Could your trashcan solve the energy crisis?

I know some people who have enough rubbish in their car to fuel any roadtrip. I find it hard to believe that there are opponents to this, I mean what could be more perfect burning trash for clean energy. When will people be satisfied?

This And That

Obama: Invest in Canadian Oilsands or Be Held Hostage - "Russia bullies its European energy customers; Saudi Arabia, Iran and others export terrorism; Nigeria is unstable and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez spews hate. This means there is little choice for the U.S. and the world, but to embrace, and possibly finance, Alberta's gigantic oil sands.
True the Canadian oil made from these sands is dirtier than Saudi crude, but the choice is dirty oil from a clean regime (Canada) or cleaner oil from dirty regimes.
Besides, the oil sands production process can be cleaned up with investments in carbon recapture and research into more efficient refinery methods that use less natural gas and water."

The oilsands production process can and is being cleaned up constantly by innovative and ecological alternatives. Like this:

Renewables could power Alberta, says think-tank Pembina Institute says switch feasible - "Alberta can switch its electricity source from coal to clean renewable energy sources in 20 years, creating jobs, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating a more stable price for energy, says a report released this week.

There are no technological barriers standing in the way of this vision, but it will take political leadership and consumer demands to make it happen, says one of the authors of the report from the Pembina Institute environmental think-tank."

Edmonton's jobless rate among lowest in Canada - "Alberta’s unemployment edged up in December as 15,800 jobs vanished, but the province continued to lead the country with the lowest jobless rate by a wide margin, Statistics Canada said Friday.

And Edmonton’s 3.6 per cent unemployment rate — up just 0.1 per cent from November — was the lowest among major cities in Canada, tied with Regina and Victoria. Calgary’s rate is at 3.9 per cent."

The Price of Oil

This video leaves me saying "and so what??" Seems fairly inconclusive and not very informative to say the least. Of course there is a lot of speculation in the market (can be seen in any market). I think it's naive to think that oil trading at $40/barrel is the true market value. Basically the pendulum swings up and down in any speculative market.

If you take a step back from today and look 5, 10 or 50 years from now there is still is going to be a huge demand for oil. Yeah, it will fluctuate up and down in those years. If you are someone who thinks the Chevy Volt battery powered cars, solar and wind energy will replace oil in the next few years- what fuel will be used to replace oil in the manufacturing of these new technologies?



Watch CBS Videos Online

So You Think Oil Is Expensive??

Well you are wrong! According to this video apple prices have increased more than oil and we (Americans) paid more for oil 25 years ago than they do today! I haven't watched t.v for a while is this guy the new Andy Rooney? Anyway good to know it just seems like gas prices are up.

Video On Alberta Oilsands

“4 Places that love Expensive Oil”

In Alberta, Norway, Venezuela and Alaska, no one’s complaining about $80 crude. It fuels booming economies, cradle-to-grave security and handy checks for every resident.

Of course, Alberta is the leading story. Oil isn’t the only factor fueling Alberta’s economy, but it sure doesn’t hurt. After researching some of the Real Estate numbers and how they equate to your cash-in-hand profit this is what I found. But, just remember that Real Estate appreciation and profits need stable economic fundamentals to truly succeed. That means that in Alberta the prices are rising AND they’re sustainable as well as balanced, NOT speculative as our Western neighbor tends to be.

Keep in mind that in Alberta prices have a lot of room to grow, and they will, while still remaining affordable. Some of the reasons why; an undervalued market, high incomes, low taxes, strong in-migration, surplus of jobs, high growth industries and an affluent government with zero debt, are but a few reasons….

Rising oil prices are nothing short of a curse for most Americans. While most U.S. consumers are scaling back, residents of Alberta, Alaska, Venezuela, Norway and other oil-fertile regions are enjoying an economic boom so rich that, in some cases, the government is sending cheques to its citizens.

Alberta’s oil boom has not only attracted oil companies and their workers, it has drawn related businesses like plastics manufacturing.

Rising oil prices have spurred a big increase in investment by the private sector, as oil companies have jockeyed to boost production and exploration. Between 1996 and 2004, private oil companies pumped $36 billion into the area, according to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. CAPP predicts another $45 billion will be invested over the next decade.



This week alone $38Billion was announced. That brings the total to over $200 Billion to date.

Why Oil Sands?

Why Alberta?
Alberta Is Canada’s Economic Champion

The days of oilrigs pumping furiously are coming to an end. Unconventional sources of oil require more manpower to get the oil out of the ground. What does oil have to do with real estate? Imagine if your investment property was near the next big oil reserve, workers from around the world were going there to live and work for the next few decades. Tenants were willing to pay top rents because the economy was booming and they were making oil dollars. Alberta is that place, with vast oil sands that hold a proven 175 billion barrels of recoverable oil, second only to Saudi Arabia. The most impressive part is that Alberta has only just begun; experts say oil sands production can be sustained for at least 400 years

Sophisticated investors always look for the next region; now that region is Alberta Canada.
➢ Amazing Tax Advantages- Lowest Taxes In Canada: increasing your investment dollars
➢ Real GDP Growth-4.7% 2006: A growing economy supports an increase in housing prices
➢ Debt Free Economy -$7.1 Billion Actual Surplus PLUS $7 Billion Contingency Fund
➢Over $200 Billion Invested In Projects- More announced daily; they require a lot of workers
➢New Jobs Created at an Enormous Rate-High housing demand
➢Over 100,000 People Migrated to Alberta Last year

Darryl Hannah Do Your Homework

Alberta Oil Sands are getting a dirty name. Darryl Hannah, Al Gore and Schwarzenegger are all champions of low-carbon fuel standards aimed at cutting imports from places like Alberta. They also see ethanol as the oil of the future but whether this wonder gas is really that wonderful is unclear.

Does it require less energy to produce ethanol?

Independent study by Michigan State University MSU shows that there is 56% more energy in a gallon of ethanol than it takes to produce it. The available energy from ethanol is much higher than the input energy for producing ethanol.

Or More?

The fossil energy expended during production alone...easily outweighs the consumable energy in the end product."".... those who think using the "green" fuel will reduce fossil fuel consumption are deluding themselves -- and the federal government's practice of subsidizing ethanol by offering tax exemptions to oil refiners who buy it is a waste of money. Tad Patzek UC Berkeley Geoengineering Professor

Either way at the moment fossil fuel is still necessary and Alberta is the safest place to get it.

Some truths from Financial Post Writer Claudia Cattaneo:

-that if it weren't for Canada's oil, Americans would have to depend even more on Venezuela, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia to fuel their tanks, while waiting -- and waiting for other sources such as biofuels and wind power to save the day;

-that Canada's oilsands business is doing more than most American motorists to reduce its carbon footprint;

-that Canada's oilsands industry is growing because that's what Americans have asked for;

-that light, sweet oil is a vanishing energy source worldwide;

-that Canada's oil is sold to the United States at market prices without strings; and

-that Americans, the top consumers of energy in the world, are hardly in a position to lecture Canadians on the environment or to criticize how Canadians make a living.

I drive economically or better yet walk and ride a bicycle, I recycle and I do my best to help the environment BUT I am not deluded that I can give up fossil fuels.