Make the Grid Green - Ideas for Change in America

What do you think is the most effective way to turn this idea into real policy? Add your suggestions here for how you think we should run an advocacy campaign to advance the idea – including the overall strategy, messaging, targets, and tactics.

Approach this from the standpoint that people reading this forum already agree with you on the importance of the issue, and are asking "What can we do to help make this a reality?"

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Could this have been more vague? How is this an idea? How about specifics? Create a Works Progress Administration to create jobs in Solar Residential Installation. It's currently about 25,000 per home, which is LESS than we have spent on the Iraq War!! Or installing a National Solar Array? It's been published that the entire electrical supply for the US could be produced in a 10mile by 10 mile square solar array. Can you think of a better use for our tax money than to ensure our US energy supply is uninterrupted?

Suggested by Dave Reinmuth on 01/17/2009 @ 05:53AM PT
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I think 10 years is too long. I think we can do much better, in a much shorter period of time.

Suggested by Spencer Bui on 01/16/2009 @ 10:42PM PT
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The only way this would be possible is through a drastic reduction of energy consumption. It is just not fesible to replace outright the energy produced by coal and natural gas, except possibly with nuclear energy. Whether or not that is a green technology is heavily debated. You may disagree, but if you do some research you will see that coal and natural gas together account for ~72% of our electricity production in the U.S (http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epa/epat2p2.html). Much of the environmental impact of these fuels can be drastically reduced through various methods. However, there are not really many options for energy production that have the kind of capacity we currently demand. http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/How_to_reduce_energy_usage is a good start for the average citizen. However, households only account for about 30% of our electricity consumption (extrapolated from figures on page 25 of http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/prod_development/downloads/EPA_Datacenter_Report_Congress_Final1.pdf). Therefor businesses and other organizations also must take steps to reduce their consumption. I suspect there would be huge savings from simply putting work computers on standby overnight. Anyway, the point is we need to reduce our consumption. It's not very hard and it will save you money in the long run. Just do it.

Suggested by Larry Reaves on 01/16/2009 @ 09:57PM PT
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I suggest we use HHO fuels. I have seen them work. Don't believe me check youtube.com type in HHO. Its a revolt of individuals. I am also providing all data needed to build via:
http://thepiratebay.org/user/siozenh4x0r/
I have 3 torrents. All data is valid, tested, and has been applied. Be safe. Learn much. At the very least, give my data a look. Its worth the time.

Oh don't take my word for it, here's Jack Nickelson in 1978 in a HHO powered car.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qM325S_3TI&eurl=http://bulletins.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=bulletin.read&authorID=113493270&messageID=6286434065&MyTokeniurl=http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/2qM325S_3TI/hqdefault.jpg&feature=player_embedded

Ya know, just so you know...

Oh and hemp, durka durka..... If you don't know about hemp learn... Its history is a case in compassion. LEARN FASTER!!

Suggested by Shane Anderson on 01/16/2009 @ 11:11AM PT
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