Is energy too cheap? Is conservation a dirty word? What would you say to “Jimmy Cardigan”? With regards to alternative energy sources (renewables) are you a "free-marketeer" or proponent of government intervention to steer us away from fossil fuels? In your opinion, what type of renewable energy has the most upside potential? What steps can you take 1) tomorrow and 2) within the next five years to reduce your energy footprint?

Without energy life would cease to exist. “Energy is one of the most fundamental parts of our universe.” ("Energy Story") That being said, energy is too cheap. I think that if energy was more expensive or we were charged by the amount we used instead of a fixed value, then people would be more apt to conserve it.

Conservation is certainly not a dirty word. If anything it is a grand concept considering out situation. Conservation requires us to limit our usage and to live more ecological. But to anti-conservators the C-word should never be uttered and may be viewed as a dirty word. Feeling they have a right and should not have to lower their living standards; completely disregarding the environment surrounding them. I can understand that conservation is not ideally for a country with pretty much everything at our finger tips. And the fact that we have to conserve is a hard reality to grasp. I’m pretty sure the “American Dream” had nothing to do with conservation. We now have something called the “New American Dream” detailing how we can live more sustainable. I wonder what the world thinks of this new concept…

Jimmy Carter had great ideas for helping American become more conservative. His way of dealing with the increase use of oil in homes was to wear a sweater when it got cold instead of tuning up the thermostat. That’s makes so much sense, why continue to turn your AC up and down every time the weather or your body temperature changed? It is not that hard to put on extra clothing.

If not handled properly fossil fuels could cause a lot of damage to the environment not to mention the damage it already caused. So if a free-market with little government intervention is possible then I’m all for it.

In my opinion the renewable energy that has the most upside potential is solar energy. Every part of the world at some point has access to the sun. Solar energy can store sunlight so it is still available on days the sun isn’t out and at night.

To reduce my energy footprint, tomorrow I could unplug appliances that are not in use, when I’m in a room with widows in the day time turn off the lights and open the blinds. To reduce my energy footprint within the next five years I could use reusable products, replace the rest of my faucets with ones that use less water, and change all lights to compact fluorescent light bubs.