"Lovvy, there's plenty of oil,
and if there's not, we'll buy some more!"
Sustainability, or something else?
The
current economic crisis is largely a result of our excessive dependence
on fossil fuels, and petroleum in particular, without regard to its
origin. In other words, it doesn't matter if it's foreign or
domestic, we are addicted to oil and we could very well pay a heavy
price for it. Sustainability has become
the buzzword at the local and state level
in many
parts of the
country, and even more so in some places like Portland,
OR. Peak oil and climate change are interelated
because they are two sides of the same coin. Our dependence on
fossil fuels has resulted in dramatic impacts on the environment.
I've always found sustainability an ambiguous term, but even more than that, it's very limited and
narrow in scope. It doesn't fully imply the scope of possibiities
outside of the narrow role of consumerism that so many people have
limted themselves to.
The best definition of sustainability that I have come across was penned by John Ehrenfeld in his bookSustainability by Design, where he writes, sustainability is "the possibility that human and other life will flourish on the planet forever." It's short, succinct and complete. I also like it because it implies there are alternatives to the mass consumption society that we currently live in.
Sustainability is a state of existence
characterized by an equilibrium between the organization and its
environment, whether it be a corporation, government or an individual. The entity does not generate excess waste that
cannot be absorbed by the environment, nor does it use resources
faster than they can be renewed by the environment. To me sustainability means having the least amount of impact on the
environment, and while I'm certainly not a purist I believe
sustainability is a balancing act between living well without causing
environmental degradation. Quality versus
quantity. Sustainability
means recognizing we are not separate from the earth but actually an
intricate part of the earth, neither dominant nor subservient.
It means recognizing that we cannot survive without the earth
no matter how much technology we develop.
Natural Gas depletion - Natural
gas is a finite, non-renewable resource that we have become extremely
dependent on for space and water heating purposes. Over 50% of
all single family homes in the US are heated with natural gas.
Natural
gas companies do not dispute the finite nature of the resource,
however, they do contend there are several decades of supply
available. That probably depends on how much wilderness we're
willing to spoil in order to develop it. The following graphs
illustrate our extremely precarious dependence on this so-called
'green' energy. While Canada provided about 15% of our
natural gas supplies, that accounts for nearly 50% of their production.
Eventually they will start keeping more of their own production.
One can readily discern from the following
graphs that we are approaching a cliff in natural gas production and
it isn't decades away.
Graph 1
Graph 2
Graph 3Graph
4Graph 5
Click
to enlarge
Graph 1 illustrates the concept of Energy Return on
Energy Invested (EROEI). The amount of natural gas recovered
from drilling operations in Canada has steadily declined over the past
8 years. By 2015 the amount of energy recovered from drilling
for natural gas in North America will be 1 to 1, or a 'breakeven'
point. EROEI is very important concept to consider when
evaluating different energy development projects. The three
remaining graphs illustrate global reserves, US consumption, Canadian
exploratory drilling efforts and global natural gas production.
This report
is an assessment of the long-term natural gas needs for the State of
Oregon, conducted by the Oregon Department of Energy at the request of
Governor Kulongoski.
The push to develop LNG ports in Oregon has
multiple implcations. LNG is very environmentally destructive
and very problematic because it presents tremendous ecological
and security risks. Even if LNG ports are approved and
developed, their impact is at least ten years away.
Meanwhile, the price of natural gas is not likely to stabilize or go
back to their historic levels any time soon. Natural gas is
also a fossil fuel that contributes to global warming.
Geo-exchange heat pumps with no direct greenhouse gas emissions are a
viable alternative for space heating and cooling purposes.
For more information on LNG visit LNG
Pollutes or Columbia
River Keeper.
Global Oil production
The imminent or possibly even recent peak of global oil production
presents a whole different set of issues which I will not even begin to
try and address to any significant degree, except to say that we're going to have to do a lot
more things locally in the future. Oil prices have surged to record
levels in recent months and how much speculation has to do with it is
pretty much irrelevant because demand in China is the primary driving
force behind global prices. This obviously has a huge impact
on the average American in terms of mobility, but heating oil prices
this winter will likely experience substantial increases.
The US comprises less than 5% of global
population, yet consumes 25% of global oil production. Is
that a 'sustainable' situation with long-term prospects? Only
through
military means, which has been our motus operandi for the past 50
years. Nor can we cannot drill our way to energy
independence within our own borders or off-shore, regardless of how
much we
try. So the Arctic
Reserve or off-shore oil fields are not going to provide us with the
difference between our demand and the available supply. Car
culture is the problem, not the solution because we will not simply
replace 300 million combustion vehicles with 300 million
electric/hybrid vehicles. We don't have the infrastructure or
resources to do that. We need to completely reorganized or
communities and our culture to be more walkable and bike-friendly.
Please refer to the Links page for more
info on the issue of peak oil.
Capitalism - simple graphic
illustrating our dependence on petroleum. The only thing
missing from this picture is the fact that we don't really manufacture
much of anything in the US anymore, except for bizarre
financial instruments and military
armaments. It's mostly imported from Asia.
Reduce your and
your ,
with a geothermal heat
pump.
National Geographic's
comprehensive
online guide to sustainable living - The
Green Guide - check it out.
Peak
Oil Speeches & Presentations (requires
RealPlayer or Quick TIme)
This is
the house that
my partner and I purchased in November 2006. It's a typical
house that you might find any where
in the Northwest or any other part of the country for that
matter. It's a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath with
approximately 1,800 square feet of living area that was built in 1999
so it's reasonably well insulated. 'Sealing the envelope' is
one of the most important things a homeowner can do to ensure energy
efficiency. Of course this doesn't mean comprimising indoor
air quality.
We like it but the
80% efficiency gas furnace with gas-fired water heater are
not exactly
'sustainable' for reasons elaborated on in the Sustainability page. In the future we plan to install a
geothermal heating and cooling system. Reducing our dependence on
fossil fuels and moving towards becoming a net-zero energy house are
the long-terms goals for us. We also plan to install a solarsystem by CitizenRE in the future. and possibly a wind turbine, but that remains to be seen.
Things that we have done around the house to live
more sustainably:
Signed up for 'green power' program through
local utility.
Started using 'solar' clothes dryer.
Installed rain barrels for storm water
retention, as well as a rain garden
Gradually increasing attic insulation from 7 (R-30)
inches to 15 inches (R-49)
Replaced most incandescents with
CFL's
We have four raised beds in the back yard
for vegetable gardens
Creating edible landscape with lots of fruit
trees
Installed
ceiling fans to improve circulation
Installed
custom-made insulated window blinds to reduce solar gain in the summer.
These significantly reduce the solar gain on really hot days.
We're
looking at purchasing a device that will shorten the phase of the
electricity that comes in through the circuit box. By
reducing
the phase it allows electrical appliances to operate more efficiently
and thereby reduce your consumption as well. By reducing
consumption it is then possible to reduce your electric bill.
I hope to have more information on that in the next few
weeks.
After running a solar calculator several times I came to the
conclusion that solar panels would take about 40 years or more to pay
off. Unless there is a dramatic breakthrough that reduces the
cost of solar panel manufacturing to make them more affordable, a solar
service venture such as CitizenRE is about the only way we'll be able
to afford a solar system. Until then we'll be using the
renewable
power program through the local utility.
Until we can get motion detectors installed I'll
have to drive my partner crazy by turning off the lights all
the time; even when she's 'coming right back'.
I like the idea of installing a 'green switch' in the future
to reduce our phantom load but the payback is quite likely very
long. The systems can run a couple thousand but
they will probably save 10-15% per month. A Power Saver would
cost much less and provide just as much in savings. It's often
very
difficult
to balance green 'objectives' with green 'realitie$'.
In the near future we plan to install our own geothermal
heat pump system. Due to the size and configuration of the property, it will likely require a vertical
ground loop or a horizontal boring system. A conventional horizontal system requires more land
area than vertical, and we only have about 7500 sf.
Ultimately, the goal is to transform it in to a 'zero
net-energy' house. This is the state where we are producing
as much energy as we are
using. Achieving a neutral energy production/consumption
balance will be very difficult because some people have an aversion to
turning things off when they're not using them.
I hope to incorporate many other energy efficiency
items in the future. Please contact me if you would like more info.
7
Steps to Sustainability- by Curt
Sommer. A
primer on living more sustainably in fast, as well as challenging times.
Green Energy Solutions - green energy for a green planet.
Do a day, to become
more sustainable.
Take the
Footprint Quiz!
Disclaimer:
This website does not make any claims of expertise on the subject or
theory of peak oil. We are not petroleum geologists and we do not have
a peak oil 'theory', and make no claim to know with any degree of
certainty any peak oil facts. We are not experts on peak oil survival
or the ramifications or consequences thereof; therefore we do not have
any advice about how to survive any prospective oil crash. We are aware
that there is a peak oil myth, but we are simply concerned about the
earth's ability to sustain current and future rates of oil production
in the face of increasing demand. We did not have any thing to do with
any peak oil report you may find on or through this site. We do not
know the date of the actual peak of global oil production. There are
links on this site where you can find out more about peak oil but we
are not affiliated with them. This site is simply one of many
places to find the latest news on peak oil theory. Many links lead to a
peak oil blog. For more about peak oil theory go to Hubbert Peak. There
is also an organization called the Association for the Study of Peak
Oil and Gas. We are not directly affiliated with either of these
organizations - and we may or may not support their ideas. We do
believe, in our heart of hearts, that there is going to be some kind of
peak oil crisis at some point in the future. But we don't
know when it will be.
and
your 
