The win-win energy solution
The problem
In the wake of this week’s coal mining explosion which killed at least 25 miners, I was pretty shocked that it got so much news coverage. It’s definitely a huge tragedy, but I couldn’t help thinking about the devastating effects that coal has to the general public on a regular basis. According to this report, the burning of fossil fuels costs the U.S. roughly $120 billion a year in health costs and nearly 20,000 people die prematurely from its air pollution. Coal burning, it says, is the biggest single source of those external costs:
Those pollutants include small soot particles, which cause lung damage; nitrogen oxides, which contribute to smog; and sulfur dioxide, which causes acid rain.
And that’s not even taking CO2 into account, of which coal burning is also one of the largest emitters. Obviously we aren’t giving up on coal anytime soon. But the fact is, our dirty energy has so many hidden costs that if we were to pay anything close to the true cost it has on society, we would have surely found better alternatives by now.
The solution
So what can you do about it? Here it is, two easy-as-hell things you can do to cut down on dirty energy and actually save money in the process:
- Your power company most likely has a renewable plan you can sign up for. Do it. We’re on Xcel Energy’s wind-powered plan at the 100% level, which actually costs only a fraction more than the standard plan. Doing so will help increase demand for renewables.
- Conserve. I’m not talking about sitting around freezing in the dark. I’m just talking about reducing wasted energy. If you’re not using something, turn it off. Set the heat down at night. Install efficient lighting throughout your home. Stuff like that.
When we switched to the renewable plan we became just a little bit more conscious of our usage, and our bills actually went down! Win-win, right? Absolutely, but you have to actually do it. And so do millions other people. If you run a business, do it there too (it’s good marketing). Get people on board. Spread the word.
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(Image by Shepard Fairey)
