Wednesday, January 7, 2009

A Second on My Soapbox

I can't help but comment about the coal ash spill in Tennessee. I kept hearing advertisements on the radio last fall about 'clean' coal, and how coal is one of our best sources of power. What a joke. They are now finding high levels of arsenic and other heavy metals in the waters surrounding the spill site. Not very clean or healthy.



During the campaign, I heard both Obama and McCain espouse the need to build more nuclear power plants as the best form of 'green' energy. What a joke.



Wendell Berry encourages us to look at things a different way. Instead of following the mantra 'Think Global, Act Local,' he challenges us to 'Act Global, Think Local.' Would you want a coal ash pond in your back yard? Would you want a 'safely' contained barrel of nuclear waste in your back yard? If not, then it probably isn't good to put that waste anywhere.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

O.K. what do you suggest we heat with that has no tailings left?
I don't know of anything.
Just wondering.

Wendy said...

I never said that there was a perfect solution... just that these claims that coal and nuclear are somehow safe and green are ridiculous.

The government needs to stop working for the financial benefit of big companies and we all need to face the facts that 1. We need to reduce our dependency on energy. 2. Safer, greener energy is going to cost more and be less profitable.

-w

Anonymous said...

Yes, I agree with you, I just wondered where you stood on the whole issue. Thanks.