Breaking the Addiction to Oil and Other Fossil Fuels

by Larry Rice

If you’re waiting for Washington, DC to declare the next big Manhattan Project for energy independence, then you’re setting yourself up for a major bout of depression.  Brain-dead Washington, where the best politicians that money can buy can be found, feels it is more important for everyone to have digital television than energy independence.  Because it is obvious that America’s two major political parties are lost, caring people must now arise to bring about the Renewable Energy Revolution which is so urgently needed at this time.


During the past five years, thousands of people who want to be a part of the Renewable Energy Revolution have visited the Mid-American Renewable Energy Center in New Bloomfield, Missouri.  At this Center they have seen solar, wind, bio-diesel and other forms of alternative energies to oil at work.  Visitors have been inspired, motivated and challenged to be a part of the Renewable Energy Revolution. They have left there determined to make a difference and do their part to help the USA to be set free from its oil addiction.  “But have no illusions,” says K.R. Sridhar, whose company, Ion-America, is developing oxide fuel cells: “If we want to see these alternatives move from little start-ups to large-scale commercial ventures, we need to really get the price mechanism right.”

This means that the USA must stop giving 63% of the energy subsidies to the fossil fuels and only 8% to solar, wind and other renewable energies.  Like Thomas Friedman, a columnist with the New York Times, says: “When you’re talking oil, you can’t just say, ‘Let the free market work,’ because there is no free market in oil: the producers have a cartel, and governments — like ours — subsidize oil, so we don’t pay the full cost.”

The fact is that more and more people are starting to wake up to the fact that ultimately we will pay for cheap oil and the pollution and global warming that it produces.  Let me share with you a few paragraphs recently released by religious leaders whom the Bush Administration considered in the past to be supporters of his policies.  Their initiative stated:

We are convinced that global warming can and must be solved.  It is no small problem.  Pollution from vehicles, power plants and industry is having a dramatic effect on the earth’s climate.  Left unchecked, global warming will lead to drier droughts, more intense hurricanes and more devastating floods, resulting in millions of deaths in this century.  Therefore, with the same love of God and neighbor that compels us to preach salvation through Jesus Christ, protect unborn life, preserve the family and the sanctity of marriage, defend religious freedom and to come together with others of like mind to pray and to work to stop global warming, our sacred commitment to act to solve this crisis is detailed in our Evangelical Call to Action, available online at www.christiansandclimate.org.

At the Mid-American Renewable Energy Center, Missouri Renewable Energy is not only challenging the Christian community, but also all who are concerned about climate change, ecological disasters and oil addictions that cause the USA to engage in wars to keep the oil flowing, to wake up and take action now.  This action can be as simple as getting every household to use compact fluorescent light bulbs.  Did you know that 500 pounds of coal will not be burned for each compact fluorescent bulb used?  If every household replaced one incandescent light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb, it would be like eliminating the pollution from a million cars!

Energy efficient Dome Homes are on display at the Mid-American Renewable Energy Center along with Solar Hot Water, Attic Fans, Solar Tubular Lighting and much more.  The Dome Homes are constructed using a series of triangles.

At our free energy fairs, compact fluorescent bulbs are made available for as little as $2 each plus a host of books and videos on many different forms of renewable energy.  Those attending can learn about solar hot water, solar tubular lighting, tour an underground earth home, see wind generators, solar panels and passive solar heating.  But that’s not all — they can also see an electric truck, electric tractor, the raising of tilapia fish in a hydroponic system, learn how to make bio-diesel, visit the education and research center, tour energy-efficient dome homes, and experience solar cooking, solar water distilling, straw bale and cord wood construction.  At upcoming renewable energy shows, participants can learn about how to utilize steam, make their own ethanol fuel and utilize magnets in a wide variety of ways to create energy.  For further information, call 1-800-228-5284 or visit regularly at www.moreenergy.org

At the Mid-American Renewable Energy Center, visitors can read over 100 signs describing everything from creating hydrogen, methane gas, micro-hydro, aqua fuel, heating a room with a candle in a clay pot, the History of Energy, current and past inventions, bio-electricity from plants and much more.  A visit to the free energy shows is a must for those who want to do more than just talk about the need for action, but are determined to be renewable energy revolutionaries during this dark, dirty time of America’s addiction to oil and other fossil fuels.


Larry Rice will speak at the July 5, 2006 “Instead of Oil” forum.  He is President of Missouri Renewable Energy, a division of New Life Evangelistic Center, Inc. and the Here’s Help Radio and TV Network.  For further information, please go to: 

www.moreenergy.org
www.newlifeevangelisticcenter.org
www.hereshelpnet.org