Vision For Canada

Unfortunatly the editors cut off the important bit and you would have to wade thrugh all the commentry on Garths blog to find the origional. It is the following that I find "interesting" and would like to discuss with "brain" and others, I agree with the general premise of the piece but have some issues with the detail which is why I was hoping for this thoughtfull individual to join us here!<br />
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He said........<br />
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We know that with peak oil, peak coal and natural gas, wasteful consumption and growing populations worldwide along with nations like China and India industrializing, that something has to give. An empirical driven war for Iraqi and Iranian oil won’t help. <br />
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So what will work? What are the solutions? <br />
- We can stop deforestation by using building materials that are found onsite reducing the energy used in shipping and manufacturing. ADOBE homes. Homes built simply with sub soils compressed with hydraulics on site. And they don’t look half bad! Search it online, folks. Familiarize. Encourage cradle to grave materials for home construction, onsite building supplies to reduce the costs of shipping and energy consumption, as well as slow deforestation. These homes will outlast wooden homes, are far cheaper to build, and are an energy saver like no other considering the alternative resources to build and energy consumption related in construction, as well as energy density that fits well with geo thermal loop and heat to water to air conventional heating… far more efficient and solar heating is so viable. We can now build an green energy efficient home for the same cost as an ordinary bungalow that’s being built now. We just don’t know it. The feds have to get the facts out, and heavily look into geothermal loop grants for existing and future homes. <br />
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- We can introduce energy efficiency measures to save on electricity in every way imaginable by focusing on efficiency in appliances, lighting and the use of timers for heating car block heaters, christmas lights, the works. Yes, it will take regulations. Yes, it will take years and co-operation with manufacturing giants such as china to get it done. Its the little things, folks. Its top down with government policy sure, but its also bottom up. We as individuals simply must do our share. <br />
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- We need government policy that introduces one of two things. A crown corporation that competes where private industry cannot in two areas. Mass geothermal, and solar refractive light. For those who aren’t sure what refractive light is, its magnified light with single, double or triple lenses and mirrors that concentrates the suns energy to heat to steam to power. The drawback to this, of course, is that with the FTA agreement Mulroney introduced in the 80’s, crown corps cannot be started without economical penalties. I say do it anyways. Pay the penalties if FTA can’t be renegotiated. But in a time when U.S. currencies are flirting with dropping below the loonie, FTA’s will be renegotiated. Thats in the pipe, folks. Guaranteed! And not just Canada that needs this technology, but the world. Some things simply aren’t about the money but rather, the result. <br />
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- Further to a new NEP, we need to seriously look at subsidies for geothermal loops in the basements of all dwellings in this nation, along with the conversion of heat to water to air furnaces as opposed to so called energy efficient heat to air furnaces most homes use and we need to look at it now. Heat to water to air is by far, more efficient. Its a shame that consumers aren’t made aware of the massive savings by doing so. Water is so unique in holding energy… exploit it! <br />
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- We need to introduce tech that allows the private generation of electricity of hydro for residential needs across this nation and we need it now. <br />
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- We need to demand greater energy efficiency in cars and trucks, mandating a 35 mile to the gallon average from manufacturers, or we won’t allow the imports of their autos and trucks. Immediately!!! The savings in healthcare alone… we need to start telling auto manufacturers what to build, not let the oil companies make government and manufacturing decisions as it has been. The corruption has to stop. <br />
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- We need to look at a refractive light tech crown corp, as well as a geothermal crown with a plan to develop the tech and spin 50% of it off into the markets with a ten to twenty year plan. If mass scale pilots work with geothermal alone, the power generated across the pac rim alone will be enough to solve our electrical needs world wide and if enough juice can be generated, implement a plan to have all transportation run on electricity. I believe the potential exists to power all electrical needs on the pac rim. <br />
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- We need to harness energy in every way imaginable. In Newfoundland, exploit the tides with tidal generation. In the prairies, exploit the wind and sun. In the mountains, exploit the runoff with pipes catching the runoff drops to run pressure driven turbines, never mind dams. We are missing out on a further 40% electric generation potential by not doing so. I’ve worked it out! (was a pet project 3 years ago) With solar, exploit it everywhere, but seriously look at refractive light above all other means. Its a cheap and hugely efficient form of heat and with water’s capability of storing energy temps as well as steam driven power, it doesn’t take much imagination from there. Steam has made inroads with 40% efficiency. Exploit it on all scales big and small!!! <br />
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- Where conventional energy used for electricity is still needed or viable, we need to further increase its efficiency. We are losing on average 2/3rds of the heat from loss in turbines with big power generation, and a further two thirds of energy loss from the transport of raw power through power lines. Plants need to be moved or built as close to populations and electrical consumption as possible, as well as be revamped for much greater efficiency than they have now. As it is, we are losing close to 90% of the energy we produce with the conversion of heat to power and transportation of power itself. Folks, its a loser and it has to stop!!! WE NEED TO REGULATE FOR GREATER EFFICIENCY. PERIOD!!! Enough of this sorry assed waste and if regulations get to costly, corporations should be subsidized to make the move with a long term plan to phase out the use of conventional energy and allow existing energy companies to buy into green energy crowns over time to wipe out shareholder fears and keep market share value intact. Continued reliance of conventional energy is what is taking nations down with the U.S. as a primary example. Its happening as we speak. Enough corporate brainwashing that money is in consumption. There’s money in efficiency, folks!!! Lets get with it! <br />
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- Insurance companies can do their share. Cheaper insurance with homes made of earth instead of wood. We can build homes that don’t burn, now. Cheaper car and truck insurance with vehicles that have better mileage. We need government incentives to promote this to initially occur and if we can’t bribe insurance corps to do it, force them through legislation and have it priced in to offset any losses. (shouldn’t be hard for the commercial crowns that already exist) Pass wasteful consumption onto the consumer through insurance. <br />
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- We need to help our farmers through tax breaks or grants to help farmers develop their own bio fuels on site. (thats a big one, folks, if there’s a gas or diesel crunch, people still need to eat!) I noted Virginia Simpson (love her posts, by the way) critiqued such an initiative, but the reality is that earth moving equipment and tractors can’t be run on anything but piston power for now, likely for the next 30 to 40 years. The same goes with planes (trains… thats another story) To eliminate the need to transport conventional fuels, biofuels can be manufactured by farms onsite and farmers should be encouraged to grow a percentage of their crops specifically for biofuel. There are misconceptions out there in terms of the energy input to produce biofuels. Its viability begins with growing the right crops for maximum energy and consuming energy on site where needed. <br />
The bottom line with diesel consumption is this. We should have a plan that restricts diesel consumption in the long term to heavy payload transport where it is impossible to take heavy payload’s off the grid. <br />
<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/01/18/biofuels-layzell.html">http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/01/18/biofuels-layzell.html</a><br />
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- We need to look at remote area’s like site C in BC for generating clean power through hydro for the manufacturing of Hydrogen. We need to study the feasibility of infrastructure changes and associated budget costs to see how viable a conversion to hydrogen really is, compared to electrical transport. Places like BC are full of isolated area’s where hydrogen can be manufactured with electricity that can be created in abundance onsite with fresh water runoff and generated power to produce hydrogen, but is too small scale to produce power due to the amounts of electricity generation combined with too high of an expense to transport electricity through lines and thus, isn’t viable. Elevations need to seriously be looked at with hydrogen generated potential, as global warming is for real. <br />
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- Have I missed anything? Yes! WE NEED TO DEMAND THIS FROM OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND MAKE IT A TOP ISSUE IN EVERY ELECTION TO COME AT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT. Its not just top down, but bottom up, folks. It starts with the consumer and always begins with a paradigm shift in awareness. Don’t ever forget it. <br />
<p>---<br>When you are up to your ass in alligators it is difficult to remember that the initial objective was to drain the swamp

I was one of the first Administrators for an Internet Service Provider in Western Canada and at one point years ago I was working for a provider on Salt Spring Island and had a home service call for an important customer RE: Randy Bachman of Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive fame. Upon arriving at his address for his house I noticed that there was something about it as I was shown around and after several minutes and rooms with a view it was told to me that it was made of rammed earth! It was a fantastic place and I was also told that there were quite a few others around apparently it is an old idea and they were refered to as Cob Houses!