A: Two, but they better be the same sex, or at least diverse.
NPR was talking today about the coming Fred Upton’s ban on 100 watt Incandescent light bulbs, and what a wonderful thing that is. They even included totally appropriate audio of George W Bush beaming with pride about his accomplishment at the signing ceremony.
NPR acknowledged that CFL’s have not worked out as well as people had hoped (without mentioning the “mercury thing”, that they don’t work outside in the cold, and they burn out a lot sooner than they’re supposed to, are hazardous waste disposal problems, etc…). NPR was pimping LED lights as the better alternative. Ultimately, LEDs may be the better solution.
I have a proposal – if saving energy is this important a national issue, I have a libertarian alternative. Rather than mandating what people can’t do, let’s mandate what governments (including home owner associations) can’t do.
Condo associations and home owner associations (and probably cities) routinely make it against the rules to hang your laundry outside to dry. Heat to power clothes dryers is a large power drain. Hanging a clothes line (or tree) and letting the sun dry your clothes is not only free, but the sunlight does a pretty good job disinfecting the clothing.
Banning hanging your laundry outside is done because it is unattractive and perceived as something “only poor people do”, and will hurt property values. It also takes some time and work to hang out laundry- these days a lot of people have more time than money.
I think an obvious solution is to have the ILWU and Teamsters come and beat the clothes dry, beat ’em so bad they’ll never dare get wet again. Then they can kick people who need it in the head until they see lights.
—
Yo, look for da goonion label
if youse wanna buy da grain da dress or blouse;
remember dat da goonion’s scheemin’
an’ our thugs might burn you house.
Put anybuddy but goonion boys
ta work on any friggin day,
den look for goonion tire irons
coz dat’s da goonion way.
(No apologies to Paula Green, Teamsters or ILWU goons)
That’s just too funny!
There goes our Quixotic webmaster-leader again, trying to apply logic to the environmental movement!
There is a certain status that goes along with being seen as being “green”. As long as I can be seen driving it or wearing it on my sleeve and it’s not too inconvenient or require much effort. Yeah, it’s everyone’s favorite new buzzword. Remember synergy, big picture, win-win, brainstorm, multitask, think outside the box and 24/7?
I think out of the box 24/7/52 +1.25 (approx)
How many old-time consumer activities are there that would have been regarded as “green” yet are too inconvenient for our “have the cake & eat it” society? Returnable bottles, cloth diapers, walkable communities, clothes lines, repairable consumer goods (a big one) and so many more.