Signing off... for now...

             Well it's the end of another semester here at Western Michigan University and the end of my first environmental studies class. I can honestly say that I look at the world in an entirely different way now. I have learned so much about how we are changing our planet for the worse that it is down right depressing. But I have not given up hope. Because of people and organizations like 350.org, I still believe that we can slow down and eventually stop the effects of climate change before it is too late. But it will be an extremely hard and difficult process that will be met with resistance from the greedy oil companies. As long as we don't give up then we will eventually succeed in our fight to save our planet. I hope that I will be able to continue posting but it could be for a while. So goodbye for now and continue the fight!

The Big Business

          Someone once told me that our country is no longer ran by our government, but is now ran by the big multi-billion dollar companies. At first I thought that this was a preposterous statement but now I am beginning to believe it. Now don't get me wrong I know that business is what made this country what it is (or should I say "what it was") today. But now businesses, such as the oil companies, have become so rich and so powerful that the can throw millions of dollars around to get exactly what they want. We have so many lobbyists in D.C. that are paid by big businesses that we can barely do anything to save our planet from climate change. These rich companies can set the prices of their products pretty much as high as they want and no one can do anything about it. I have also learned in my criminology class at WMU that many of these big businesses have pulled so many strings and found so many loop holes that not only do they not have to pay taxes to our government but now the government actually owes the businesses money! I mean come on! Our country is in the crapper and these ungodly rich corperations are getting our tax dollars!? I'm sorry but that's just messed up. It seems that the almighty dollar prevails again.

Realizing Our Potential

          The other day one of WMU's chemistry professors came into the class and explained the mechanics of global warming and green house gases. While some of the information was old news to me, there was a couple of things that really caught my attention and got me thinking. One tidbit that he told us was the fact that 85% of the United States' energy still comes from fossil fuels, with a mere 8% from nuclear and 7% from renewable resources. Now this information shocked me. I figured that of course our main source of energy would still be from fossil fuels but I thought it would not still be that high of a percentage. I assumed that with all of this talk about solar power this and wind power that, renewable energy definitely accounted for at least 15% of our nation's energy. The fact that we, as the most advanced country in the world, was still so dependent of oil troubled me. 

           Then the professor went on to tell us about the potential of renewable resources, in particular solar power. He told us that as of now, only 0.07% of our country's energy comes from solar energy. And then he went on to tells us that in one hour the amount of sunlight that hits the continental U.S. is enough energy to power the entire world for a year! That's insane! You mean to tell me that we have that much FREE energy just "laying around" and we only use a miniscule amount of it? I simply could not believe it. Our crisis of having enough energy for the whole world is literally right in front of us and we still don't use it? I don't know people but if that really is the case then we need to get our heads out of our asses and wake up.   

Getting It Started

             Hello all, my name is Patrick Schlaud. I am a student at Western Michigan University (Go Broncos!). This blog is part of a project for my environmental studies class. Throughout the month of April, and possibly longer, I will write blogs on the current studies and issues of global warming and its effects on our planet. I will do research on global warming and provide information on the issue. I will also give my own opinion on what I think personally about the information I dig up.
             I will also post comments and reactions to two books written by Bill McKibben, Hope, Human, and Wild and the book Eaarth. These two books are about the conservation of the environment and our impact on it. Finally I will research and record my own carbon footprint in my dorm and compare it to that of my mother's back home in North Branch, Michigan. I hope you all enjoy my blog and feel free to comment!