The last informal paper I have written. 10/10

1. Topic Reflection on Energy
By Colin Henning
9/29/10
Don’t Let it Come to This

2. Topic Reflection on Energy
By Colin Henning
9/29/10
Energy as we have seen it is a complicated, and quite expansive topic of discussion.
Everyone from world leaders to the poorest of the poor will be affected by our future energy
policies and mode of conservation. Currently our nation is looking into renewable sources of
energy for the future. As we learned in discussion, our energy core, or infrastructure for the year
2050 is being developed and decided upon today. That is quite a lot of pressure for decision-
makers all around the world. This is why I am going to share my perspective on technology and
energy in regards to the philosophical perspective of aesthetics.
What we have started discussing is energy, and what sort of role the technology that
incorporates this energy has in store for our future. Coal plants, miles of train cars, nuclear
power plants, smoke billowing into the sky from the tops of cities, and literally countless miles
of power lines cover up this beautiful earth. All of these things we need to produce and transfer
energy to support today’s lifestyle, and that is just a small example of the destruction we have
brought across America’s landscape. Everything we as humans make, create, or do affects this
naturally abundant world we live on. Take the rainforests for example, “Each hour the
equivalent of 35-50 acres of rainforest are destroyed” (Save The Rainforest). This is not going to
turn into an anti-logging paper by any means, but the point being made here is that this world is
changing; we are changing it. Do you ever wonder what America looked like when Lewis and
Clark explored it over two hundred years ago? Our country was full of vast forests, healthy
wildlife and streams full of fish, not motor oil and fast food junk. Our children deserve the right
to see a beautiful earth, who are we to deny the future generations what we were given as a gift
from our predecessors?
Looking forward now, it is a general consensus that one day we will run out of fossil
fuels. Our major dependency is on coal and oil. In order to shift the processes of our
infrastructure, we must look for less destructive ways to obtain renewable energy to consume.
Professionals in many fields have been looking into new technologies for nuclear, wind, solar,
and hydropower. The two renewable technologies that I believe need further attention are wind

3. Topic Reflection on Energy
By Colin Henning
9/29/10
and solar power. Gathering of energy with these two technologies is not the issue. We need to
have higher total terawatt outputs so that these more visually appealing renewable sources can
become more primary energy sources for us in the future. In order to have higher outputs we
need to think in terms of quantity. More solar panels in available avenues would be a great place
to start. Rebates for having solar panels on your home or business in California would be a great
place to start. Individuals that can feed any amount of energy back into the grid instead of taking
from it will help with our future energy demands.
To negate a popular criticism about solar panels, studies have shown that they in fact do
work during the winter. In chilly Wisconsin for example the winter the air is clearer, and allows
more sun to fall directly unto the panels. This does not even account for the amount of reflective
light that bounces off the white snow and helps to illuminate your house while allowing even
more light to fall unto the panels.
Experts suggest that our electricity shortage is continually getting worse. “By the year
2020 the amount of electricity the United States uses is expected to double” (Moffat, Charles).
This estimate is due primarily to expected population growth along with the growing percentage
of people that use gaming and computer technologies everyday. What I like most about the wind
and solar panel technologies is that they enable everybody to do their part, like recycling. You
do not need to be a large corporate owner or government affiliate to get involved with this sort of
renewable technology. I am not suggesting to put up a windmill in your backyard here in
Menomonie, but solar panels can be put on nearly every home or school (without much notice
because many shingled homes are black already), and you can lobby for windmills to be brought
into your county or district in areas where they qualify.
There have been concerns about the eye appeal of windmills, and other negative factors
like noise and the death of seagulls from the blades. Personally I have visited a few windmill
farms and they are quiet even standing right up next to them at ground level. Europe already has
implemented working wind farms in the water where coastal winds keep the turbines pumping at
great speeds, all while keeping the beautiful landscape undamaged. In regards to the death of the
seagulls, if these individuals are so worried about the wildlife they too should be pushing for
renewable energy because the amount of wildlife that is killed each year from polluted water
sources alone is astronomical. MarineBio highlights a graph of pesticide use for the last forty

4. Topic Reflection on Energy
By Colin Henning
9/29/10
years. There is a correlation made between the thousands of tons of pesticide runoff into natural
water sources and the biomagnification of pesticides in the food chain (Davis, Jay).
Getting back to the perspective of keeping this world bright in the future (no pun
intended), I think it is appropriate to view my history to convey why I feel the way I do.
Originally I wanted to write this reflection on ethics, which seemed like an easier task but what
really is important to me, is the natural beauty that can have such an affect on people’s lives and
everyday perspective. Have you ever noticed that you feel great on a nice warm sunny day?
Psychologists have performed many studies on the link between our emotions and our
environment, and I believe them to be true. I love the outdoors. I was born and raised on a farm
in rural Wisconsin, and have loved every minute of it. With the sun, green grass and woods to
play in, I was the happiest boy around. You can drive almost anywhere around here and find a
place where nature truly astounds you. We are blessed to live in a beautiful place like
Wisconsin, and I feel that is what drives me outdoors when I have free time to enjoy some of my
favorite hobbies. Photography has been a passion of mine for a few years now, and part of my
mission with taking pictures is capturing the beauty of our world so others can experience it as
well. That brings us full circle to why we need to be ethically and aesthetically responsible to
solving our energy concerns for the future. What, where, and how we build will shape our world
for the years to come. This cannot be taken lightly, and that is why I want to stress my topic of
aesthetic use of our emerging technologies.
I think it is a shame when I see people litter, and in a way I want to compare our continued
use of fossil fuels to littering. There is so much waste, that with all of our fancy technologies
emerging everyday I am pushing for our leaders to continue the trend of “Green” thinking and
hope every bit of our knowledge as humans is put into solving this issue of lasting energy
resources. Renewable energy is even becoming an art form in many parts of our country. There
are designers working with scientists and engineers to establish more aesthetic, innovative
structures to allow for higher efficiency energy production and transfer. I want to see this world
work together, put their differences aside, and I just pray I never see this world look anything
like something I saw in Terminator.
To close I would like to leave with this quote from Save The Rainforest,

5. Topic Reflection on Energy
By Colin Henning
9/29/10
“If you are thinking 1 year ahead, sow seeds
If you are thinking 10 years ahead, plant a tree
If you are thinking 100 years ahead, educate the people.”
Bibliography
Davis, Jay. "Wildlife and Pollution." Marine Biology, Biodiversity and Ocean Conservation.
Marine Biology, n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2010.
<http://marinebio.org/Oceans/Conservation/Moyle/ch11.asp>.
Moffat, Charles. "The Solar Powered Myth." The Environmental eZine. N.p., Dec. 2007. Web.
29 Sept. 2010. <http://www.lilith-ezine.com/articles/environmental/The-Solar-Powered-
Myth.html>.
Save The Rainforest, Rainforest Facts. n.d. EbscoHost. Web. 29 Sept. 2010.
<http://www.savetherainforest.org/>.