T. BOONE ROUND-UP

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Comment by Jack Costantino on April 16, 2009 at 9:17pm

Dan

You're right about maintaining a focus. It's sometimes hard to do when there's so much to discuss. I'm happy to say I'll be working with NJ school districts through my connection with the USGBC in their Green Schools program. I'm on the board of editors at the BC and will be collaborating on a monthly column starting in June focused on education in schools K-12.

In addition the PICKENS KIDS discussion group will take a step forward soon. I'll keep everyone posted when we have it together. I hope ROUND-UP members will support the site and bring their children into the experience. We're planning drawing and essay excersises and kids will receive certificates to hang on their walls, etc.

I believe kids are an essential part of the solutions we're looking for in the short and long term. They're amazingly able to grasp the concepts many adults around them are still struggling with and over complicating. It should be fun and educational. I'll keep you all posted.

Jack

Comment by Robert Schultz on April 16, 2009 at 2:18pm

Googled Detekuru. There is a screen cleaner for the Nintendo DS by that name. I think Anthony has something ready to launch at detekuru.net judging by his posts at Yahoo Finance boards.

Comment by W. Dan Chance on April 16, 2009 at 10:39am

Some of these are interesting and useful in moving clean energy forward but very few of them are "On Topic". Anthony, Robert is right though I see no reference to a screen cleaner in your last post. It is not remotely related to teaching kids how to conserve energy. Victor, thanks for trying to gently steer discussion back to PP objectives. Robert I followed your link to AFVi and wish I had more time to study it. It does indeed look like a useful site to follow. Keep up the good work.

Comment by Robert Schultz on April 16, 2009 at 9:39am

Anthony, sometimes I have no idea what you are talking about. I can't find any information about a Bank of Yosemite. Detekuru Screen Cleaner? A little more information about what you are posting would be helpful to the rest of us

Comment by Victor Saylor on April 16, 2009 at 1:42am

I have been part of this movement for sometime now and hope that everyone stays with it until it is a fact and a reality that we have Clean and Green Energy I hope everyone is still supporting this today as much as they where in the beginning as we have come a long way but we need to keep up the good work until it is finished.

Comment by Robert Schultz on April 15, 2009 at 1:04pm

Useful information about Alternative Fuel Vehicles, including LNG trucks proposed in the Pickens Plan, available at AFVi. Here is their website and Mission Statement. Good source for training programs for Mechanics, Drivers, and Fleet Operators.

http://www.afvi.org/index.html
Core Values & Mission

AFVi believes that helping fleet managers successfully operate alternative fuels and advanced transportation technologies will help improve our nation’s economy, energy security, air quality and health.

AFVi provides fleet operators with high-quality education, training and technical assistance on the broad range of alternative fuels and vehicles available on today’s marketplace. Our goal is to help fleet operators have successful business and performance experiences with alternative fuels and advanced transportation technologies. AFVi is fuel and technology neutral.

Comment by Jack Costantino on April 6, 2009 at 2:53am

"Our weapon is our relentless determination to conserve the energy we produce, develop new clean alternatives and end our dependence on foreign imports."

Dan

Absolutely...you are correct, it is our responsibility to act immediately and decisively to conserve energy in every way we can. As Boone has described it conservation is the cream and something we can do this moment to change the balance of power in energy policy and reduce our need for foreign oil as well as domestic.

My emphasis on early education (my wife is also a career educator, over 35 years) is my belief that although we know in more obvious ways now then ever before, that our energy behavior is at the root of the problem, as consumers we have a great difficulty and resistance toward changing the way we live.

It's not that we can't conserve, it's that in the numbers which count...we don't. I believe the consciousness is raising as evidenced by organizations like PP and others. However making the assumption that we will wake up tomorrow morning and begin living conservative lives and teaching our children already inculcated with our behavior by example is a leap of faith beyond my capacity.

The empirical evidence is that we have not paid much attention to conservation or the politics of energy in the past. Even the impact of the 1973 OPEC embargo didn't provide the wake up call one would expect after the inconvenience and stark example of control over our lives by forces outside our country.

There is little doubt our consciousness is being raised by current economic circumstances. Part of what we do to preserve our shrinking assets includes shutting off a few lights, installing compact fluorescent bulbs, lowering thermostat settings and maybe driving less.

You are right that our children are observing that behavior. We can hope they understand the wider implications and don't just see it as punishment or depravation if the TV is turned off or they're forced to play outside instead of being glued to video games.

My focus on early education is to provide the belt and suspenders approach for this solution so the wider lessons are learned. This will support and reinforce the lessons learned at home and carry the deeper meaning and consequences forward in a formal way as the rest of the story is told in class.

The simple class room demonstrations of clean energy in early education can be combined within the context of math, science and social studies. It doesn't need to replace our basic curriculum, just be blended within it. I have spoken to many educators, including principals and administrative personnel who agree.

The premise of the ROUND-UP for funding these changes in curriculum and overall activity for teaching conservation and clean energy is academic to the need. Even so, it is a doable action with a minimal financial affect on consumers which will pay an extensive dividend.

So...yes...inside the home...we adults and this generation can and should live more conservatively immediately as well as make it clear to our children why we are changing our behavior. That message reinforced and supported by their teachers and learning experience outside the home will have a better chance of creating the generations going forward who just live this way...effortlessly as part of assumed daily life.

The children of that generation will become the elected officials whose arms will not have to be twisted to approve legislation making clean energy and self-sufficiency a reality.

Jack

Comment by Jack Costantino on April 6, 2009 at 2:00am

Luane

Thanks for your reply.

So as I understand it a Bond is a loan to the government by the purchaser at a fixed rate of interest with a predictable period to redemption. That's what qualifies it as debt. How did that work with war bonds? The period after WW2 was one of unprecedented economic growth. Soldiers were returning from a decisive victory. Confidence in the USA was high. Housing, industry and the population boomed and some believe the roots of our current dilemma were planted in this acceleration of the post war economy.

Although referencing a period decades later, Greenspan would define this behavior as irrational exuberance, others suspect deceit, greed and regulatory incompetence. Personally I believe it is all of the above, combined with a significant ingredient of apathy, ignorance and complicity in the grass roots who participated, albeit unwittingly, in their own victimization.

By what Ellen says should we conclude that purchasing government bonds during these hard economic times for any purpose, energy or otherwise is not a viable solution? That government bonds are only a legitimate mode of monetary exchange during a growing economy?

If we follow the example of creating credit...in these times when we have almost 12 trillion dollars in debt, where does the money come from? I understand the idea that providing a loan and collecting payments plus interest provides an accumulating cash flow dynamic. However, since the safe is empty at the moment, does the government just print the paper now hoping for prompt and reliable repayment of the loans and collateralization of the original outlay from future generations of taxes?

It seems at some point the money they lend now will have to come from somewhere other then their imagination.

The more I think about our current situation and how the recovery will occur, the more I realize how far above my pay grade this is. I only know that I care about where my children, grandchildren and great-grandson will get the money to pay all this back...especially if they don't have jobs.

Thanks for helping clarify these issues for my old, tired and worn out brain.

Jack

Comment by W. Dan Chance on April 5, 2009 at 9:50pm

I get notices of all posts here so occasionally I have to stop by and read a few. My 2nd wife was a special educator so I got an education on how the school systems work and it ain't pretty. I've already shared my concerns with Joseph so I must appologize to him for having to read any repititious stuff. I believe that almost all teachers begin with honest hopes of contributing to the quality of life for the generations under their tutelage but somewhere along the way their idealism is submerged in the tedium and irrelevancies and distractions of the school systems as they are currently being administered. I worry that as honest and public spirited as our motives are in recommending that schools teach energy conservation along with everything else they are charged with we actually weaken their ability to teach core competencies in science, math, and language. I worry that teaching conservation can be overdone to the point of denying the need to replace polluting forms of energy with non-polluting forms or the need to replace foreign sources with domestic sources.

Putting a lot of energy into an energy curriculum seems to be a tacit admission that our generation is abdicating the responsibility to take the bull by the horns ourselves and make the necessary changes today. Why should we preach to the kids that they should make changes in their lifestyle when we, the adults, have control over "turning off lights", "using CFC's and LED's", "buying more energy efficient appliances", "installing reflective film on windows", "insullating doors and windows". We can do all those things today, and our children will learn more effectively from our actions than from any lesson taught in a classroom. Just do it but remember that that is only part of the need. We have to get off foreign oil (and eventually off polluting domestic forms like coal) altogether not just reduce it by some miniscule and insignificant amount. I'll be happy to keep coal if we can use something like nanotubes to convert the CO2 in their smokestakes to methane and utterly neutralize all other pollutants with plasmafication but the point is WE... THIS generation...not the next, need to do it NOW.

Comment by Jack Costantino on April 5, 2009 at 1:07pm

Robert and Joseph

Your posts always reveal your serious attention to the current questions at hand. I read them with great interest. Thanks for the intelligent dialouge.

You know education is a primary focus for me personally. I could not agree more that we must introduce knowledge about conservation and clean energy alternatives as early as possible in K-12 core education.

Funding is an issue with the production of all types of eco-friendly energy options as well as producing the ditribution for the power they produce. When the market place presents a clear path to profitability for those who undertake the development, I would guess the creativity will be inspired by those who believe a net bottom line is waiting.

Im assuming part of your statements below are a result of reading the GREEN BANK BILL I posted earlier. I'm interested in understanding it better myself. If you have any interest I would be happy to read your reaction to specific aspects of the BILL which concern you. It's really above my pay grade to read between the lines of the language. Maybe you guys could convert it to english for me/us.

Also...there is a BLOG by an author who specifically writes about banking you might enjoy reading or participating in. It is for ELLEN HODGSTON BROWN. Take a look if you're interested.

Thanks...I'll watch for your comments,
Jack

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