The False Green Movement

Don’t get me wrong, the green movement is a step in a good direction. I would like to point out a few problems with the mainstream movement. The government is using this idea, of “doing good” for the environment to solve “climate change,” as a way of creating a derivatives market for the elite to trade in the marketplace and starting new taxes on the masses. The false research about the Earth warming only helps the masses follow and buy anything they see advertised as “green.” If you have stuck with me for that little rant I will now explain how I have come to these conclusions.

I would say about 5-10 years ago the green movement began to grow serious roots. Due to a certain political figure that was nearly washed up and wasting away in God knows what elitist crap hole. He had scientists cook up numbers and predictions about the Earth warming caused by greenhouse gases. Al Gore came back onto the seen squawking about the end of the world and toting a bag full of, paid off, environmental scientists. Let’s all get real, he doesn’t give a shit about the environment flying around the Wourld on a private jet and powering his very un-energy efficient mansion. He cares about the new market he can create by scaring people into going green. It is a ploy straight from how to be a politician 101, create a problem and provide the solution. Recently it has come out that most of the numbers and predictions have been completely made up. I could list a hundred mainstream and alternative media articles about this topic, but part of waking up is to do the research yourself and not blindly trusting someone else’s information.

The Earth naturally goes through a cycle of warming and cooling over a period of hundreds of years. Try to remember some American history and think back to the revolutionary war. When General George Washington, who later became our first official President for those of you that are that thick, was crossing the Potomac River it was full of ice. This is a not “normal” for that river. The reason the river was choked with ice was the Earth was going through the Little Ice Age. The Earth was in a cooling period. We are currently going through a warming period. We may have sped up the timeline in which this happens, but by no means are we all going to die with the Earth in the near future. The favorite green house gas for the government to use is carbon dioxide (CO2). For those of you that don’t know, that is the gas we exhale and plants “breathe” in. While we need to make sure there is a healthy balance of CO2 in the atmosphere we don’t need to virtually eliminate it. We can focus on eliminating smog in cities and pollution from trash and non-biodegradable substances.

Now we come to where we are today. You can type green, eco-friendly, or sustainable and instantly get millions of articles and things to buy. Most of these items are definitely not what they portray. Companies can easily see the consumer victims blindly buying anything under the name of green. This has spawned the False Green Movement. The intent is there, and people are ready and willing to make a lifestyle change for the better. Let us all be conscientious in making the correct decisions and changes. If this seems a daunting task, have no fear! I have created this blog to help people wake up to the real freedom of self-sustainability. I will do my best to show you what some of the correct mindsets are. These will help you in making the change to self-dependence and slowly weaning ourselves from governmental coddling.

There are a few things to consider when searching for green items or topics about “how to live green.” Make sure you can find a credible company. This is one of the harder things to do now. The items you are looking to purchase should be produced in the US (definately not China) to be the best. They also need to be processed in a way that uses little to no petroleum based products in their manufacturing. One common mistake that I have even made myself is the use of Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFL’s). CFL’s may use less energy than typical incandescent lights, but they contain a very toxic substance inside the tube. There are even warnings about how to handle broken ones to the extent of wearing a nano particle type mask like the ones used by people in China to protect against SARS. Just because an item may be green in one aspect it may violate green living in another that technically cancels out the good you have done. Topics can also give false information about going green. There are plenty of people out there that will tell you that you need to give up your car and ride a bike to work everyday. Though you will get in great shape, that is an extreme and unnecessary.

It is important to be mindful when making the lifestyle change to green and self-sustainability. Don’t blindly follow some mainstream product or article that will either be false and too extreme. One important thing to use as a tool for this is thinking in a way that helps you personally become more self dependant and self reliant. When it comes to products, a little research can go a long way.

Let’s talk, all or nothing

When you make the noble decision to switch over to near full self-sustainability there are some things to consider. Many things you can to do achieve self-sustainability have a symbiotic relationship with others. These relationships need to be understood and preserved to reap the full benefits of self-sustainability.

Many people are seeing the move by car manufacturers to provide plug-in hybrids or EV’s (Electric Vehicles) which are powered solely on an electric drive system). These seem like a great way to quickly step into a self-sustainable lifestyle. This is an amateur mistake. You will partly help reduce our dependency on oil, but will still require power from the grid, which sadly, uses fossil fuels to produce electricity. What you need to do is supply your own power to charge the car. You should already be working towards having your home and/or office building set up to produce it’s own electricity. When your building(s) create energy in an amount that will power themselves during peak use, they will be producing and storing surplus electricity. This surplus would be put to good use charging your plug-in hybrid or EV.

When it comes to producing power for your building(s) there are a couple symbiotic relationships to consider and preserve. Most areas of the world won’t support a single type of clean power harvesting system. For instance, I live in the northeast and solar is a decent option, but won’t fully supply a home without being largely oversized. Also we all know that not every day is bright and sunny. In order to produce sufficient power for your home you need to supplement with another clean power harvesting system. The next most logical system is a VAWT or Vertically Aligned Wind Turbine generator. These are said to be more efficient and practical on a residential level. They also can start at a lower wind speed and continue to function in higher wind speeds. Personally I find that most of the designs for VAWTs are more elegant than your typical wind turbine you are used to seeing. So this system will work alongside the solar array system and produce even when the sun is on vacation for a day or two. Another option in lieu of a VAWT is hydroelectric power, but it is much less likely you will have a location to support such a system. There are also many permits and such that would need to be acquired to install them.

Now let’s call your solar array and VAWT your power producing system. This system is well and good, but what happens when the sun and wind are both gone for a day or two?! This is solved by installing a power storage system. Really this is simply a battery bank located within your building(s). The most efficient batteries are lithium ion and the like. This bank will reserve surplus electricity produced in low use hours. When your power producing system is unable to create electricity, the storage system will supply power to the building.

A storage system is unlikely going to be large enough to supply electricity for extended periods of time. This brings me to my final symbiotic relationship for a self-sustainable building, the emergency back-up system. I would find it wise to account for emergencies. My choice would be an, on site, buried propane/ natural gas tank to power a typical back-up generator. This model will work for the average sized home.

All of these relationships are essential in reaping the full benefits of being self-sustainable. Without one the other will suffer.

Self-Sustainiblity

Webster dictionary definition:
sus·tain·able
1 : capable of being sustained
2 a : of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged b : of or relating to a lifestyle involving the use of sustainable methods

And for our use it will be as follows:
Self-Sustainability – the ability for oneself or a building to sustain itself by it’s own means.

An example would be an apartment building that produces it’s own electricity via wind and/or solar power and uses passive solar design principles to aid in heating, cooling, and lighting. This building would also retain rainwater for use in grey-water systems, such as, irrigation of landscaping and toilets. A very well managed recycling plan must be in effect and followed. Vegetable gardens and greenhouses located on the property or building itself would provide fresh organic food for the occupants. Also, the occupants should be trained in and willing to live this type of lifestyle.

The main reasoning for this type of living is to become dependant on oneself and one’s community. (I believe this is where some ideas for “sustainable government” come into play. A nation that focuses more on the local community and independence will, in turn, create citizens who are more willing to help one another without force. But, that is for a later post where more details will be discussed.) The idea of this post is to help figure out how to attain a self-sustaining lifestyle and to present the ideas and products that will make that possible.

From an Architectural standpoint, a sustainable building can obviously be created more easily than a person’s thought process and lifestyle can be changed. Buildings can be designed and built to utilize a plethora of methods and products that will allow it to provide for itself. While, a single person, family or community making the choices and decisions to make their lives self sustainable, can be a more difficult feat. A good example of this would be how.. Most people have focused on using a supplement of green power production to lessen their demand and dependence on the grid. But, there is a solution with an even bigger outcome that people are missing. The larger picture here would be to fully remove the building from the grid by using multiple power production units in conjunction. By applying an accurate electrical demand estimation for the building and providing multiple solar arrays and vertical wind turbines, the building can better provide for itself. This would also, more than likely, require a battery bank for some storage and backup. There are also software programs that will help manage this self-contained system. Two such systems I have found (but not used) is on this agilewaves and Lucid Deisgn Group. Utilizing all of these things will show a large up front cost but it is the pride and long-term that we should focus on. Most of these systems will pay for themselves within 10 years. It may seem like a long time, but if you think of the building as an investment, it makes perfect sense.

Stopping at the power supply would be foolish when you look, again, at the big picture. Building materials can also have huge benefits in the “going green” process. This rings especially true in renovations and new construction. We must also remember that self-sustainability includes the sustainability of the community we live in and the Earth we live on. Finding products that are locally produced with the concept of environmental conservation kept in mind is key.

After saying a building is an “easier” step towards self-sustainability, lets agree that a lifestyle change is well worth the “extra” effort. We need to learn to grow all that we can within our own local communities and to not rely on the major distribution of produce across our country or imported from another. Granted, there are some imports that are unavoidable and I can understand that. But, when it comes to transporting, exporting and importing produce, a successful self-sustainable government must maintain a healthy balance of trade - unlike what we have now. (We need to export at least the same amount we import, but preferably, export more than we import. Once again, I digress… more about that in another post.) I have started producing my own vegetables and buying locally because of what I saw personally while living Florida; GREEN tomatoes by the truckload for shipment around the country. They are sprayed with a type of chemical to turn them red for the market. Anyone else see something wrong with this?! We have eliminated the local farmer in order to make way for massive farm companies who supply an unhealthy, inadequate product. We’re depending on this large yet lacking company for our produce. That dependency causes major issues and clearly does not follow our plan for self-sustainability. Growing your own vegetables and buying locally lessens dependency and provides a much better, healthier life. This idea can also be applied to the products you use in everyday life. Finding local and organic products is becoming much easier and less cost prohibitive everyday. All of these things help to sustain ourselves, our communities, and our planet.

This is by no means a quick or easy change for each of us to make. Nor is it the only step. But I truly believe that it is all necessary and achievable goals. I do not think we need to go extreme and completely rid ourselves of fossil fuels or using trees or anything like that. My ideas focus more on lessening dependence and improving our environment as an extra bonus.

As you can see, there is a lot to talk about. From here on out, my posts will be, or at least aim to be, one-subject entries. Lets take this one step at a time… after all, it is the best way to achieve a goal.