Veterans, Clean Energy, and Common Sense

Another Veterans' Day is upon us, a time to reflect on our armed servicemen and women who are stationed around the world to protect us.  Many of these brave soldiers, sailors and marines have spent years serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, selflessly putting their lives on the line for their families, friends and fellow countrymen here at home.  While I honor their duty and courage, frankly I'm not happy that our nation's dependence on foreign oil is partly to blame for putting our soldiers in harm’s way.
 
There’s a growing consensus among our troops, military leaders and national security experts that one of the best things we can do to enhance our national security is to get off fossil fuels and transition to clean, home-grown energy.  If America shifts to renewable alternatives -- like wind, solar and geothermal -- we can significantly reduce our dangerous addiction to oil, which currently costs our country $1 billion per day.
 
That’s why I'm so glad that a group of veterans, led by Operation Free, launched a bus tour across America. Their stated mission: promote clean energy! These vets, after serving our country overseas, volunteered to spend two weeks travelling through nearly 70 cities and towns in 22 states.  My NRDC colleague, Rocky Kistner, rode along on one of the buses and blogged about his experiences and observations along the way.  Here’s an excerpt from his last blog:

Although it was a grueling schedule with tight quarters at times, we developed a camaraderie that made the trip a rewarding experience. I also gained a special insight into why these veterans took the time to make this tour. All were motivated to help humanity deal with one of the most serious threats civilization has ever known. But there was also another important reason -- no one wanted to put a single service member in harm's way due to the international security threats posed by climate change.

Looking back, I will remember most our stops at veterans' war memorials along the way. This was "hallowed ground," as Army vet Rafael Noboa described it, a testament to the lifelong service each veteran gives his or her country. Many said this tour was one of the most important battles of their military careers. It was an honor to serve beside them.

You can watch a video from the bus tour here (also on Rocky’s blog).

This week, the group VoteVets.org launched a television ad campaign aimed at getting the Senate to pass a clean energy and climate bill.  The ads are airing in West Virginia, Indiana and Missouri.  (Previously, versions of this ad ran in Michigan, North Carolina, and Virginia).  These ads coincide with a growing movement by veterans and security groups making a push on Capitol Hill to get a bill passed and on to President Obama for his signature.  Check out the ads:

WEST VIRGINIA

INDIANA

MISSOURI

This week also marks the release of NRDC President Frances Beinecke’s new book, Clean Energy Common Sense, in which she explains why America needs to move to clean energy to protect our planet and increase our national security.

In her book, Frances quotes leaders like four-star General Anthony Zinni (ret.), U.S. Navy Admiral Lee Gunn (ret.), and CIA Director Leon Panetta.  These are experts with unquestioned authority on national security and who know what it means to put young people on the front lines.  They know the price we pay due to our reliance on oil and the opportunity we have by shifting to a clean energy future.

Veterans of America, on a mission to support a clean energy future, we salute you!

This post originally appeared on NRDC's Switchboard blog.

 

Follow Rob Perks on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NRDCSwitchboard

Comments

[Dahun]

Since wind, on average, for the best locations produces power 25% of the time it is 100% reliant on fossil fuel plants for back-up and cannot shut down one fossil fuel plant. We rely on 75% of our oil from foreign sources. This dependence on foreign oil is a big part of why we are invloved in Iraq. Pretending that pretend solutions can make us energy independent is a dangerous idea; economically and and from a security standpoint.

We have proven energy reserves to be 100% energy independent. We have the largest energy resources on the earth. We could use nuclear to actually clean the air instead of building pork projects which wind and solar surely are.

In the case of a major upset of oil supplies the danger of a world war are greatly increased because we simply are the country with the most resources in the world and the only country in the world not developing our resources.

[Thirdcoastkites]

The beauty of new and emerging clean energy applications is that it's not new at all, nor does it require "Big Wind" or "Big Solar" or "Big Nuclear" for that matter to develop the technology.

The technology used in wind turbines is as old as Edison requiring only magnets and a coil of wire. Even the biggest, most expensive turbines operate on this very simple technology - open up a nacelle and you'll find a geared shaft turning magnets within a wire coil. Capturing wind energy on your own, at home, is not very expensive, and anyone who's replaced the alternator in a car could build a wind turbine.

Check out wind power you can really put your hands on at: http://www.thirdcoastkites.com

Micro-Hydro power is even better. The same principle can be used by anyone who lives near a swift moving stream or river or source of water that drops in elevation. Constant energy production 24hrs a day with minimal to no environmental impact.

Solar power also isn't exactly rocket science either, and the efficiency of the technology is getting better every year, making home power production affordable to more and more people.

Corporate energy companies might want to jump on the bandwagon, but don't let nay-sayers fool you...gree­n, clean energy is the people's energy.

[PRONESE]

Clean, Efficient, Nuclear Energy.
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Carried me across the oceans of the world when I was Stationed on a Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier. Granted the aircraft she carried were powered by highly refined fossil fuels but the ship enjoyed the speed and endurance that the Nuclear Power plant created.
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Of course it will take two or three decades before new construction of a Nuclear Power Plant in the continental United States can occur because of the "Green" Anti Nuclear Power Litigation that is never ending.
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Posish!
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R/ PRONESE

[sheila]

Hmmm, the military is going off grid because they are the only ones to admit that a national "supergrid" will completely fail in reliability and security when it comes to energy production. Ask anyone knowledgeable about energy infrastructure and they will tell you that massive, centralized power generation, linked by long-distance powerlines is inherently INSECURE and will greatly increase the risk of outages from cyber terrorism, natural disaster or terrestrial terrorism. a lousy idea.

So why are NRDC and other Big Enviros advocating for the wholesale wilderness slaughter of another 50 million acres of american wilderness for Big Solar, Big Wind and Big transmission, if it will mean that Chevron, BP Goldman Sachs, Sempra and others will still control our access to energy, and that access will be far less secure than it is now? this plan fails on every point, except Big Energy giveaways greenwashed as "climate solutions.­"

It seems to me that anyone who cared about energy security would look at the military and push hard for POINT OF USE SOLUTIONS which are infinitely more difficult to disrupt and destroy. James Woolsey has been pushing hard for feed in tariffs so WE can democratically own our own power production without killing wilderness - why not you?