Sustainable Living by Shawn Dell Joyce

The oil spill along our Gulf Coast highlights the fact that we must transition our nation away from fossil fuels. As millions of gallons of oil ruin ecosystems and people's livelihoods, millions of taxpayer dollars are being used to mop up the mess. The answer to our higher energy costs, flagging economy and loss of local industry is to transition now to renewable energy sources. Could there be a more potent exclamation point?

Economies of scale have lowered the price of silicon for solar panels, and advances in technology have improved home-scaled wind turbines to the point where renewable energy is economically competitive to subsidized fossil fuels. Solar energy proponents point out that enough solar energy falls on the surface of the Earth every 40 minutes to meet 100 percent of the entire world's energy needs for a full year. Wind proponents point out that enough wind power blows through the Midwest corridor every day to also meet 100 percent of U.S. electricity demand. Top that off with hydropower, geothermal and biomass potential, and it is clear that there is no energy crisis in terms of renewables.

The demand for oil is increasing around the globe as oil reserves are being depleted. Ironically, as demand increases, oil prices spike — as we have just experienced. When demand for renewable energy increases, and more people buy solar cells, wind turbines and home geothermal units, the prices go down. Common sense and past experience tells us that drilling for more oil is not a long-term solution, nor is handing more tax dollars over to large oil and coal interests.

We spend $2 billion every 24 hours on foreign oil, yet we have the highest priced gas in history, and oil companies are recording the largest profits at the same time. Imagine what redirecting even a small portion of that money toward renewable energy would do.

We send our hard-earned local dollars to foreign countries to buy nearly 70 percent of the oil we use every day.

We subsidize other countries' economies while we lose jobs. When we spend that money building solar arrays and windmills, we build competitive industries in our homeland and gain jobs locally. Climate experts and activists have put out the goal of "100 percent zero-carbon electricity in 10 years." This goal is in line with what scientists say we need to do to curb the worst effects of climate change,and reduce atmospheric carbon to 350 parts per million.

According to an OPEC oil minister, "The Stone Age didn't end because of a shortage of stones!" Here's how we bring an end to "the Oil Age."

— Upgrade our national electric grid system so that renewable energy from sunlit deserts can be easily delivered to dreary regions and wind power from farms can be delivered to cities.

— Encourage American auto giants to switch to the manufacture of plug-in electric cars that can also store electricity and feed it back into the grid during periods of peak demand.

— The best investments we can make are in energy efficiency. Each household should become as efficient as possible.

— America's transition to renewable energy sources must also include retraining for those jobs lost in the end of fossil fuels. For example, coal miners can be retrained for jobs manufacturing wind turbines, and gas stations can be replaced with electric charging stations or hydrogen fuel stations, etc.

— A revenue-neutral tax shift that does away with payroll taxes to stimulate economic growth, and instead taxes the use and profits of burning fossil fuels.

(SET CAPTION) A shorebird caught in the Louisiana oil spill by Associated Press photographer Charlie Riedel. END CAPTION)

Shawn Dell Joyce is an award-winning columnist and founder of the Wallkill River School in Orange County, N.Y. You can contact her at Shawn@ShawnDellJoyce.com. To find out more about Shawn Dell Joyce and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

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