Harnessing the sun and wind for coffee and canines

This was very interesting!
Thanks for sharing!

How awesome, this is what will potentially save our earth, with use of clean energy. My husband and I want to look into windmill energy, when we build our home. I believe their might be incentives offered to help when building green. I just love the dog house! What a good thing these people are doing.

You aren't going to save the earth by doing these things. There is nothing to save it from.

I know Peter, but at least we will be able to afford our utilities...because they will be virtually FREE.

I agree with both Karen and Peter. There isn't much we can do to reverse the hundreds of years of damage that we have caused to our earth and atmosphere - BUT we can at least try to help and make our utilities cheaper.

If more and more people jump on the bandwagon of green energy (solar, wind, and water), our other utilities may just become reduced in cost because the companies providing our "on the grid" utilities will be losing money. I don't know if that would really happen, though... but a girl can dream, can't she? LOL!

Nevertheless, definitely a 4-star article! :)

I agree - great article. I wish I could do that to my house.

Nuclear is green as well but is always left off the list. If you are switching to new technologies to save money that's terrific. If your motive is to save a planet from a falsehood then you are diluting yourself and that's where I have a big problem with this whole thing.

I don't believe human have caused any lasting damage to this planet. Pollution sucks but is easily cleaned and that's completely different. It can be argued that there are more forests now than in earths history because humans are here to fight naturally occurring forest fires. We also burn brush purposefully to prevent forest fires. People are smarter than the environazis (not not all who care for the earth fall under this dubious category) give them credit for. As a society we know better than to harm ourselves.

Posted by Peter O'Brien on July 10, 2009 - 11:27am
If your motive is to save a planet from a falsehood then you are diluting yourself and that's where I have a big problem with this whole thing.

Let's hope that she is diluting herself with pristine water while she is deluding herself into believing that we are not here only to take from the earth but to be stewards for future generations. If that makes us nazis than so be it.

Keep twisting my words... I called no specific person a nazi and even said....well you can read can't you?

And excuse me for not knowing one word in the english language. It sounds the exact same when spoken. The language is filled with too many crap things like that. Wind blows and you can Wind up a toy. I ate bleu cheese off a blue plate while the wind blew.

I've become much more mindful of conservation/environmental issues since moving to New York, and especially since getting into fishing a bit.

At a minimum, a balanced, healthy environment is important to the quality of a human life -- we need places that aren't all paved order or polluted and depleted.

Many of the measures promoted to combat global warming are just sensible conservation measures. Of course, some of the proposal are excessive and not justifiable on economic (part of a balanced existence) for what is at best dubious science.

You've heard the old phrase: Think Globally, Act Locally. I prefer, Think Locally AND Act Locally. This makes more a more sustainable local community as well as a more sustainable earth. I won't inventory all the ways these ideas tie together now, but just to say I'm mindful of the idea that localism and conservation are mutually beneficial concepts.

As for nuclear, Peter, the only thing that concerns me is waht to do with the waste?

Yucca Mountain has already been designated as the dumping site. People are worried about ground water contamination but its in the middle of the desert. They are worried about transporting it but we have containers designed to withstand full on impacts from speeding trains and survive and type of fire from that collision.

Three Mile Island resulted in a leak. By the best estimates it was equivalent to a chest x-ray. Chernobyl was a deteriorating plant in a crumbling country.

Today's nuclear power plants are at least 30 years old. They are safe and reliable. Imagine what can be done with the technological gains we've made since the 70's.

God has givin us life, and a beautiful earth to enjoy. I will always do what I can to take care of her. And Yes Peter, the earth has a fever. You have a right to your opinion, as do I. There is such a thing as Global Warming. I believe it, and always will, and will continue to support the earth, no matter what people say. It is my duty as a human, and a privilage.

Karen the earth has been cooling since the 90's and it was hotter in the 30's. Humans haven't been able to accurately read global temperatures for most of their existence let alone the earth's. Global Warming models don't take into account Water Vapor which is the single most significant factor in determining the greenhouse effect.

I know Peter, I just believe there is a problem with the earth, its over population, and resources being depleted, at a faster rate then ever before. Im concerned for the generations ahead. I worry what the earth will be like 100's of years from now, for my children, and my childrens, children. My husband builds Hydrogen Fuel Cells, that potentially will run engines with salt water. Its so important to me, to harness wind energy, and find ways to cut emissions through clean power. I just say "why not try". What do we have to loose?

I don't think global warming is something you choose to believe in or not. It's not like the statement, 'I believe the Yankees will win a world series or not'. I don't think any of us should talk about it unless we have doctorates in climatology. It would almost be like a school nurse believing in a cure for cancer.

I just think its more serious than a Yankees game. This is the place that sustains life "the Earth". I wont take it for granted, nor will I stop trying to make it better. This is just my opinion, and God knows I am just a tiny partical on the earth. I have also seen the pics of the hole in the ozone, years ago, and now. Eventually the earth will fry from lack of protection from the sun. There is proof of these things, we just need to spend more time looking into them.

The Chernobyl disaster had nothing to do with the quality of the building. Several fuel rods were removed.