McPherson High School
McPherson, Kansas
Teacher: Robin Long
Keepin' It Clean
By: Holly Nelson
12th Grade
In our society, we have a growing threat concerning [the amount of] pollution we are creating; not only from throwing our trash out the window, or dumping our chemicals into rivers but from something as simple as driving a car. With the war in Iraq, a lot of our imported oil is being "cut off," which is making our gas prices rise. Even with the prices rising, global warming is another major concern.… Many ways exist that would help cut down the amount of pollution we put into the air. For example, we could use flue gas desulphurization, which removes the sulfur dioxide in the exhaust that factories put out. Or we could monitor more closely the amount of pollution people create themselves by littering. But the major source of pollution is produced by automobiles. One-way to help correct this is alternative fueling.
"Peak oil" is something our country will hit if we do not try to solve this problem soon. Peak oil is a severe oil shortage, which could leave our country in an energy crisis. This shortage [would raise] our oil and gas prices, …which would cut down travel. If we used alternative fuels, such as bio diesel or electricity, it would make our dependence on imported oils go down. In addition, it would [decrease] the amount of pollution that we create from driving regular cars.
Using sources that are renewable is another solution. Oil, for example, is not a renewable source. If our country used sources like hydropower, solar power, and wind power, which are renewable, we would be better off because we have all these in our own country and they also do not [pollute].
Some examples of renewable fuels are, bio diesel, propane, methanol, and ethanol. Bio diesel is a fuel that we could use that comes from animal fat or vegetable oils. The engines we have in most of the cars now could be converted to be able to burn bio diesel. Propane, which is a byproduct of natural gas, produces less pollution than natural gas itself. Methanol is a simple alcohol that is also made from natural gas. Vehicles that use this are no longer produced but could be produced in the future. It is colorless and readily biodegradable. Lastly, ethanol is also an alcohol-based fuel that is made from fermenting or aging and distilling a crop, such as corn or wheat.
…Alternatively fueled cars…are cheaper than regular gas powered cars, especially if a person has an electric car, which does not take any gas at all. [These cars can be] charged at home without even [needing] a gas station. …The gas-powered hybrid’s…gas mileage actually is lower than that of a gas powered car.
There has to be some drawbacks, right? We are not sure yet…how long the batteries in these cars will last, or if the kind of fuel [they] need will be available…in every state. If it were not available, it would cut down travel to certain states.… Also, the batteries in these cars are more expensive than the batteries in regular gas powered vehicles.
The way we must look at this problem is not from the money standpoint, which is not that big of a difference in the first place, but from the future of this country. If we continue to abuse the earth, global warming will continue to rise and so will the need for oil. [The problem is to] get people to buy these vehicles. …The Energy Policy Act 2005 [includes incentives]. The act makes all the people that have energy efficient cars and homes eligible for tax credits. Tax credits reduce tax dollars by dollars instead of, like tax deductions, reducing only a percent owed.
Overall, there are more positives toward alternative fuels than negatives. But still our country does not seem to move forward [on this issue]. If we continue to be ignorant, our country and our earth will continue to go down the drain. This will also affect citizens because global warming will increase and so will pollution. So we need to open our eyes America, and…clean [up our act], not only for us, but also for…future [generations].
www.ecotravel.org.ok/fuels_3/htm
www.bankrate.com/brm/news/auto
http://environment.about.com