First Steps Toward Localized Sustainability

The first steps are the hardest. Moving away from using non-renewable resources is a difficult prospect when generations have become more and more reliant upon fossil fuels than the previous. It is like an addiction. The first step is admitting there is a problem. We have acknowledged that we need to move away from fossil fuels as a primary energy source, but global consumption continues to increase. It is like there is a fear of what will happen if one part of our culture cuts the cord on fossil fuels while another increases it's consumption to make up for it. Do all countries need to make the move together, all at once? I think that it comes down to an issue of localization. Each region needs to address it's energy requirements and usage independently, while working with the global community to reduce consumption of non-renewable resources, and the resulting pollution. Coastal areas can take advantage of tidal energy. Hot and sunny areas can take better advantage of solar energy. Some areas have great geothermal potential, while others can utilize wind energy. All of these sources can help supplement, and then replace, burning fossil fuels to create electric energy. We have to take advantage of what nature provides us with to make changes that we can rely upon, while working toward conservation efforts to reduce pollution and restore our environment to a level that can sustain our population and the rest of the species on the planet.