"Lovvy,
there's plenty of oil,
and if there's not, we'll buy some more!"
Sustainability,
or something else?
The
current economic crisis is largely a result of our excessive dependence
on fossil fuels, and petroleum in particular, without regard to its
origin. In other words, it doesn't matter if it's foreign or
domestic, we are addicted to oil and we are already paying a heavy
price for it and wil continue to do so.
Peak oil and climate change are interelated
because they are two sides of the same coin. Our dependence
on
fossil fuels has resulted in dramatic impacts on the
environment.
I've always found sustainability an ambiguous term, but even
more than that, it's very limited and
narrow in scope. It doesn't fully imply the scope of
possibilities
outside of the narrow role of consumerism that so many people have
limted themselves to.
The
best definition of sustainability that
I have come across was penned by John Ehrenfeld in his bookSustainability
by Design,
where he
writes, sustainability is "the
possibility that
human and other life will flourish on the planet forever."
It's short, succinct and complete. I also like it
because
it implies there are alternatives to the mass consumption society that
we currently live in.
Sustainability
is a state of existence
characterized by an equilibrium between the organization and its
environment, whether it be a corporation, government or an individual.
The entity does not generate excess waste that
cannot be absorbed by the environment, nor does it use resources
faster than they can be renewed by the environment.
To
me sustainability means having the least amount of impact on the
environment, and while I'm certainly not a purist I believe
sustainability is a balancing act between living well without causing
environmental degradation. Quality versus
quantity. Sustainability
means recognizing we are not separate from the earth but actually an
intricate part of the earth, neither dominant nor subservient.
It means recognizing that we cannot survive without the earth
no matter how much technology we develop.
Natural
Gas depletion - Natural
gas is a finite, non-renewable resource that we have become extremely
dependent on for space and water heating purposes. Over 50%
of
all single family homes in the US are heated with natural gas.
Natural
gas companies do not dispute the finite nature of the resource,
however, they do contend there are several decades of supply
available. That probably depends on how much wilderness we're
willing to spoil in order to develop it. The following graphs
illustrate our extremely precarious dependence on this so-called
'green' energy. While Canada provides
about 15% of
our
natural gas supplies, that accounts for nearly 50% of their production.
Eventually they will start keeping more of their own production.
One can readily discern from the following
graphs that we are approaching a cliff in natural gas production and
it isn't decades away.
Graph
1
Graph 2
Graph
3Graph
4Graph
5
Click
to enlarge
Graph
1 illustrates the concept of Energy
Return on
Energy Invested (EROEI). The amount of natural gas recovered
from drilling operations in Canada has steadily declined over the past
8 years. By 2015 the amount of energy recovered from drilling
for natural gas in North America will be 1 to 1, or a 'breakeven'
point. EROEI is very important concept to consider when
evaluating different energy development projects. The three
remaining graphs illustrate global reserves, US consumption, Canadian
exploratory drilling efforts and global natural gas production.
This report
is an assessment of the long-term natural gas needs for the State of
Oregon, conducted by the Oregon Department of Energy at the request of
Governor Kulongoski.
The push to
develop LNG ports in Oregon has
multiple implcations. LNG is very environmentally destructive
and very problematic because it presents tremendous ecological
and security risks. Even if LNG ports are approved and
developed, their impact is at least ten years away.
Meanwhile, the price of natural gas is not likely to stabilize or go
back to their historic levels any time soon. Natural gas is
also a fossil fuel that contributes to global warming.
Geo-exchange heat pumps with no direct greenhouse gas emissions are a
viable alternative for space heating and cooling purposes.
For more information on LNG visit LNG
Pollutes or Columbia
River Keeper.
Global
Oil production
The imminent or possibly even recent peak of global oil production
presents a whole different set of issues which I will not even begin to
try and address to any significant degree, except to say that we're
going to have to do a lot
more things locally in the future. Oil prices have surged to record
levels in recent months and how much speculation has to do
with it is
pretty much irrelevant because demand in China is the primary driving
force behind global prices. This obviously has a huge impact
on the average American in terms of mobility, but heating oil prices
this winter will likely experience substantial increases.
The US
comprises less than 5% of global
population, yet consumes 25% of global oil production. We can
only sustain such a situation
through
military means, which has been our motus operandi for the past 50
years. Unless we're talking about geothermal energy we cannot
drill our way to energy
independence within our own borders or off-shore, regardless of how
much we
try. The Arctic
Reserves, Bakkan Formation or off-shore oil fields are not going to
provide us with the
difference between our demand and the available supply. Car
culture is the problem, not the solution because we will not simply
replace 300 million combustion vehicles with 300 million
electric/hybrid vehicles. We don't have the infrastructure or
resources to do that. We need to completely reorganize or
communities and our culture to be more walkable with mass transit as
well as bike-friendly.
Please refer to the Links page for
more
info on the issue of peak oil.
Capitalism
-
simple graphic
illustrating our dependence on petroleum. The only thing
missing from this picture is the fact that we don't really manufacture
much of anything in the US anymore, except for bizarre
financial instruments and military
armaments. It's mostly imported from Asia.
Reduce
your and
your ,
with
a geothermal heat
pump.
National
Geographic's
comprehensive
online guide to sustainable living - The
Green Guide
- check it out.
Peak
Oil Speeches & Presentations (requires
RealPlayer or Quick TIme)
This is
the house that
my partner and I purchased in November 2006. It's a typical
house that you might find any where
in the Northwest or any other part of the country for that
matter. It's a 3 bedroom,
2.5 bath with
approximately 1,800 square feet of living area that was built in 1999
so it's reasonably well insulated. 'Sealing the envelope' is
one of the most important things a homeowner can do to ensure energy
efficiency. Of course this doesn't mean comprimising indoor
air quality.
We
like it but the
80% efficiency gas furnace with gas-fired water heater
are not
really
'sustainable' for reasons elaborated on
earlier. In
the future we plan to install a
geothermal heating and cooling system. Reducing our
dependence on
fossil fuels and moving towards becoming a net-zero energy house are
the long-terms goals for us.
Things that we have
done around the house to live
more sustainably:
Signed up for 'green power' program
through
local utility.
Started using 'solar' clothes dryer,
occasionally
Installed rain barrels for storm
water
retention, as well as a rain garden
Gradually increasing
attic insulation from 7 (R-21)
inches to 15 inches (R-38)
Replaced most incandescents with
CFL's
Creating edible landscape with lots
of fruit
trees
Installed
ceiling fans to improve circulation
Insulated garage
door
with foamboard
Installed
custom-made insulated window blinds to reduce solar gain in the summer.
These significantly reduce the solar gain on really hot days.
I purchased a power-saver device that
will shorten the phase of the electricity that comes in through the
circuit breaker box. By reducing the phase it allows
electrical
appliances to operate more efficiently and thereby reduce your
consumption as well. By reducing consumption it is possible
to
reduce your electric bill. By reducing our electric bill, we,
of
course, reduce our expenses. These savings can be immediately
returned back into further improving the sustainability of the home.
Alternatively, if I'm not planning immediate improvements I
can
invest my money until I'm ready. The stock market, a bank's
savings account, using Mozo
term deposits to find the right
CD, or even
an IRA are all ways to put your money on hold. I hope to have
more information on reducing consumption and saving money in the next
few weeks.
After running a solar calculator several times I came to the
conclusion that solar panels would take about 40 years or more to pay
off. Unless there is a dramatic breakthrough that reduces the
cost of solar panel manufacturing to make them more affordable we'll be
using the
renewable
power program through the local utility.
Until we can get motion detectors installed I'll
have to drive my partner crazy by turning off the lights all
the time; even when she's 'coming right back'.
I like the idea of installing a 'green switch' in the future
to reduce our phantom load but the payback is quite likely
very
long. The systems can run a couple thousand but
they will probably save 10-15% per month. A Power Saver would
cost much less and provide just as much in savings. It's
often
very
difficult
to balance green 'objectives' with green 'realitie$'.
In the near future we plan to
install
our own geothermal
heat pump system. Due to the size and
configuration of the property, it will likely require a
vertical
ground loop or a horizontal boring system. A
conventional horizontal system requires more land
area than vertical, and we only have about 7500 sf.
Ultimately, the goal is to transform it
in
to a 'zero
net-energy' house. This is the state where we are producing
as much energy as we are
using. Achieving a neutral energy production/consumption
balance will be very difficult because some people have an aversion to
turning things off when they're not using them.
I hope to incorporate many other energy
efficiency
items in the future.
Green Energy Solutions - green energy for a green planet.
Do
a day, to become
more sustainable.
Take
the
Footprint Quiz!
Disclaimer:
This website does not make any claims of expertise on the subject or
theory of peak oil. We are not petroleum geologists and we do not have
a peak oil 'theory', and make no claim to know with any degree of
certainty any peak oil facts. We are not experts on peak oil survival
or the ramifications or consequences thereof; therefore we do not have
any advice about how to survive any prospective oil crash. We are aware
that there is a peak oil myth, but we are simply concerned about the
earth's ability to sustain current and future rates of oil production
in the face of increasing demand. We did not have any thing to do with
any peak oil report you may find on or through this site. We do not
know the date of the actual peak of global oil production. There are
links on this site where you can find out more about peak oil but we
are not affiliated with them. This site is simply one of many
places to find the latest news on peak oil theory. Many links lead to a
peak oil blog. For more about peak oil theory go to Hubbert Peak. There
is also an organization called the Association for the Study of Peak
Oil and Gas. We are not directly affiliated with either of these
organizations - and we may or may not support their ideas. We do
believe, in our heart of hearts, that there is going to be some kind of
peak oil crisis at some point in the future. But we don't
know when it will be.
and
your 
