Click here for full essay available on my blog post
The New Energy For Transportation In The 21st CenturyAnthony Toigo C 2008
Over the past century and a half, exisiting transportation mechanisms have served our human emergence very well. More human progress has been made during this period directly as a result of expansion and advancements in mobility. But now, these very useful mechanisms and the finite energy resources that propel them are in fact restricting economic growth and threatening improving living standard trends in established and emerging market economies...... Please click on Blog Post: "ETT-Evacuated Tube Transportation As An Efficient Transportation Mechanism And An Economic Export Opportunity" for complete essay.
ETT, et3, "space travel on earth" and the et3 logo are trademarks and service marks of
et3.com Inc. For licensing information contact: Daryl Oster,
et3@et3.com , POB 1423, Crystal River FL 34423-1423, (352)257-1310,
www.et3.comMy photos below are of the scooter that I use to get around town and to run errands with. It is all electric and costs about a penny per mile to ride. The range is about 20 miles with fresh batteries and it goes just under 25 MPH. I added extra batteries and an additional drive motor to the wagon to provide extra pulling power and distance. When I get home, I just plug it in and charge it up again.
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Every seed takes time to germinate.
So too in the fields of the soul.
We must never give up and sow
because the results do not
immediate to our eyes.
Let us wait with patience.
In the right moment, the seeds
have driven in the soil of hearts,
there will produce mature fruit.
Understanding and sow Joy, Peace and
Courage, Forgiveness and Love.
Jesus bless you have a good night.
My question of the day for the Mr Pickens ... when does this army get its guns? ... just kidding ... well, sort of ... L0L!
Merry Happy to you and yours!
Peter, the truly Crazy Composer.
Tony,
The Regional folks named another person to be a District Leader, but I've been very impressed by your page and your thoughts. I would like your help finding recruits... and contacting your locccal media with letters of support for PickensPlan...
Thanks
John
I am embarassed to tell you that I have not yet read your essay on ETT. BUT...the next time you hear from me I can assure you that I will have.
My focus has been on the elephant but the elephant I wrote the blog about is an elephant that is more idealistic than not. I am not saying that it is impossible but I am saying that such an altuistic philantropic activity of such a magnitude is a long ways out. Therefore, I have moved my attention to another elephant that is more realistic and more doable. Allow me to explain...
On the 10th of November a friend of mine on the PP site, Iain McKennon, left me a comment on my wall. Within his comment Iain said, "My approach to Pickens at this point in time is to think globally and act locally." Unbeknownst to me at the time that particular comment of Iain's firmly lodged in my mind and has ever since been gradually working its way into a position of being an influential element in my creativity regarding Green solutions.
Speaking of friends, an old friend of mine used to tell me that the road to attaining an affluence (in anything) was to go with what one knew not new things that were as of yet untried. While I am sure that there are exceptions to this rule, I do believe that empirically, my friend's advice can be seen to be immensely more true than not.
So, here I am at a juncture in my life where I want to play an effective role in environmental repair, in preventive envirionmental health and overall be an active participant in a Green solution. Therefore, in listening to a couple of friends, it occurred to me that I can probably have a greater and more effective impact by concentrating my creativity and production on a local/regional target than doing otherwise. I also recognize that acting along the lines of what I already have personal experience with and/or incorporating a familiar reality in what I do is a strong plus in anything I set out to accomplish. And, I know that while acting locally it is critical that I continue to be thinking globally.
HERE IS A SEED I AM PLANTING
I want to share this seed with you because it just might be a seed that you too would want to plant where you are residing.
What I am going to do is form a corporation that is a Green construction company, an investment club, an online social community, a market research company, a research and development company, a documentation and educational video production company and an online course in the ways and means of how to build green. There's even more but those are all the top liners.
What will this company do (broad generalities only):
It will begin by doing infill development i.e., in Fort Smith, AR where I live there is an abundance of vacant properties within the city limits that can be purchased whereupon new dwellings (single family, duplexes, three and four-plexes) can be built. Currently there are not any builders in this area that are interested in building on these properties. Instead the local builders have their attention on building in whatever new subdivision is being developed.
The company will target these inner city vacant properties to purchase and construct new dwellings suitable and appropriate to the neighborhoods where they are located. The dwellings will be aesthetic, have high curb appeal, in most cases be small ( 800 sq ft. - 1,500 sq ft.) as the lots are small, will be built to endure, will be practical, will enhance the neighborhood, indeed the city, and...will be constructed with viable GREEN technologies.
The company, in the process of building green homes, will also serve as a vehicle to introduce, educate and enlighten a broad base of investors in numerous cutting edge green technologies that have to do with the home and beyond.
Each dwelling built by this company will be model of green construction and green technologies utilized in home building.
The company will circumvent the need for borrowing capital by opening up investment (per project) to the general public (local, national or international).
Participation in this company will be made very simple and inclusive. For example: The range of investment accepted will go from as low as $10 to as high as, but not exceeding, 5 percent of a project's total cost. Therefore, the lowest number of investors that could ever be possible on any project would be 20. Investments will be done by project.
Every project will be audio/video documented from beginning to end. The video documentation will be made available to any investor who has invested in the project. Also, when the completed dwelling is sold the buyer will receive a copy of the entire video documentation of their new green home from planning to completion.
Of course, all investors will be able to follow the progress of each project that they have invested in online and interact with the project. There will be web cams at each job site, weekly reports will be online by the project mgr. including detailed photos and anecdotes and detailed weekly expenditures. And, any and all tech used in the building of the project will be thoroughly explained as it is incorporated. I guess you could say that this aspect of the company is like doing an in-house Better Homes and Gardens type of production. Who knows...perhaps it could even become a series for PBS.
The entire operation process of the company will be transparent.
Nothing is done unless the money to pay for it is immediately available. Nothing is bought on credit.
All personnel who are involved in anyway with a project of the company or the company itself are a member/investor of the company. The exception to this would be anyone employed by the government eg., builidng inspectors, city planners, etc.
This is not a volunteer based company. Those who deliver a product and/or service for the company will be paid for the product/service just as they are always paid for their services rendered.
All frontline and backline costs are factored into the overall cost of a project. The video production and the online access availability are atypical expenses to a construction project. However, these elements are critical to the purpose and operation of the company so they will become a typical expense included in the budget of each project carried out by this company. The company's motto: Purpose - Product - Profit (listed in relative order of importance).
At this stage in the creative process everything is subject to modification.
Okay, Tony. There's the seed I'm planting in very broad and general terms. I'm sure you will see and extrapolate all the possibilities and potential of such a company. Feel free to ask any questions that you may have or comment as you wish. I am totally willing to share any of this project and how it progresses with anyone. In my opinion, if we had myriad of these companies in active operation we could all only benefit by such a circumstance.
Tony, If you would like to be a sounding board or otherwise participate in the ongoing development of this company just let me know by emailing me at mfs01@mynewroads.com
I have helped to construct many dwellings of many different sizes over the last 35 years but I have never constructed a house or any other building that totally utilizes green technologies. There will obviously be a learning curve to overcome and I will have to recruit those who have this expertise from numerous areas including the PP site. Access to green expertise does not seem to be all that available locally.
Monte

Hello Again! :)Please visit www.FAREnergy.org - The Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy would like to make Florida a leader in solar energy. Since 1991, Germany, Spain, Denmark, and over 40 other nations, states, and provinces, have pioneered legislation that have proven to promote the fastest, cheapest, and widest growth of renewable energy. In many of these countries these policies are called "Feed-In Tariffs" (FITs). Producers of renewable energy are paid a premium rate or "tariff" for each kilowatt of energy they "feed into" the grid. Here in North America FITs are being called, "Renewable Energy Payments" (REPs). The name has changed but the fundamental principles of these policies stay the same:
Everyone who produces renewable energy is guaranteed that they can connect to the power grid and sell their energy to their utility company. There is no limit to the amount of renewable energy that can be sold to utility companies.
Utility companies sign 15-20 year contracts with all their renewable energy producers. All contracts are transparent and open for inspection.
The contracts include long-term agreed upon prices that the utility companies will pay for the energy they buy. The prices are set high enough to be an incentive to new producers and for existing producers to expand their production capacities. Prices vary according to the source of the energy (i.e, sun, wind, water, bio-mass, etc.) and the size of the energy-producing installation.
The utility companies can recoup their increased costs of paying higher prices for renewable energy by spreading these costs among all their customers.
An Independent Review Board is established by the government that periodically sets the prices and terms for new contracts.
How do REPs work?
Renewable Energy Payments are the mechanisms or instruments at the heart of specific state, provincial or national renewable energy policies. REPs are incentives for homeowners, farmers, businesses, etc., to become producers of renewable energy, or to increase their production of renewable energy. As such, they increase our overall production and use of renewable energy, and decrease our consumption and burning of fossil fuels.
Thank you! Happy Holidays!
Faye Roller - Administartive Director
Florida Alliance for Renewable Energy
1-888-501-FARE
www.FAREnergy.org Delete Comment
How are you? I've been waiting to hear what you have to say about the elephant. We are preparing to move the elephant out of the room and into a new grazing ground off the PP site.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Monte
The only way to insure the success of this historical effort is to build our numbers to monumental and unignorable heights. CAN YOU HELP?
Would you please congratulate our newest 100CLUB member, Chris Jones-
http://www.push.pickensplan.com/profile/ChrisJones86
Chris joined Pickens Plan over the weekend, and already has 150 signed pledges from standing in line at the polls for early voting! He is going back again today. Another Pickens Hero.
Best
Kim
Please CONGRATULATE Rhonda Brown for being invited into the 100CLUB! She is amazing. She has over 136 signatures, and going back for more. Her daughter will also have 100 before the election, too! How lucky we are to have Rhonda on our team.
Thanks
Kim
It has been a while since we kept in touch last!
We are now over 1.2 million suporters. We will need many more if we are to beat back the damn lobbyists and special interests. Can you help with the pledges? Every American needs to sign on. With pledges we can fan out and reach so many. It is an easy ask- Boone has done the hard work. I was able to get 300 signed in the first 4 days - everyone wants to to get off of foreign oil. We may never have a golden opportunity like this again!
ARE YOU IN?
Best
Kim
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