Laura McCabe
GE 150
9:00 - 12:35

What is energy? According to Mirriam-Webster.com, energy is usable power that comes from heat, electricity, etc. Where do we get this usable power? Most of the heat and electricity we use comes from sources that are neither renewable nor sustainable. "The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed: it can only be transferred or changed from one form to another." What does this say about he current energy crisis affecting the world today? If our resources are limited, what are we going to do for energy? At this point, it's unfathomable to imagine a world without heat and electricity. What would we do for warmth? How will we fuel our cars? What about the internet?! According to many scientists, we already have solutions to this problem. With the debate over reducing greenhouse gas emissions and saving our limited resources raging in the White House, scientists are working dilligently to create new and exciting ways to harness renewable resources in order to access power without depleating our non renewable resources. Solar, wind, water and biomass can be used to convert these renewable resources into energy. Although more expensive at startup, these energy sources can eventually save not only money, but the planet and valuable resources. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, Missourians spend about $3000.00 per person, per year on energy. That is a staggering amount of money to spend on gas, electricity, heat, etc. Eighty-Two percent of our electricity comes from coal, shipped from Wyoming. Why are we shipping in power from another state when we have the ability to harness our own natural resources to create power? If you ask this author, it's about money. If we didn't spend so much on our power, the utility companies wouldn't be making so much money from us. How can we change this? For example, Missouri makes just under three percent of the nation's corn ethanol, which can be converted into biomass energy. We waste 1.5 million acres