Friday, February 15, 2008

The 1st Post Always Runs in Circles and Makes Me Dizzy

The first post of a new blog can be, for me, rather intimidating. It's a psychological speed bump that takes a bit of effort to surmount but after a few erasures and back spaces (and a nice pint of Dale's Pale Ale) the post comes out just fine. So here we go...

The Denver Sun Sponge is what it says in the title bar up top there, but it may also be more than just commentary on renewable energies from a local and sometimes national perspective. (Of course, having too many themes, I run the risk of diluting the impact of this blog. Hopefully this thing won't get too out of control for you folks. If it does then please, dear reader, bring me back into line, in the comments section.) To further clarify the mission statement, I'll have to get a bit personal. As I get older and crazier, I am becoming more cognizant of my impact on my immediate environment. At the same time, this cognizance is also expanding to a more global perspective. For example, I am not only concerned about the energy consumption in my house or while driving my car to work, but I am beginning to become aware of where things like food, clothing, and toys are made and how they make the journey into my hands. So, an over-arching theme of localization may sprout from this blog. Think local food and energy production and then let your imagination riff on it. You can call me weird, or a dirty effin' hippie, or a communist (all terms attributed to me by various conservative minded entities over the years) but it really has nothing to do with political philosophy or economics or whether or not I wear patchouli. It has everything to do with accumulating as much knowledge as we can about ourselves and our environment and most importantly leaving this crazy and wonderful planet somehow better off than we found it. Is that really too much to ask of myself and of anybody else? Let me know! Feedback is king.

So with that, and for better or for worse, the Denver Sun Sponge begins...

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Wishful Thinking

*Before adding PV, wind, or solar thermal to your residential or commercial structure, the first step is to analyze this structure's energy consumption through a professional energy audit. I'd like to see some public education on the importance of an energy audit for any structure. Remember Smokey the Bear's forest fire shtick drilled into our heads over the last few decades? How about something like, "Henry the House" desperately wanting to know how much energy he consumes and wastes throughout the day?

*With over 300 sunny days a year on the Front Range is it too much to ask for solar PV and thermal modules on every residential and commercial unit (after an energy audit of course)?


*How about affordable plug-in electric cars that go more than 100 miles on a charge with PV and wind powered recharging stations?

*Dreaming of companies large and small adopting business sustainability practices to maximize profits, reduce their carbon footprint, and enhance the lives of their employees and the communities that surround them.

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