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Clean Energy Alternatives
The Sisters are committed to fostering and encouraging the protection and care of the Earth and environment
Sister Thomas Mary Salerno, Director of Maris Stella in Harvey Cedars
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Do you ever Wonder
whether you can impact such big issues as the environment and energy independence? Will your individual efforts be enough to make a difference? The answer is YES! The market economy starts and ends with YOU, the consumer, and consumers represent 70% of our nation’s GNP.
Consumers have the power to trigger change. Already on LBI, people are using solar and geothermal energy, considering wind power, and driving hybrid cars. When it comes to switching to renewable energy, LBI consumers could be miles ahead of the pack.
Fossil Fuels
Fifty percent of America’s electric power is supplied by coal. Natural gas and nuclear energy supply about 20% each, and the remainder, just under 10%, comes from renewable sources like wind, solar, geothermal, and, especially, hydroelectric power. The burning of fossil fuels to heat our buildings and power our vehicles accounts for:
• 40% of the nation’s carbon emissions
• 40% of the nitrogen in our waters
• 75% of the mercury in our waters
Moreover, fossil and nuclear plants need enormous quantities of water for cooling and ongoing maintenance. A typical 500 megawatt coal plant takes 2.2 billion gallons of water—enough for all 250,000 residents of Ocean County each year—simply to produce steam to drive the turbines.
The United States consumes one-quarter of the world’s oil TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL ENERGY USE production—20 million barrels—every day, about 12 million Lighting barrels of which are imported. Assuming a price of $100 7% Space Cooling a barrel, that means more than $1.2B is flowing out of this 9% country every day to finance our oil addiction.
This addiction to fossil fuels is also contributing to global 10% 46% warming. NASA scientists say that global warming has been more rapid over the last 30 years than anyone thought— Other about 0.2 of a degree over each of the past three decades. 13%
If the trend continues unchecked, the group asserts 60% of Water Heating species around the world could die by the end of the 21st 15% century, and sea levels could rise several feet.
