Renewable energy: Part 1

GREEN HOME SHOW #38: Renewable energy: Part 1 Real Estate impact and Nuclear

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The following content is from THE GREAT GREEN HOME SHOW #38.

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The content of the GGHS is solely the responsibility of the ECF and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of WILM, its sponsors or Clear Channel Radio.  Any rebroadcast, reproduction or use of the Great Green Home Show or its contents without written permission from the Green Fox, Paul Hughes, Doug Hunt, Aunt Jean, Brenna Wallace, Brooke Chase, the Watson Brothers, The Snap and the Sin City Band is strictly prohibited.

Overall Segment #1 – 9:00

Music & Introduction – 4:30

Introduction – Good Morning !!! Welcome to another edition of the Great Green Home Show...

I know it’s been miserable the last few weeks, but it’s time to start planning how to reduce your home’s energy bill for 2008. It’s never too early in the year to start planning what you can do in the spring that you may or may not be able to do (or for that matter, just don’t want to attempt) in the cold of winter So we’re going to start giving you a few spring chores… spring rolls… Chinese food… Spring in China... what a segue!!! Our guest today can tell us what spring is like in China… in fact he’ll be able to tell a lot more than just that.

So now that I have your attention, let's get to it. As always, we’ll try to stay up-to-date and get the best research on the most relevant green topics for your listening enjoyment. We’ll bring you the latest green news and the best information we can find and present it in a way that’s entertaining and digestible.

We have a really fun show today that will include green news updates, a little comedy, and a little ditty about green women. This week’s theme is all about not having a theme, so we’ll be all over the map, but we do have a terrific guest, Jake DiGrazia an architectural student and world traveler, who’s here to tell us about his time in Asia, what it’s like over there, and what he saw in the way of environmentalism... should be interesting! So grab your Sunday morning beverage of choice, pull up a chair and let's get to it.

I’m Doug Hunt and next to me is my co-host, Paul Hughes. What’s hot? Forget what’s red hot… I want to know what’s Green hot this week?

Paul: Sure Doug... today I'd like to do a quick blurb and start a new segment about Green Real Estate. As this may be a bit self-serving... I've stayed away from it as much as I could on the show. However, it seems to be the hot topic these days with all of the foreclosures that are happening around the country. I have been involved in the construction of and the selling of real estate for many years and I think were going to need to help people keep up with the current environment. Buying and selling your home is the largest investment that most people ever make an even now is still probably the best place to put a good deal of your money. Real estate can be a hard one to understand these days with all of the different information and sensational press items which are being written about the current market.

First, yes, there is a grave problem in the mortgage industry due to subprime loans and money that was handed out under looser regulations. Now that these loans are going up in payment per month many people cannot pay. The good news is that there were many solid banks who do not sell their loans to investors who still are in the mortgage business and are very liquid. You're also going to be hearing a lot more about FHA loans with higher limits and tighter restrictions however they will be giving a great deal of breaks and good rates to those who qualify with good credit. They're will also be FHA mortgages available to those whose credit may be somewhat less qualified than others but still qualify for a mortgage but with a slightly higher rate. My first advice is to check out the new FH A qualifications through your local mortgage lender and of course to recommend the experts at SunTrust mortgage of Christiana.

Suffice to say the current economic conditions, the upcoming economic changes, and the environmental initiatives which will be starting relatively soon after the election,call for a new way of looking at how we live and what we buy to live in..... I am sure that there will be a downsizing for many smart homeowners to try to reduce the cost of living and yet keep their quality of life.

As I see it, much like the need for courage and sacrifice in the 1940s, there will need to be sacrifice and a pulling together for us to pull off a rebirth of our economy in a sustainable and profitable way. Let me say that I firmly believe that we can do this if we had the same kind of effort that was put together by the greatest generation this country has ever known those who fought and sacrificed in World War II.

Unfortunately, This is the last thing that most people want to hear. But in order to get this ship back on course, for sustainable and profitable future, we are going to have to make some sacrifices. That's the harsh truth and yet there's a great s Silver lining.

A first suggestion for many more looking to keep a good lifestyle and also save money is that they should look towards the cities for new housing and a more economical way of living and working. There are many places to be rehabbed and many places which are being built in the city near mass transit, local transit, and our jobs. With the prevalence of car-share many of us can live in the city, walk to work and when we do need a car, we can sign up for car share and pay a fraction for personal transportation compared to what we pay now. Those are just a few of the many benefits of looking for housing within the city limits and in Wilmington and many other cities within the downtown area.

So what's so green about living in the city. Although we will go into depth on this later the simple explanation is; that by going guy walking to work, downsizing our living space, reducing water usage by not having a lawn, and living close to mass transit just to name a few we are reduced our energy consumption by considerable amount and reduced the amount of carbon that we put into the atmosphere. For all you investors out there I believe that there is and will be at least a 20% flight from the suburbs to the cities within the next 10 years. More on that later.

As a realtor, and also green realtor, I am making it more and more my business to be proficient and informed in all of our inner-city options and all of the changes taking place in the city. Look forward to more reports about urban renewal and the opportunity to live a wonderful, full, reduced carbon and economical lifestyle right here in our cities. Doug, remind us of that great green expo on March 29....

Doug: “The Great Green Expo” on March 29th at the Chase Riverfront Center. I’ve figured out a way to get everyone out for the Great Green Expo next month. For anyone who comes to the show, I pledge I will not come over and dance naked on your front lawn. If you don’t come to the expo, I will come over and dance naked on your front lawn… and trust me… you do not want me dancing naked on your front lawn! It is not pretty and it could possibly do permanent emotional damage to anyone who sees it. But seriously, you need to come to the EXPO. It will be worthwhile, I promise. But just as important… you gotta represent! You have to show up and be counted. If you can’t find anything interesting at the EXPO, then you probably no longer have a pulse. There’ll be green vendors, cars, clothes, speakers, stuff for the kids… it’s important that we let the world know that what happens to the planet and how we live and shop and eat are all important and that the status quo has got to go! That’s our new cheer… STATUS QUO HAS GOT TO GO! STATUS QUO HAS GOT TO GO! So show up on March 29th at the Chase Riverfront Center and have fun and make a difference. Now that I’ve stepped down from my Soapbox, we need to thank our sponsors… Paul?

Thanks to: – CMI Solar Electric...... Energy Services Group....... Suntrust Mortgage of Christiana...Myecoagent.com and Option Insurance Group. Also, Mark Unruh for the great music… Protect us Doug…

Today’s Top Ten – 4:00 Sponsored by: Energy Services Group

A quick digression... the nuclear power issue keeps raising its ugly head. Here are the top10 reasons why it may not be a good idea to use nuclear energy to try and save the planet :

  1. Nuclear waste –The waste from nuclear power plants will be toxic for humans for more than 100,000 years.  It's untenable now to secure and store all of the waste from the plants that exist.  To scale up to 2,500 or 3,000, let alone 17,000 plants is unthinkable.
  2. Nuclear proliferation – In discussing the nuclear proliferation issue, Al Gore said, "During my 8 years in the White House, every nuclear weapons proliferation issue we dealt with was connected to a nuclear reactor program."  Iran and North Korea are reminding us of this every day.  We can't develop a domestic nuclear energy program without confronting proliferation in other countries.
  3. National Security – Nuclear reactors represent a clear national security risk, and an attractive target for terrorists.  In researching the security around nuclear power plants, Robert Kennedy, Jr. found that there are at least eight relatively easy ways to cause a major meltdown at a nuclear power plant.
  4. Accidents – Forget terrorism for a moment, and remember that mere accidents – human error or natural disasters – can wreak just as much havoc at a nuclear power plant site.  The Chernobyl disaster forced the evacuation and resettlement of nearly 400,000 people, without thousands poisoned by radiation.
  5. Cancer – There are growing concerns that living near nuclear plants increases the risk for childhood leukemia and other forms of cancer – even when a plant has an accident-free track record.  One Texas study found increased cancer rates in north central Texas since the Comanche Peak nuclear power plant was established in 1990, and a recent German study found childhood leukemia clusters near several nuclear power sites in Europe.
  6. Not enough sites – Scaling up to 17,000 – or 2,500 or 3,000 --  nuclear plants isn't possible simply due to the limitation of feasible sites.  Nuclear plants need to be located near a source of water for cooling, and there aren't enough locations in the world that are safe from droughts, flooding, hurricanes, earthquakes, or other potential disasters that could trigger a nuclear accident.  Over 24 nuclear plants are at risk of needing to be shut down this year because of the drought in the Southeast.  No water, no nuclear power.
  7. Not enough uranium – Even if we could find enough feasible sites for a new generation of nuclear plants, we're running out of the uranium necessary to power them.  Scientists in both the US and UK have shown that if the current level of nuclear power were expanded to provide all the world's electricity, our uranium would be depleted in less than ten years.
  8. Costs – Some types of energy production, such as solar power, experience decreasing costs to scale.  Like computers and cell phones, when you make more solar panels, costs come down.  Nuclear power, however, will experience increasing costs to scale.  Due to dwindling sites and uranium resources, each successive new nuclear power plant will only see its costs rise, with taxpayers and consumers ultimately paying the price.
  9. Private sector unwilling to finance – Due to all of the above, the private sector has largely chosen to take a pass on the financial risks of nuclear power, which is what led the industry to seek taxpayer loan guarantees from Congress in the first place.

    And finally, even if all of the above strikes against nuclear power didn't exist, nuclear power still can't be a climate solution because there is…

  10. No time – Even if nuclear waste, proliferation, national security, accidents, cancer and other dangers of uranium mining and transport, lack of sites, increasing costs, and a private sector unwilling to insure and finance the projects weren't enough to put an end to the debate of nuclear power as a solution for climate change,  the final nail in nuclear's coffin is time.  We have the next ten years to mount a global effort against climate change.  It simply isn't possible to build 17,000 – or 2,500 or 17 for that matter – in ten years.

With so many strikes against nuclear power, it should be off the table as a climate solution, so we need to turn our energies toward the technologies and strategies that can truly make a difference: solar power, wind power, and energy from sustainable and renewable sources

What we suggest instead: all measures of conservation of energy, a movement towards the installation. Thanks to Green Delaware for the list. They said “take action” and now we have. We’ll be right back...

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