2 Weeks in Alaska
This summer my wife surprised me with a 2 week vacation in Alaska. We visited Anchorage, Seward, Denali National Park, and several other scenic places in between. We met lots of people and talked about how the changing climate has affected the arctic. By the way it was 90+ degrees while we were in Anchorage.
We dined on fresh Alaskan Salmon with the midnight sun hanging low in the sky only to find ourselves staying up past 3 AM (didn't know it was so late).
We met a family in Talkeetna that live "off the grid", that means they don't have electricity unless they make it themselves. They were interested in a home hydrogen powered generator to make electricity. They weren't in the mood for burning wood or fossil fuels to add to the problems in Alaska.
We also hiked in Denali National Park and were amazed at the variety of wildlife and plants. If you haven't been you owe it to yourself to go. It will drive you to preserve this habitat for the future.
Driving the Kenai Peninsula to Seward is breathtaking. Beautiful mountain vistas and ocean views will capture your imagination. We stopped at a few sites I had read about and panned for gold. At Six Mile Creek there are several spots for recreational panning and yes I did find a few nuggets. OK, flakes of gold, not enough to quit the day job, but we did have fun.
BUT.........................
The permafrost isn't. Glaciers are receding faster by the day, and the winters are becoming a nightmare. It seemed strange to me that as the climate warms more snow falls in winter. I guess I had always imagined Alaska as snow covered most of the year anyway. Folks have to shovel the snow off roofs to prevent a collapse.
So how does this relate to the future? Why am I including this as a point of discussion? Well, if Alaska is being affected by a warming climate, maybe that's one place we are. Could we argue the finer points of why the climate is warming? Yes, of course, but why. Why don't we discuss how we can reduce our own personal contributions to the change.
If we were to say that part of the climate change is attributed to the burning of fossil fuels and that we burn fossil fuels while driving our cars, then we could talk about ways to reduce the amount of fuel we consume. Let's also say this would reduce our dependence on foreign oil, which wouldn't be a bad thing.
My wife bought a Pontiac Vibe last summer and it has a pretty good fuel economy rating (29 city/34 highway). This replaced a vehicle that wasn't as good and I've estimated we'll save about 300 gallons of gas per year. Maybe in the grand scheme it isn't much, but I can only control my own contribution to the future.
I've also been looking into the possibility of a home hydrogen generator for use in providing power for my home. Proton Energy Systems has some new technology that may bridge the gap for folks "off the grid", but maybe we haven't put the necessary resources into the advancement of replacement technology to move us in a different direction.
posted by vjpfire @ 6:10 PM
1 Comments:
Hi Vern,
Having spent two summers working in Alaska, plus several repeat visits to that state, I often wonder at the mentality of the lower states. We "down below" seem to demand more - while most of those who live in Alaska attempt to find a way to preserve. Many areas dilligently recycle and reuse. They do NOT use aerosols and will walk or ride bikes rather than drive a vehicle. If close to the ocean - they tend to use seaweed for garden fertilizer (even though the season is short, they grow what they are able),
I do NOT support the drilling in ANWAR for several reasons. Among those are - the destruction of a pristine wilderness which is home to caribou and other species including the food source for caribou; that wilderness once destroyed will never be able to regenerate itself; the oil drilled in Alaska now is NOT used in the US, and I wonder - would the oil found in ANWAR be shipped out of country as well; and in my opinion, the drilling in ANWAR would only add to the changes in our atmosphere in SO many ways, both immediate and in the long run.
Current oil production in Alaska is slowing. How much more oil lies beneath our earth world wide? Does the drilling and pumping out of this substance help cause the shifting of the surface of the earth (ie more earthquakes)? Rather than burying spent nuclear fuel, can we utilize it to safely and economically produce power? These are a few of the questions I have.
I know people in Alaska who run their household by a combination of power sources. One friend has a solar panel on his porch which helps to operate his computer, phone, and lighting. He has two back-up car type batteries, and also back up propane light fixtures. For heat he is currently using a diesel powered heater (which we found to be extremely efficient as well as cost effective while we were working there.)
What can be done to begin a change in thinking of our legislators as well as each of us to look to the future of our world, and working toward an economical, healthy, safe source of power for our homes, businesses, and vehicles?
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