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When I look at the problems we face today, none can be more vexing thatpicking the right gifts for the holidays. There is no one more dear to
me that the person who has stood by me through thick and thin, in
sickness and health, through the good times and the bad, than my mate.
Hypothetically, let's suppose that I am given the choice of spending on
her all my allotment of available funds on only one gift or a hundred.
It doesn't matter how much that amount might be, but let's say for
argument that it's $100.
Now, remember that the gift (or gifts) must represent a token of my
love and appreciation for her. It must be something that will sustain
her image of my worth for another year or a lifetime. It must be
meaningful. It must also do no harm to our relationship, or cause undue
stress on our family and our children.
Now, imagine choosing and buying 100 gifts for this purpose. It might
take many trips to several "dollar stores" to find any suitable gifts,
but 100 may be more like using a shotgun to shoot a needle in a
haystack. Clearly one or more of the $1 gifts may be cute or slightly
endearing. A few may only be fattening, which probably won't help.
However, most $1 gifts will fail to meet the most important criteria
listed above, and will only serve to create an image in her mind of
someone who is cheap and foolish.
So, let's pick one gift and choose wisely so that it is most likely to
bring a smile and become a symbol of our love. Perhaps a romantic night
in a local bed and breakfast, a pair of beautiful earrings, a ring with
a tasteful semi-precious stone setting, or a gorgeous colorful blouse.
The point is, I have a better shot at solving the problem by thinking
of what best meets the criteria.
Now, those of you who know me recognize the trap I set for the reader
who has not really thought through the problem. Here's the reason I use
this metaphor.
Current American Energy Policy is a big mistake.
It is trying to solve a single problem with over a hundred cheap and
ineffective solutions. Virtually every avenue of research and
development is a dead end or a piecemeal solution of little or no
value. It offers nothing but fattening trifles that don't last long,
wasteful and poorly thought-out ideas that go nowhere, unsustainable
concepts or uneconomic implementations, politically untenable
strategies, and wishful thinking using old depletable resources that
are in short supply. Many are environmental disasters already, and
merely add to the misery. Many approaches simply cannot and will not
work. DOE's latest missive on new research offerings is a good example
of scatterbrained thinking -- Topic Description.pdf
So, why don't we think this problem through and offer at the most five
good ideas that meet all of the criteria for the perfect gift, and see
if at least one is worthy to make our family strong and provide for a
solid future?
Let's start with the criteria. This gift must be sustainable, no matter
what happens in the world to come. It must be in perfect harmony with
our society and our environment. It must expand to meet the needs of a
growing population, no matter how large. It must be affordable, so that
all humanity can afford to use it and provide for their futures with
confidence. It must be available to everyone and everywhere. It must be
based upon technology that is not beyond our current horizon and grasp.
Politics must not be capable of interfering with its use. It must be
recognizable as something that has value to all.
Now, dear reader, can you think of what gift will meet all these needs?
I have chosen a four-legged stool with a molded seat to make the perfect gift for our energy policy to offer for the holidays.
I choose as the four legs the following technologies, all of which are
renewable: solar energy conversion, wind power, ocean energy
conversion, and biomass. I choose as the seat of the stool the one fuel
that is also sustainable, renewable, non-polluting, transportable,
storable, and made from the very elements that it returns to naturally.
This all-purpose, ultimate green fuel is ammonia.
This blog will discuss all five pieces of the one gift we can give to
mankind to solve the energy crisis, stop global warming, restore our
economies, and build global political cooperation leading to world
peace and stability.
Solar, wind, ocean, biomass, and ammonia -- our gift for the holidays. Let's try out our new stool.
