make a difference.

Best wishes, everyone, for a fantastic 2010.

Bioenergy, Geothermal Energy, Green Power, Hydropower, Hydrogen - Fuel Cells, Ocean Energy, Solar Energy, Wind Power, Energy Efficiency

The information and views expressed in this blog post are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of RenewableEnergyWorld.com or the companies that advertise on this Web site and other publications. This blog was posted directly by the author and was not reviewed for accuracy, spelling or grammar.

5 Reader Comments

Comment
1 of 5

kennediesmith

December 31, 2009

According to the BBMG Conscious Consumer Report, nearly nine out of every ten Americans consider themselves to be "conscious consumers." These includes people who are more likely to buy from companies that manufacture energy efficient products (90%), promote health and safety benefits (88%), support fair labor and trade practices (87%), and commit to environmentally-friendly practices (87%). These consumers look beyond the traditionally desired attributes of low price and high quality to also consider how their purchases could impact the community and the environment.Camping food

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william-fitch-22587

December 31, 2009

Hi All:

OK, I will be the optimist...

The 1950's... Happy Days, Pleasantville and American Graffiti ... where one good family income meets the needs, no daycare and kids actually raised by their parents.... paradise for all... REALITY.. the Bikini Islands being evaporated by A-bomb and H-Bomb testing... The USA and Russia building H-Bomb arsenals sufficient to destroy the world 100 times over... The MIC maturing into its foundation for Global domination transparent to country outlines or politics and creating the underpinnings for an international banking system to control world conflict through the ownership of debt.... Korea testing ground.. and lets not forget burn hydrocarbon burn....
The 1960's ...the Beatles from across the Atlantic.. Woodstock... man getting in touch with his true philosophical and environmental side through a new discovery with nature... Love everywhere...ooo.ooo... REALITY..Poppy, Coca plants, Marijuana and lets not forget Lysergic acid diethylamide. Man discovers a new reality by checking out of it... New business and money lending strategies being matured for a new era of global expansion (IMF, WTO-GATT, etc..), MIC getting to test its latest weapons in Vietnam testing ground at the expense of 50+K USA citizens.. and of course burn hydrocarbon burn....
Fast forward to 2009 and the BBMG and how Americans consider themselves etc.. how about REALITY through where they really allocate their retail dollars in one word, WALLMART.. so much for green and quality... and lets not ever say that Americans "Green" consciousness by the numbers, starts and stops at the pump price... Man is genetically engineered to function in small groups of a dozen or so... this engineering took hundreds of thousands of years to form man as he exists today... so how can he EVER expect to function in a sustainable fashion with units being defined at a country level of millions of people and cities of thousand of people.... we are small village oriented...
Wait.....I thought this was suppose to be optimistic...... oh well, forget all that history and...
Happy New Year....

.....Bill

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StephenLacey

January 5, 2010

Kennedie -- it's interesting that people say they are energy-aware consumers, but most of them probably make bad choices anyway. We all think we're above-average drivers too :)

That's not to get down on other people too hard. There is awareness of these issues, as Craig says. But unfortunately, a lot of people think they can save the world by buying a t-shirt made from recycled plastic from Wal-Mart....

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phil-manke-79191

January 6, 2010

Remember those reps that did not rep your needs in senate and congress and vote them out and a more honest one in, if they are running.
By maintaining the will for improvement on the home front and nationally and state levels we are making a difference. Life savings invested in RE gives me a warm feeling and a warm body too. Had I invested in money profit only schemes I would be lost in greed spirals with no improvement of my life support net basis.
Remember, only those species that leave their environment in better condition for the next generation will get to survive. NO exceptions, because you are a teacher, and teaching with everything you do. Never doubt it. Evolve. Happy new year!

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johnoyebanji

January 11, 2010

Craig,
Sincerely, many are confused about the truth or otherwise of climate change and are now adding that 'it is all for the money'. I have always responded however that there is no denying the world's need for a cleaner source of energy. Perhaps the proliferation of fossil fuel powered homestead generators around me in the light of the national grid's inadequacy makes the dirtiness of oil so obvious.

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