6.01.2006

Summer Read #1


The 12th Edition of Solar Living Source Book is 564-pages of info that reads like a blueprint of hope. There is no doubt that most rational human citizens have a nervous eye on the gas gauge when they commute to work these days. And many of us suffer a mild panic attack when the utility bills arrive in the mail. There is good reason for this. Growing societies are drinking from a finite reserve of petroleum, gas and coal resources.

It is always important to try and keep emotions at bay when one attempts a global understanding of the energy grid that powers the globe. For instance, I am not sure whether the concept of peak oil is entirely accurate. It is a geographical guessing game, flavored with science and politics. Will we ever know the exact amount of fossil fuels left on our planet? Probably not. But what stands out is the extreme record-breaking weather that seems to be occurring on regular basis. Monsoons, floods, droughts, hurricanes and melting ice caps seem to dominate the news. Hopefully it is affecting not just our daily lives, but our attitude, too.

The SLSB is at first, a tough nut to crack. This is because author John Schaffer has it all covered, and renewable energy is a complex subject. But if you consider yourself green, and by that I mean you try to limit your energy footprint, then this book is a must. Once you begin to grasp the philosophical approach to renewable technologies, you may find yourself eagerly dreaming about how you can apply them to your everyday life. Not only does the book explain the various aspects of solar, wind, and hydro power generation, but offers your a venue to purchase said items.

And even if you do not own a home or building, the book offers many optional solutions, on a much smaller scale. This is a great book for anybody interested in renewable energy and the future of our planet.

15 comments:

joy said...

Humans are really parisites as far as receding the natural resources of our world.

I'm surprised the animal havn't banned together to get us.

M-M-M-Mishy said...

My favourite is the people who think that the gas prices are outragous and it should be the government's responsibility to keep the prices low. Yeah... go figure that a non-replenishable resource that we are going through like crazy is actually getting more expensive as supply is diminishing.

I really want to see the new movie, An Inconvenient Truth. Its supposed to be very good.

This book sounds good too. But it would to a hippy like me.

prettykitty said...

getflix, this is just the sort of book i need for my future plans of moving away from the city, to the mountains, and living off the land. everyone i know thinks that is such a crazy concept and worse, they consider me a "city girl" which i'm not. i happened to have moved to a metropolis called los angeles that provided great opportunities. in the time that i have lived here, the population has almost tripled in size. it's astounding how bad the traffic has gotten, let alone the gas prices, yet people are still buying gas guzzling SUVs. i have started to ride my bike alot more rather than drive on the weekend and plan on using it to commute during the weekdays to meet clients, to run errands and pretty much as my main source of transportation.

thanks for the tip. i am going to check it out!

GetFlix said...

Joy, I think they just want to move in.

Mish, it's a little hippy, but mostly practical!

PrettyK, when I lived in NYC I used to bike everywhere! It was by far the fastest way to get around. Then it just came to the point where it was time to get back to the hills. I think you'll really like this book.

Prunella Jones said...

Get have you read any of Brian Fagan's books on the weather and climate? Really interesting stuff. I just have to shake my head as gas prices go up and up. I'm thankful I don't own a gas guzzling SUV. I hate them, having been rear ended by one a few years ago. The SUV didn't even have a dent but the little Saturn I was driving was totaled.

GetFlix said...

Pru I am amazed at the size of some of these vehicles. And even more shocked at the fact that single drivers commute everyday to work in them.

I am going to google Brian Fagan.

LA said...

Totally sounds like a must-read!

prettykitty said...

where do you live now, getflix? if you don't mind me asking? you don't have to get specific, just east coast, south, west coast?

GetFlix said...

LA, it's a great resource. The company is based in California.

Kitty, I live under Norm's deck. (Norm is outside of Boston.)

prettykitty said...

i went to boston once. there was this massive construction project downtown, with a huge hole in the middle of the city. it looked like it wouldn't be completed until 2025. is it still going on?

do you and norm ever go to visit grandma death? (for some reason that's the only thing i remember from donnie darko)

GetFlix said...

Kitty, I really don't actually get into Boston that much anymore, but the Big Dig, as it is nicknamed, is mostly finished.

As far as Norm goes, I run away from him whenever he is near. He's very surly. Opps, gotta go!!!

norm said...

Rabbit, are you talking about me again!?

GetFlix said...

Don't fret, Ffleur.

pelegrim said...

I wanted to look into becoming a wind farmer, but I found out my backyard is too small.

v said...

Great post and comments; I'll have to check this book out!