"Fill In The Blank"

We've been plannin' this weekend for a week and a half
Hope you ain't thinkin' that we're movin' too fast
This trip can be whatever you want it to
I'll pick where we go and you can pick what we do
We could
In the water, in the truck
On a blanket 'til the sun comes up
With each other on the river bank
Yeah I'll leave it up to you, baby fill in the blank
I know a little spot thirty miles outta town
We can do what we want, won't be nobody around
I love hanging with your friends and your family too
But there's some things that only two people should do
We could
In the water, in the truck
On a blanket 'til the sun comes up
With each other on the river bank
Yeah I'll leave it up to you, baby fill in the blank
We could
In the water, in the truck
On a blanket 'til the sun comes up
With each other on the river bank
Yeah I'll leave it up to you, baby
We could
To some music real slow
'Til we can't no more
If the clouds roll in we could, in the rain
Yeah I'll leave it up to you, baby fill in the blank
Yeah the options are endless, baby fill in the blank
Oh Yeah

Energy is a big topic these days. Newspapers and magazines have articles about green living and energy efficiency in virtually every issue. Everybody is concerned with the environment and the way that humans are affecting the world that they live in. It seems a foregone conclusion that the use of fossil fuels is causing global warming, or at the very least, making global warming worse than it otherwise would be. The consequences of rampant fossil fuel consumption are not crystal clear, but the scenarios being drawn by scientists point to a bleak future for humankind unless something can be done to solve the problem.

Alternative energy encompasses the range of options that can be pursued to make our world better. From solar to wind to alternative fuels for cars and trucks, everyone can make a difference. The purpose of Alternative Energy For Dummies is to explain the different alternatives and how they may be put into play in the most effective manner. Whether you want to make small incremental improvements, or grandiose, world-shaking changes, this blog gives you the info you need to understand what the pros and cons of each alternative option are.

Some alternative energy strategies can be implemented on a small scale by individuals. You don’t need to sacrifice your quality of life when you choose to employ alternative energy schemes. Other alternatives, such as nuclear energy, you won’t be able to utilize in your own home. But you still need to understand the pros and cons and be able to make intelligent, well informed opinions about the alternatives that will very likely someday impact your area.

As you undoubtedly know already, many alternative energy blogs and articles are on the market. So a lot of information is available. In this blog, I condense all the info about alternative energy into easily digestible chunks, focusing on the those things that are most helpful in understanding alternatives to fossil fuels. In keeping with the For Dummies modus operandi, I give you only the most relevant ideas, explain the advantages and disadvantages of each, and offer the info you need to understand why and in what way certain schemes may be better than others.

There are a lot of energy-related blogs that get into far more detail than I do in this blog. But this blog is a great place to start, even if you’re striving for more detailed information. I give you the big picture, and that’s a great context to have before you dig in deeper. Although you won’t be a certified energy expert when you finish this blog, you’ll be able to form logical, well informed opinions about society’s need to change our energy habits. You’ll be able to discuss macro and micro energy issues and you’ll understand life on the planet earth much better. That’s a big claim to make, but energy is so entwined with life that understanding energy is a basic underpinning to understanding life. It may be said that life itself is energy . . . at least for some people it is — for others, a television is all that’s needed. In this blog, you will find information like:

✓ What the term energy really means and how the basic laws of physics apply to all energy consuming processes, including alternatives. But don’t panic: I leave out the complicated physics while giving you a good idea of what energy can and can’t do.
✓ How the world came to the point that we are at now. Fossil fuels are, by and large, our main energy source, and there is a good reason for that. I also explain why it’s going to be so difficult to change our economy over to alternative energy.
✓ Why fossil fuels are so dangerous for our society. Not only do fossil fuels cause untold and unnecessary pollution, but supply and demand problems also threaten the world’s existing economy.
✓ How both traditional fossil fuel combustion processes work, as well as how the alternative energy options work. You’ll also find info about the limitations and advantages of each.
✓ How you can conserve (which some would argue is an alternative in and of itself) and what the limitations of conservation and efficiency are.
✓ The range of alternative energy schemes currently being pursued and how society is grappling with the various problems inherent with the alternative energy schemes.