Remember your thoughts when you first viewed the stunning NASA scene, titled Earthlights, that circulated the Internet a decade ago?
Initially, I was drawn to the mosaic out of curiosity and by the sheer beauty of the familiar yet haunting pattern that showed the purposeful hand of man, so I installed it as my computer’s wallpaper. Over time it became a talisman of sorts, in much the same way I’ve come to regard the mountains embracing my town…a presence that is at once comforting and challenging.
Questions of “Why this?” or “Why not there?” have emerged without fanfare, and here, while I pondered the history and fate of waste, I once again found myself drawn into the night scene without any sense of purpose. It was as if what I needed to say had been waiting there ready to snare me…and it did.
The same hand of man my wallpaper depicted through myriad points of light produced the base materials with which my soon-to-be audience wrestled on a daily basis, but the significance of the mosaic didn’t end there…indeed, far from it.
Take a moment to let the image wash through you, and then consider some points of interest.
* Electrification, as it now exists, is little more than a century old.
* When it began to emerge, the world’s population stood at 1.4 billion people—roughly 10 times what it was at the time of Christ.
* Today, the world’s population has grown fivefold—to 7 billion, headed for 8 billion by 2020.
* If the present rate is to continue, we will have achieved another 10-times population expansion in less than 200 years.
* Worldwide gross product has grown one-hundred-fold in the last century.
Now look at the image again. Does it look the same to you, or does it stir up some new thoughts about life here on Earth 100 years ago, today, and then into the time of our grandchildren? To me, it raises strings of questions, chief among which is, “To what extent does the maintenance, much less the growth, of the world’s current population depend on the production and delivery of reliable and affordable energy?”
Without the guarantee of reliable, affordable, and secure energy, not only is the industry necessary to meet the needs of our soaring population growth at risk, but so too the ability to sustain that which already exists.
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| Photo: NASA |
Earthlights, if you look behind the shimmering dots, is a grim depiction of a house of cards at the mercy of forces largely beyond our control. Our salvation, I would like to suggest, lies in our ability to develop and maintain options…one of which is an expansion of distributed energy resources and solutions.
UPCOMING FORESTER UNIVERSITY CLASSES
A Cost-Efficient Asset Management Approach
Presenter: Bryan A. Chappell
Water Quality Supervisor,
Pierce County Public Works and Utilities
Thurs., March 14th @ 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST, 1-1.5hrs*
Develop your asset management in-house and save! Join Bryan Chappell to explore how to develop a cost-efficient, in-house stormwater and roadway asset management program focused on resource optimization, prioritized workloads, and increased productivity. In this webinar we’ll discuss Pierce County’s Stormwater and Asset Management Programs, including their inspection, prioritization, and maintenance of assets while meeting NPDES requirements for a MS4. Additionally, Chappell will discuss implementation costs, and how they can become cost-neutral and cost-saving over time.
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Stormwater Treatment Train
Presenter: Steven I. Apfelbaum, MS
Principal Ecologist, Chairman
Applied Ecological Services
Wed., March 27th @ 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST,
1-1.5hrs*
Improve your stormwater management and water quality, and reduce your short and long-term costs…without grey infrastructure. Join Steven Apfelbaum to explore how to utilize ecological design principles and Stormwater Treatment Train (STT) concepts to effectively manage your stormwater and improve your water quality through development of ecologically and quality-of-life environments while also offering substantial short and long-term economic benefits.
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FREE!
Take Control of Your Landfill
Gas Wellfield
Presenter: David Kaminski
Senior Vice President
QED Environmental Systems Inc.
Thurs., March 28th @ 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST,
1-1.5hrs*
Take control of your landfill gas wellfield! Join David Kaminski from QED Environmental Systems Inc. for a webinar that explores engineered solutions for both leachate control in gas wells and innovative approaches to LFG flow control and measurement. In this webinar, David will discuss how gas well dewatering can increase gas flow from your wells from 15% to 200% while also extending the life of the well. Additionally, we’ll explore the limitations of common gate valves for LFG flow control and how to maximize your landfill gas flow, minimize technicians' time onsite, and maintain regulatory compliance, all with a rapid return on investment.
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FREE!
Get Schooled in Gravelology
Presenters:
Steve Jenkins, P.E., M.E., Local Transportation Assistance Program [LTAP] – Montana
& Ken Skorseth, Local Transportation Assistance Program [LTAP] – South Dakota
Wed., April 3rd @ 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST, 1-1.5hrs*
You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that the better a gravel road is made, the less it costs to maintain. Get your degree in Gravelology with the Gravel Roads Academy™ Gurus! Join Steve Jenkins, P.E., M.E. and Ken Skorseth for a FREE webinar exploring how to help your budget go the extra mile by using the latest techniques in unpaved road construction and maintenance.
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Organics to BioCNG –
Making Organics Diversion Work through BioCNG
Presenter: Chris Voell
BioCNG / Cornerstone Environmental Group, LLC
Thurs., April 11th @ 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST, 1-1.5hrs*
Join Chris Voell for the second session in our 5-Session Organics Management Master Class Series exploring the opportunity to convert digester biogas into compressed natural gas (CNG) for use as vehicle fuel. This presentation examines biogas to CNG technology, the financial gain associated with this system, the cost of vehicle conversion, financial incentives available, and the environmental and community benefits associated with decreasing gasoline and diesel use.
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So You Want to Set Up a Stormwater Utility?
The Top Ten Stormwater Utility Launch Failures & How to Avoid Them
Presenter: Andy Reese, P.E., LEED AP
Vice President,
AMEC Environment & Infrastructure
Thurs., April 18th @ 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST,
1-1.5hr*
Set your stormwater utility for success...not failure! Join Andy Reese, PE, LEED AP, as he explores the top ten ways that stormwater utilities fail to get off the ground successfully, and more importantly...how to avoid these. In this webinar we’ll discuss the process of establishing stormwater utilities, the top ten ways stormwater utilities are often setup for failure from the beginning, and how to design a comprehensive launch plan that successfully avoids these issues to ultimately provide your community with dedicated revenue, safe and attractive neighborhoods, ecological balance, and clean water for years to come.
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FREE!
GPS North America Introduces:
Paperless Forms for Mobile Data Collection
Presenter: Todd Lewis
President, GPS North America
Thurs., May 2nd @ 2 p.m. EST / 11 a.m. PST,
1-1.5hrs*
Go beyond the limitations of paper! Join Todd Lewis, President of GPS North America —producers of the award-winning vehicle tracking system—as he shows you how to say goodbye to inefficient paper forms. In this webinar, we’ll explore how Smart Forms not only eliminates the paper, but takes your documentation to the next level including embedded pictures, sketching on pictures, GPS time and date stamp, calculations, and bar code scans, as well as integrating with accounting and business software, and delivering itself to the intended recipients.
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