Objective: Identify patterns of energy consumption and production in the world and in the United States.
Energy was created through personal efforts or employing animals to help or through combustion before contact. Now, post contact we have inefficient homes and a bureaucracy of having to live in settled spaces. (DeWitt)
Transportation by dog sled involves a lot of investment and consideration. The care and food and equipment like sleds, harnesses, bindings, and training (Demientieff).
Diesel is less expensive, but still expensive if one wanted to have migratory routes. Western assimilation is inefficient and doesn’t make sense in the environment. Tribes are looking towards more sustainable, renewable energy sources, need for more efficient homes, and greenhouses. (DeWitt)
Objective: Compare the advantages and disadvantages of fossil-fuel use.
We now have a reliance on fossil fuels. There was a transition from wood burning to fossil fuel use. Back in early days, fuel wasn’t very expensive. Slowly the cost of fuel is going up, because it has to be barged or flown in. Remote villages without access to barges have to fly fuel in and it is really expensive. Fuel usage is getting too expensive to afford. It can be $12 a gallon. Villages then are losing populations since people are migrating to town where the work is. When mines stopped producing and there is no commercial fishing there aren’t any available jobs. (Demientieff)
Fossil fuels are the blood of mother earth. They lubricate geological structures and masses. Where tectonic plates meet is lubricated with fossil fuels. Where fracking is occurring there are more earthquakes. Processing creates chemicals that pollute environment, toxic for plants, animals, and us. When we burn it we create excess CO2 and other chemicals or plastics that don’t biodegrade that fill landfills or gyres in the ocean. We need to transition to a just future with clean sustainable economies. (DeWitt)
Objective: List three advantages and three disadvantages of nuclear energy.
We need to end nuclear energy. Not being able to handle nuclear waste and accidents is the most significant peril that we have. Nuclear is the hardest to clean out of the environment and most toxic to us. (DeWitt)