Solar Calendar, Glass Condo and Oil Tar
Will Large Deposits of Oil Sands and Tar Shale Supply Needed Fossil Fuel?
Don Ames
We don’t normally hear about Canada when the conversation turns to oil. Canada is a long way from Saudi Arabia. However, if the conversation is about tar sands, Canada is at the center of attention because of the large deposits found there. People are getting excited at the prospect of having a new and relatively untouched supple of oil that does not have to be loaded on a large ship. Has Canada struck gold or fools gold?
At the center of the fools gold rush is the reality of what it takes to turn a pile of sand tar into usable fuel. Like coal, tar sand is dirty and the mining and processing releases large quantities of CO2. Just to clean the air of the CO2 could cost as much as $500 per ton of carbon. Canada, don’t get too excited, sensible people may decide that it makes good sense to leave the tar sand in the ground.
Two New Bubble Boys:
Take two shipping containers, cut the sides out and replace with real strong tempered glass. Furnish each container in the manner of a small one room house. Find two unsuspecting young men that need to make a few bucks and have them live, one in each container. Set one home up as an energy efficient home and set the other up as a not so efficient home. Wire both boxes ( homes ) with gauges, meters and gadgets that measure the energy usage of each home ( box ). Ask one resident to live the lifestyle of Ed ( living like Ed ) Begley Jr. and one to live the lifestyle of Oprah Winfrey.
Place the two homes side by side and invite the public over to look in the windows. Each cube ( condo ) provides simulated consumption readings that allows the public to see the difference in the energy use when comparing energy efficient living to inefficient and wasteful living. Oprah should know better.
Energy Efficiency, Sexy and Fun
Remember the skin calendar for sale at the counter of your local 7-11 that featured prominent men in the community that took their clothes off and stood behind farm machinery? We kind of looked the other way, because it was for a good cause. Well, it looks like energy efficiency is trying to get in on the action. However, it appears that a new calendar aimed at taking efficiency to a new audience may have removed some of the farm machinery.
The idea behind the new Renewable Girls Calendar is to shine a new, hip and happy, light on energy conservation and make it more everyday fun. Once again, I think this calendar should be recognized for supporting a good cause and having the good sense to feature pretty girls instead of weathered old plump farmers. If it takes a skin tight calendar to make some people clean their glasses and see the need for energy conservation, then I’m all for it.
Hope somebody gets me an efficient shipping container with a very efficient calendar…I’ll leave the LED lights on. Don Ames