May 1976 RAIN Page 15 Cost of Energy Slaves u.-s . .two WO'IC.Lt> C'(c:.&.SS OF Pe-re:>1.&l-1~ FR'coo,110N 40,----.------,-----,---;-----r---,----.---,----, 1975 • 2000 202S 2050 2070 2100 A lot of our present wealth has come from the great amount of work done for us by fossil fuels, which until recently have needed very little.of our own e~fort to obtain. For the work we've spent obtaining fossil fuels, we've been getting back fifty times as much work done for us by those ancient fossils. When we fi°gure that we spend about-ten percent of,our own work to obtain such energy, we realize that fossil fuels have had the effect of·temporarily increasing our "work force" by almost SIX TIMES! Being able to do so much work cheap-with so little expenditure of our QWn effort-has had another effect .•.. the massiv_e exploitation of other people who qon't have cheap energy slaves to work for thei:n. They have had to compete with their own labor against the cheap 1work of our fossil fuels. As a result, they only get paid the pittance we have to pay for-fossil fuels. When we combine this human exploitation with the increased work those fuels do for us directly and our rapid consumption of material resources on a global _basis, we s~ould seriously wonder why we aren't richer than we seem! If we look further, however, and compare how fast we are using up our fossil fuels to how fast the rest of the world is using up theirs, we might have second thoughts about our extravagant lifestyle and spendthrift use of energy. We have been •using up our petroleum and coal resources much faster than the rest of the world, and if we keep on as we are we will exhaust them while other countries still have cheap and plentiful energy slaves. . • • We have enjoyed a powerful worldwide economic and poli7 tical dominance built upon our energy base and should be • wary of similar future dominance by others. It would seem wise to save some of our wealth and the energy it is based on for our fl,lture rather than to see how rapidly we can use it up. 1 Reducing our demands now and becoming less reliant upon any use of energy saved from the distant past can ensure us a more positive future. In addition, improving the energetics of our production processes and foreign trade, conversion to income energy use, and realistic appraisal of evolving global political and economic balances are necessary to protect c;mrselves from costly economic and political errors. (TB) W.% HUMAN WORK The Potential for Energy Savings Through Reductions in Hot Water Consumption, by John George Muller, April 1975, 43 pp., FEA/D:75/453, contact: at the FEA Energy Conservation Office and the Energy Reporter, has moved / temperature fluctuations, shading for Florida, snow reflective systems for Minnesota, or wood heat for Vermont, we tend to think their problems must be • easier to solve than our own. They aren't-they're just different. A·con-· sumer's handbook, "A Floridian's Federal Energy Administration Publications Distribution Office Office of Communications & Public Affairs Washington_, DC 20461 202-964-3538 An excellent report! Contains an outline and summary which estimate that the U.S. uses 1.1 million barrels per day of oil equivalent but that we could save 560,000 BPD without adverse effect on comfort, health or life style. Excellent and comprehensive references specific . to dishwashing, laundering and details on all calculations. Mr: Muller, formerly to emergency energy planning. Does he 'know something we don't? (LJ) A Plannrr 's Handbook on Energy, Robert Pozzo and James Clark, 1976, from: State Energy Office Dept. of Administration 108 Collins Bl4g. Tallahassee, FL 32 304 - Good coverage of information useful for planners in evaluating future energy policy options and low energy housing for hot humid climates. Useful outside of these areas for people to see how . specific regional energy uses, problems and solutions are. When we see passive systems for New Mexico's high daily Guide to Solar Energy," is in progress. (TB) Hawaii Energy Newsletter, free from: Eugene Grabbe 1 Dept. of Planning & Eco·n. Dev. P.O..Box 2359 Honolulu, HI 96804 Part of an energy awareness drive, which also includes a pamphlet, a report on alternative ene·rgy sources for Hawaii, the newsletter is a special issue on energy . (LJ) • Continued on page 18
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