an alternative: sustaining

The economy has seemed to hit the bottom around the world and seemingly keeps plummeting. It seems to be the biggest issue on everyone’s mind and that is clear as the election is right around the corner. The economy is always the biggest determiner in electing a president though. So, what about the rest of it? Specifically, I am thinking about alternative energies. About a year to six months ago when gas prices were much higher than they are today people all of a sudden wanted to find an alternative or better ways to use energy; whether that was in cars, businesses, or even towns. With that came the awareness of eating organic, not using plastic bags, etcetera. Once again though, these ideas have been thrown to the wayside as a mere fad. The greater good has been taken over once again by the greater me. I’m not saying do not look out for yourself. But on the other hand we are really talking about serious issues of sustainability.

The issue of energy independence keeps coming up. The U.S. uses a lot of oil. I mean a lot of oil. This issue is beyond drilling off-shore and in Alaska. It isn’t just about finding alternatives. Although in some cases it is. The alternatives can be as simple as creating automobiles that use less gasoline, more mpg, or practical cars that don’t even use gasoline. Unless the U.S. completely changes its mode of transportation we will always be in some way dependent on cars in some form or another. What else? How about wind and solar power. Yes, they are expensive for one individual or family, but when money is pooled together say in taxes it can be used for towns, states, and the country for wind and solar.

The only problem is that the market isn’t ready for it. With the economy down, the last thing on people’s mind is finding alternatives, when just fixing the crisis is at the forefront. But we cannot forget about sustainability in the midst of crisis. Living in a community that is more sustainable in fact in the long run will be stronger and more prepared for crisis after crisis.