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Glen Brunner's avatar

Thanks, Thom, for another superb Report ! Very good to remind us all that we depend on the sun for our energy--past and/ or present. I'd like to take your wonderful topic in the direction of American consumers and Putin's War--and what WE each can do to address both critical issues TODAY. I live off-grid, have a nearly 20-year-old hybrid Honda Civic that gets about 50 mpg--the best car I've ever owned in my 75 years--, and wonder why we don't have a nationwide movement to reduce our gas consumption (& thus decrease Putin's income) via ride sharing, using mass transit, and buying EV's or more efficient gas-engine vehicles? Instead of wasting our time blaming gas companies for ripping us off at the pump--which they are doing!--, why don't we consumers take the initiative to stop giving them our money? Cutting our use of fossil fuels that produce the global-warming gases you very clearly outlined in your Report today would also help protect our home...planet Earth...TODAY...instead of waiting for the Build Back Better bill that won't ever see the light of day. And, as you also mentioned, the use of alternative sources of energy--wind, solar, and even hydro (like I have)--is cheaper and will reduce pressure on today's household budgets in this "inflationary period." Instead of blaming President Biden for high gas prices (over which he has no control--but gas companies do), we could reduce the costs ourselves by making better choices in our modes of transportation, sources of energy, volume of consumption, etc. By lowering our consumption of fossil fuels, we would also reduce the demand for them worldwide.... thus driving down the price of oil worldwide....and thereby reducing the cost of what little we would then use here in the USA. I see a win-win-win-win-win all around: fight Putin & his War on Ukraine by cutting his fossil-fuel income; relieve pressure on household budgets; stop blaming Biden for things he can't control--and thus fight the Repugs who are blaming him for their own political purposes; and SAVE THE PLANET--our home. And last, we would each be a significant participant in converting our fossil-fuel economy into a clean-energy economy--without waiting for our dysfunctional Congress. How wonderful would that be? Fantastic, I say ! Yes, let's cut out the middlemen, fight Putin's War, save money, prove the fossil-fuel billionaires irrelevant, and save our planet--all at once ! What say you....?

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Peggy Magilen's avatar

So please excuse my not being informed about this. What about lithium used for car and cell phone batteries? Is that the element we are taking from the earth in third world countries, and not just there? Have I not heard of the robbing of Peter, or excuse me, something more abusive, to pay/please Paul? And, familiar as you are with indigenous living, are we on the way to returning to the earth that which we should not have taken? I know it’s all going to take some time, but should we be at least speaking of these sacred practices, once known, in our relationship with the land? And, to minimize our past mistaken footprints are we now recycling these batteries properly?

I am probably way behind on all of this.

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