FROM HAIKU, MAUI (HAWAII)

An essay on global uses and abuses of energy

Electrified! (by Blue Leaf)

How an operatic weekend in Oahu turned into global education on energy and conservation; America - world's biggest abuser of Mother Earth - virtually ignores clean energy sources

HAIKU, Maui, Feb 15, 2012 - "Would you like to try a new Leaf today?" a friendly Enterprise rental car agent at the Honolulu airport asked this writer upon arrival there on Feb 10.

"A what?  Turn a new leaf?"

The man smiled.  "No. Try a new Leaf. Our new electric car.  We've only started offering them in the last three weeks."

I was at once shocked and thrilled.  Shocked - to find out that, what I thought was a distant future, was staring me in the face.  Thrilled - because we would have a chance to step right into it (which we did - see the photos).

"Sure," I replied. "I'd love to.  But first tell me more about it. We already drive a Hybrid, but I don't know anything about electric cars.  I know they are good for the environment, but what else can you tell me."

"Well, the parking is free."

"What?"

"You can park at any meter in Honolulu for free. That's a city ordinance."

"Now you're talking," I thought. I was getting excited.  Having had my share of parking tickets in Honolulu, it would be a relief not to have to worry about expired meters.  The friendly attendant and I spent about five minutes in an animated Q&A.  BY the end, I was sold.  Cold. The Nissan Leaf is the world's first true 100% electric car.  Which means with ZERO emissions.  No gas at all.  And it's as quiet as a tomb.  How do you know the engine is on?  You don't.  Because there is no engine (see right chart).  The lights just come on the dash when you press the Start button.  And then you use a joy stick to shift gears.  The car starts to move without making a sound.   It's unreal.  And really cool. Even a bicycle is noisier. It's chain makes a whirring sound.

The Leaf has a range of about 100 miles before having to recharge the battery.  So electric cars are not for long distance drivers.  Guess what?  No problem.  Most commuters in the U.S. drive an average of 32 miles a day (round trip) anyway.  Which is about the distance we also drive from our Rainbow Shower home to Kahului and back when we go shopping for food and supplies.

Meanwhile, electric cars cost 2 cents a mile to drive versus 12+ cents a mile for gas-powered ones.  Over here in Hawaii, that's probably closer to 16 cents a mile (see the right chart).  Because our gas prices are about 20% higher than those in the mainland (see the left chart - $4.56 per gallon today at a nearby gas station).  So it was pretty much a no-brainer for me to order a new Blue Leaf (like the one on the right) immediately upon returning from this weekend trip.  But that was only a start of my education.  What came next was another real shocker.

According to the Nissan web site, buyers of electric cars in the U.S. are entitled to a federal tax rebate of up to $7,500.  Which drops the prices of the Leaf to around $30,000-range.  Naturally, I asked my CPA to double-check that Nissan claim.  Turns out it was true.  As usual, there are some rules and restrictions but none that would apply to me.  But it was a by-product of that conversation that produced a real shock.  My CPA discovered from the IRS web site that there are only 922 registered Leaf owners!

I could not believe my eyes.  Only 922 people out of over 313 million Americans bought the world's first "zero emission" electric car during the first full year of sales (Nissan reported started shipping the Leaf in late 2010). Then I thought of all those Hummers, monster trucks, Suburban's, Expeditions, Escalades, muscle trucks and cars and other gas guzzlers we see on our roads every day.  I did not know if I should laugh or cry.  I felt like crying. 

"What kinds of people are we?" I said to Elizabeth when I told her about my discovery.  "Everybody just takes, takes, takes... and pollutes, pollutes, pollutes.  Nobody gives a damn about the environment.  And this country is supposed to be a model for the rest of the world?  Frankly, we deserve to have a meteor take us all out."

I was referring to some of the comments that our guides and teachers from the Spirit realm have told us.  Here are just a few excerpts from their comments in the last few months, to give you a taste of what may lie ahead:

• We do have free energy, but it is not safe to release it to humanity. You may think it is simple for us to introduce new technology.  It is not. It is fraught with danger.

• Gun powder (invention) can be put to use as fireworks or bullets.  [guess his point is that he former is harmless while the latter is destructive. Either way, we have a choice - Ed.]. Each (choice) contributes to spiritual maturity of humanity.

• Scientific discoveries that could aid humanity are waiting at your doorstep. But they cannot come into human consciousness until the violence is quelled on this planet.

• Humanity may not survive its passage to the next stage of human evolution because you will be given concepts and ideas that could be used in destructive ways [in other words, we might self-destruct as had happened in Atlantis and in many other dead planets around the universe - Ed.].

• We consider having a comet or meteor wipe out much of humanity on this planet.  We see all the disrepair and inhumanity on this planet and it makes us feel depressed.

• You can make a difference in the survival of humanity.

Yes, the decisions we make on a daily basis can make a difference in the survival of humanity.  Each and every one of us contributes to it.  And so do our governments.  After all, most Americans believe that we elect our representatives.  Which means are also responsible for the decisions the governments make on our behalf.

So how are we doing?  Something awful.  Hard to imagine it could be worse.  America is the world's biggest consumer of oil energy.  Our country and China, to which we have exported many of our smoke-stack industries, are by far the world's biggest polluters (see World's biggest polluters).  Look at these charts and weep...

  (click here to watch video)

Or better still, get angry and resolve to do something about changing your world-our world for the better.  Not for your sake or mine.  For the sake of our children and their children.  Because unless we stop playing ostrich and start protecting the environment from polluters such as the Pentagon, oil and and car producers, and other eco-destroying industrialists, there may not be a future. 

As Confucius said, "a thousand mile journey starts with a first step." Mine started on Sunday Feb 12 when I registered my name at the Nissan web site to order a new Leaf.  Elizabeth and I have resolved to turn a new leaf.  And it will be a Blue Leaf.  It is a small and imperfect step*.  But at least it is a step in the right direction.  We understand it is a 1,000-mile journey.  I know that all of our fellow-Stewards of the Earth know that, too.

Confucius would be pleased.  Hope our guides and teachers in the Spirit realm are, too.  Hope this action and this essay buy us all some time to do the right thing before it is too late.

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*NOTE: The reason I said it is a small and imperfect step is that our electric utility companies also use fossil fuels for the most part to generate electricity.  Here in Maui, 85% of the electricity comes from oil.  Yuck!  But the Hawaiian electric utility company said it has set as its goal to generate 40% of the electric power from renewable sources by 2030. Today, that share is only 14%.  Yet it is MUCH higher than in the rest of the U.S.  Renewable energy sources account for only 8% of the electric power produced nationally (right chart). 

Think about it and weep.  But not for long.  Then get up and resolve to do something about that, too.  Contact your utility companies and government representatives and tell them that that's just NOT GOOD ENOUGH.  That instead of subsidizing the wasteful car companies, they must provide financial incentives for the public and entrepreneurs to create new sources of energy, ones which do not pollute and kill. 

If you want to learn more about our practical experiences with Nissan Leaf, click here to send us some specific questions.  We would be glad to share what we have learned.

APPENDIX - SUPPLEMENTAL CHARTS AND LINKS

(From Berkeley University's study: Electric Vehicles in the United States: A New Model with Forecasts to 2030)

Also, check out these links...

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