How long have we been told that solar power was going to cut it, that wind turbines were never going to power our future? Consider this report from OPEC which predicts, "...renewable energy grows fast. But as it starts from a low base, its share will be only 3% by 2035." Are these confident words the death blow to the environment as we know it? Maybe not. This film would argue that members of OPEC should be very, very concerned about their liquid black gold. Same goes for big coal.
Take, for example, Lancaster, California, a town that mandated that all new buildings be fitted with solar technology. This city has been able to reach nearly net zero emissions in doing so and, as mayor R. Rex Parris puts it,"we now have the ability to save the planet, increase the standard of living and the well being of everyone." This film certainly argues that green energy isn't environmentally responsible, but also socially and economically viable. In fact, one woman in the film calls the green energy movement, "the largest social movement in human history." It seems, according to this film, that green energy will help stave off our environmental woes and help lift people out of the darkness of poverty.
This film seems to crescendo, building on all of the ideas that have emerged in the green energy movement. People are:
- building net zero emissions homes
- crowd funding solar projects
- purchasing electric cars
- Rallying for policy changes
These and many more are what make up the green energy movement across the globe. This multifaceted effort to save the planet is happening all around us and it is being led by people very much like you and I. This film proves that the green energy movement is happening, it's gaining momentum, and it is going to happen whether government policies and the fossil fuel industry like it or not.
I really wonder what our economy would like like if we fully transitioned to solar and wind power energy. Could we shut down corporate energy companies, the dominating forces in economy. I think if one state starts using solar and wind technology, it will influence the next state and so forth.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting because some states like Hawaii have plans to be carbon neutral (Hawaii being Hawaii makes that more of a symbolic gesture, so yeah), but there is so much red tape at the state and federal level that it is really hard to get big green energy projects funded. That is precisely why this film focused on a community level. Towns across the country were taking the initiative to fight climate change and it is working quite well. The goal now is to get many more cities across America to do the same.
DeleteIt is pretty cool how you can build a net zero home. My uncle was looking at building a house and learned that the layout of windows and skylights can drastically change how much it takes to heat/cool it.
ReplyDeleteIts refreshing to finally hear from a resource that is actually optimistic for our future. Everyday you hear about new eco-friendly projects starting up and yet we have not really covered any of them in the class yet. Even small things like solar powered exterior lights like my family has can make a difference and its nice to hear that everything that the responsible people are doing is being recognized. With that being said, there is definitely more we can do.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that Lancaster which isn't the smallest city (just under 200,000 residents) was able to reach almost zero emissions is awesome. We need more places to take the steps that they did and become trailblazers in green energy. To me it feels like most other places are dragging their feet to transition to green energy and don't really care that much about it as they have other problems to deal with. Maybe more towns will convert out of concern for the Earth but I feel like something like governmental regulation would ensure that this change will occur (not there will be anything put in place considering the oil industries influence over the government).
ReplyDeleteSome of the biggest issues that people are running into have been built up over decades of capitalism. The utilities market is essentially dominated by a handful of players and they're making it incredibly difficult on people who are trying to take initiative to reduce their carbon footprint. This film paints a very utopian picture, but as long as we have these massive utility companies who want their power to come from cheap sources so they can maximize their margins, we will see more feet dragging.
DeleteWe have not discussed the idea of clean energy combating poverty much in the past. That is an interesting proposal. I would be interested to hear more and the logistics of it.
ReplyDeleteIn my documentary, one scientist proposed that at the time the film was made, 2007, there were more environmental activist groups in the world than any other group. I found that hard to be true, but it would be great if it was!