Sustainable Energy on Display

SUSTAINABLE ENERGY ON DISPLAY -- (Extensions of Remarks - October 03, 2005)

SPEECH OF
HON. BERNARD SANDERS
OF VERMONT
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2005

Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I wish to commend the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association for its efforts this past weekend in its 2005 Green Buildings Open House. The Open House consisted of tours of ``green'' energy facilities in homes and businesses, in all the New England States, as well as in Delaware, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

In Vermont, there were tours in Burlington, Cavendish, Hartland, Montpelier, Strafford and White River Junction, as well as in Northern, Central and Southern Vermont. The tours included a great variety of sites, including homes, businesses and schools. Alternative energy sources included solar (active and passive), wind, micro-hydro, as well as alternate construction methods and alternative fuel vehicles.

We are overly dependent on fossil fuels. Not only does dependence pose environmental problems ranging from air pollution to acid rain to global warming, it also puts our national security at risk, requiring foreign policies driven more by the needs of oil companies than by the interests of American families and small businesses.

But there are ways to conserve our environment and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. We can better insulate our homes. The dollars invested in energy conservation pay off over and over again, in reduced energy consumption and reduced costs for heating and cooling. We can find and develop clean and renewable sources of energy like solar, wind, water and geothermal. They are domestically produced, infinitely renewable, and non-polluting. And we can learn to use more energy-efficient appliances in our homes and offices.

Developing sources of alternative energy and conserving the energy we currently use are smart policies, not only because fossil fuel is encumbered with many problems, but because long-term conservation and alternative energy are more efficient. And moving along those lines creates jobs, jobs here at home, good paying jobs.

So I extend my congratulations to the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association and the many homeowners and building owners, as well as the guides for these tours, who worked to show us all how much can be accomplished if we have a vision of a better and more energy-sustainable future.

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