Marketplace
![[SeMissourian.com]](http://www.semissourian.com/images/nameplate.gif)
|
|
Mostly Cloudy ~ River stage: 24.9 Falling Saturday, July 4, 2009 |
 Print
 Email link
 Respond to editor
 Read comments (14)
 Share link
Energy reduction begins at home: Green constructionFriday, January 18, 2008By Kathy Conway We are not the first Americans to be concerned about energy efficiency; a thousand years ago the Anasazi, a Native American culture living in New Mexico and Colorado, had figured how to build homes and villages in ways that maximized warming during the cold winters and cooling during the hot summers. They built huge and complex villages in south-facing caves in vast sandstone cliffs. The overhanging rocks allowed the winter sun to warm the homes, but prevented the hot summer sun from entering, thus producing cool summer climes. Today energy costs are soaring as resources dwindle and awareness of our environmental impact is increasing. This is leading to a growing interest in what we can do to reduce both our energy consumption and our environmental impact. For most of us, the greatest expense that we are likely to make in our lives occurs in buying a home. Of course the cost does not end with the initial construction or purchase but continues as we live in the home. For some of us the cost of home construction and living in the home are of prime importance. For others, of equal importance is the environmental impact of construction and our day-to-day living. In either case, it makes sense for us to try to live, like the Anasazi, in a home that is energetically efficient and environmentally friendly (green). When buying a new home, it makes sense, therefore, to consider whether the builder employed design and construction techniques that address these issues. If we are having a home built, it similarly makes sense to select a design that will produce an energetically efficient and environmentally friendly home and engage a builder who is able to achieve our objectives. It makes sense to employ energy efficient and sustainable techniques in the construction of the home and to construct a home that minimizes our energy costs and environmental impact on a day-to-day basis when we move in. Later this month, the Southeast Missouri Climate Protection Initiative will be offering a program designed to provide hints on ways to achieve these objectives. To help folks in the area who might be considering buying, building or remodeling a home, the Southeast Missouri Climate Protection Initiative has organized a program on green construction. When designing a home, it is worth remembering that the major cost to be imposed on us in daily living will be the cost of heating in winter and cooling/dehumidifying in summer. These costs can be reduced by employing appropriate design and construction strategies. In addition to this issue, the program will address such questions as: * What the main differences are when considering energy efficiency and environmentally sustainable design * How an energy efficient design (such as Structurally Insulated Panels) compares with a conventional design * What techniques are employed in the construction of an energy efficient home and how these might differ from conventional construction * What the difference and cost/benefits are in passive versus active solar designs * What the possibilities are for employing solar and other alternative or renewable energy sources to power the home * The source of timber and other materials employed in construction * The manner by which the site is landscaped * How to minimize the environmental landscaping footprint * What kind of home finishing (carpeting etc.) can minimize energy and environmental costs * What kind of appliances can be purchased to reduce energy and environmental costs If you are interested in learning more about energy efficient or environmentally friendly green construction, you are invited to attend the next meeting of the Southeast Missouri Climate Protection Initiative. Based on his years of experience in this area, St. Louis builder Matt Belcher will offer some tips. Once a home is built, it is often quite expensive to remodel or retrofit, but some tips for remodeling will undoubtedly be available during the discussion. The meeting is 7 p.m. Jan. 24 at the Osage Community Centre. It is free and open to the public. Local builders are particularly encouraged to attend or send representatives. Additional information on SEMOCPI programs may be found at cstl.semo.edu/SEMOCPI/. Information on Matt Belcher is available at www.constructiondisputes-cdrs.com/Matt%20Belcher.htm. Kathy Conway of Cape Girardeau is co-facilitator of the Southeast Missouri Climate Change Initiative. Comments  Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. If you feel that a comment is offensive, please Login or Create an account first, and then you will be able to flag a comment as objectionable. Please also note that those who post comments on semissourian.com may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
|
|
del.icio.us
Digg
StumbleUpon
Technorati
Newsvine
Facebook
Furl
Reddit
Google
See, there it is: "Climate Change." Just read about it recently. You should read why they changed it from "Global Warming."
Wonderful insight 'gurusmoron'. Do you have anything worthwhile to contribute?
Hauptmann, your a disrespectful jerk!
I suppose Al or Cathy have done something to hurt you huh?Grow up MAN!I for one Am tired of disrespectful jerks who attack people in the way you do.I found Cathy's editorial VERY imformative!You my friend need some lessons in respect!I would love to help you out!!!!!!I suggest the Missourian remove your attacks on personal character!
Yes I do know Al and Cathy and do not agree with much they offer but I will always respect their opinions as should you!!
dinglehead...Nope.
While environmental impacts are one argument towards the renewed push for energy efficiency, my rationalization is more towards personal pocketbook economics - figure the less that is used becomes the less that is spent.
To an environmentalist, 1 kilowatt-hour of electricity not used, but which would have been generated by conventional sources, represents 1.3-2.1 lbs of carbon dioxide 'greenhouse gas' that is not emitted, along with the various respective reductions in quantities of other pollutants.
To me, that 1 kilowatt-hour not used represents 3.78 - 7.92 cents saved, depending on the time of year and the rate schedule in effect. Save a kilowatt-hour here and there, and pretty soon, will be talking about some real money.
I have found it true that the majority of my annual utilities dollars (about 60%) goes toward climate control, and so the thermostat is already set to tolerable limits - a quick-n-easy move. However, based on various payback scenarios, it was not financially beneficial to change the existing unit out for a more efficient unit until it reached its end-of-service-life.
Suggest that this is true for most applications - it's generally not economical to replace an existing unit with a more efficient one until the existing unit - be it the HVAC system, washer, dryer, water heater, fridge, etc. - fails, needs major repairs, or no longer suits the application. There are exceptions to every rule, and the CFL 'swirly' lamps may fall in here.
Further suggest that energy prices are going nowhere but up, and won't ever come back down to price levels previously experienced.
So, whatever is driving your bus - whether it be the environment, the pocketbook, or some other force - suggest it wise to at least make the effort to consider taking the route of higher efficiency.
Hauptmann,
Careful with those long posts, that's how the black helicopters pinpoint your location. Don the tinfoil before it's too late!
God, I love the smell of fossil fuels burning in the morning...and in the afternoon...ah, heck, even in the evening! I just got back from zinging up I-55 and and all around the St. Louis area, and expended a whole tank of dinosaurs!!! Figured I'd best get it out of my system before we're all forced to ride bikes and mules.
Imbrial:
Thanks for the concern; however, I'm a pretty good shot and can bring 'em down at will! So no sweat in that department. Besides, I command and dispatch the black hoppityclopters to strafe the "paranoia pond" (aka, Speak Out blog...or bog, if you will)once in awhile just to stir up the bottom-feeders and see what they're up to! If the copters turn on me, I can deal with them accordingly. As for the tinfoil, I wouldn't recommend that, because one tends to short out if hanging around electrical circuits. Remember. It only takes about .01 amps to send you off to the eternal dirt nap!!
Greywolf:
Thanks for your input, and I hope your heartburn has subsided a bit in the interim. Now, with the pleasantries adequately dispensed with, I'd like to ask you a question, then discuss a few issues that seem to concern you. Specifically, what points in my statement can you identify and articulate as being either disingenuous or inaccurate? Perhaps I can help you with some of them.
1. Regarding the issue of respect. When I took the oath to defend Constitution & country aginst all enemies, foreign and domestic, our greatest enemy was socialism...or communism for those in a hurry (V.. Lenin). Further, I was conditioned to not only disrespect socialists, but have outright contempt for them as enemies and deal with them as required. To date, no politician or government bureaucrat has adequately convinced me that, just because I retired, my oath expired. And socialism is still alive and, therefore, still an enemy of our nation, here or abroad.
2. Related to item one, respect. You say you know our subjects in question here. Then you should be familiar with some of the groups they affiliate with, and their leftist agendas. By the way, I define "left" as socialist or communist, but not necessarily all liberals...only those who willingly succumb to the "dark side", so to speak. If you were to be honest, then, have you not observed these folks and/or their academic comrades attack and vilify, by name even, those who do not agree with their failed ideology. I have observed them operate somewhat up close and personal and in fact have been personally targeted. But no, I wasn't really hurt, even my tender little feelings, per your question; I'm accustomed to being hated by the left.
3. Familiar tactics. You didn't seem to take issue with my claim that these folks and their buddies have used shotgun methods several times before...maybe you went back and checked the time frame I suggested. And yes, they do pressure young SEMO students to sometimes do their bidding for them (putting their names on letters/op-eds, etc, even though the content might be "suggested" by, shall I say, authority figures?), and becoming activists for their cause...implying grades may suffer if they don't otherwise submit. I have had young students convirm such practices, and am even still in touch with one of them; however, I would not disclose his or her name, for obvious reasons, pending a possible return to SEMO for other studies. You see, this kind of nonsense normally doesn't work with non-traditional students, like I was at SEMO, because we don't lap up all the useless Bravo Sierra from professors, and I personally didn't give a hang about my GPA...but young people have to be concerned.
4. Sign it and it's yours. If you put your name on something, be prepared for feedback, and some of it may not be warm-and-fuzzy. I have some experience with that axiom, and these "guys & gals" are supposed to be grownups, and should expect to take some heat, and a bunch of it depending on the content. Oh, and I don't believe I've been bashful in the past about statingwho I respect or disrespect, and I still refuse to submit to PC Nazism and cower from speaking out against what I know is wrong, if not evil.
Well, Greywolf, I think this little dissertation may not have covered every little nit-noy regarding your protest, but it should suffice for now. If you or anyone else insists on finding factual fault with anything I've stated here or previously, then great, knock yourself out, with all due respect (operative word, due). In fact, I invite someone at this paper to prove me wrong...that would be a hoot.
Unless I'm obviously clowning around, trust me, I actually do think about what I'm going to say, and also anticipate some flak; it is after all, a war of ideas, if not between good and evil. But apologize for honestly expressing what I feel to be the raw, if not painful truth? Nope. Sorry 'bout that. Have a nice life, until they, the left, take it away from you.
Let's see what the posts of Herr Hauptmann tell us about him/her and his/her cause:
1) He/she claims to think about his/her posts but cannot be bothered to check the facts (easily checkable from the public record) that he/she writes about concerning the individuals he/she attacks.
2) He/she does not mind penning unsupported lies about the individuals he/she wishes to attack but does not address any of the underlying issues he/she claims to deplore.
3) Presumably he/she thinks anyone who recognizes climate change/global warming is a problem is a socialist or communist -- which means he/she thinks George Bush and John McCain are socialists or communists.
4) He/she claims to have served in the military and fought to defend the U.S. Cconstitution and the freedom it represents --but the freedom he/she fought to defend was that which he/she exhibits: the freedom to lie and make anonymous libelous attacks on folks who express ideas with which he/she disagrees. Is this what American freedom is really all about?
5) It appears that he/she thinks he/she is representing the conservative viewpoint, but in fact he/she is portraying him/herself as an extremist who attacks individuals rather than argues with evidence those positions in which he/she believes. Such an approach does little to persuade anyone to his/her political position - whatever it is. A signed logical argument with evidence - if he/she can produce such - would be much more persuasive.
Dinglehead has called it exactly correctly.
When folks have no arguement to support their opinions, they resort to name calling, lies, and insults. It's called 'The Limbaugh' approach. Herr Hauptmann certainly has offered no support for the charges and insults he has made - not for the positions he/she seems to hold. Should we just feel sorry for him/her? He/she certainly does not represent those that he/she seems to think he/she represents: i.e. the sane conservatives of the region.
Dinglehead:
You seem to be wrapped-around-the-axle with the he/she thing. I'll make it easier for you: I'm a guy-type person. Also, you apparently don't want to take up the same gauntlet I threw down for Greywolf, such as going back to the Oct/Nov 07 battery of letters and op-eds in this paper as an example. I suppose I could supply you with some of the names, dates, and titles regarding the pieces as evidence (since I made copies of them) but, quite frankly, I deem you as unworthy of my efforts. I've even challenged this paper to cover both sides of the story on this herd, but I figure they're too timid to do so...maybe afraid of them for some reason.
I'll give you some other hints, though, of who this "usual suspect" crowd is, as I figure you may well be a part of them. Surely you've heard of the SEMO Coalition for Peace & Justice (SEMO CP&J)bunch, if not a member yourself; website used to be SEMO Progressives...I still have an unlovely group photo of some of the "leaders" on my tracking board, and take a guess who some of them are. They even bragged about being a dues-paying affiliate with the national extremists of a similar moniker. But since this little band of activists apparently got a bit paranoid about being infiltrated and exposed, the same bunch dried up and seemed to magically morph/resurface as the SEMO Climate Protection Initiative (SEMO CPI) and promote the U.N.'s propaganda. Interesting. The same lefty suspects from SEMO academia. Go figure.
And, yes, I confess, that I am an on-line subscriber to such extremist radical counter-propaganda groups like junkscience.com, and dabble once in awhile with discoverthenetworks.org to see how many luny leftist cells these guys are in bed with. Check 'em out, and report back if you so desire, or dare.
Well, dinglehead, it's been a real blast (pun intended?), albeit a waste of time. So I'll press on and see how many more ripples I can cause by throwing pebbles in the leftists' paranoia pond. Have a nice menial existence. Burma Shave!
The Rooter:
Gee. I was about to check out for the (yester)day, and almost missed you. Might I assume you are also an apologist and/or member of the SEMO CP&J/CPI crowd for my records? Either way, I invite you to pick up the same gauntlet I offered to Greywolf and Dinglehead, and knock yourself silly with it. Otherwise, I've got better things to do, and you can stow it in your "lower sea trunk" for another day. Ya'all have fun now, ya hear?!
The air is cleaner in France than any other industrialized nation, and their CO emissions have been decreasing. How are they doing it? Clean and cheap nucleur power, that's how. We should be building nucleur power plants. They would provide power for our homes as well as for electric cars in the future. We are being left behind and will become third world if we don't act now.