Letter to the Editor - Energy Conservation

In response to David Greer's letter to the Cambridge Star saying that we have problems with the government because we need to have more drilling to help lower the price of our domestic natural gas and oil, the following letter was sent: 

May 2012

Reduce Energy Consumption

Letter to the Editor from Barb Kruschel:

I wish to reply to David Greer's letter : "We Depend On Affordable Energy"

Our need for energy is great and it is bigger than a black and white "Democrat or Republican" thing.

I took a bus tour with East Central Energy last fall.  There are ways people can use renewable energies from the wind, the sun or from garbage for heating for electricity.  ECE currently has 80 per cent of its electric power coming from coal. Current coal technology has reduced emissions  from coal plants to one third of what they used to be. 

We can all try to reduce our energy consumption by purchasing energy efficient appliances and light bulbs, unplugging appliances not in use, and considering more efficient methods of heating and cooling our homes.  We can also try to figure ways to reduce our gasoline consumption with carpooling or public transportation or buying more energy efficient cars.

We need to be careful about the use of technologies and their effect on our planet.  Many people had their livelihood disrupted by the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and we don't need to see another one.

Carbon dioxide is not toxic, but we have too much of it, and it is raising the temperature of our planet.

In conclusion, I would say that yes, we need coal, and electricity and oil and power plants, but we also need to cut our consumption and find more efficient technologies to help protect our planet.  Without conservation and energy efficiency, we will still be stuck on a treadmill of importing oil form other countries.

Barb Kruschel

Cambridge