10 More Things California Should Regulate

As a leading cause of green house gases cow flutulence is prohibited

Pool/jacuzzi pumps and heaters should also be regulated or eliminated!

Pools? What pools? They should be outlawed.

* Lawn irrigation/sprinklers - if Mother Nature wants things outdoors to grow she’ll provide rain!
* Dishwashers - that’s what husbands and kids are for!
* Automatic washing machines and clothes dryers - if wringer washers and clothes lines were good enough for our grandmothers they should be good enough for us!
* Commuting more than 5 miles by anything other than bicycle, car pool or public transportation.

I think clothes-dryers should have automatic power-off plugs—if it is sunny outside and above 50 degrees, no dryers for you!

I wish they would prohibit the state legislature from meeting.  The reduction in hot air would be a big benefit to the environment.

I really like this article, and these comments, I know some are not as sincere as others, but none the less, this is the right direction. There needs to be more discussion on these types of topics, only good can come, think of how many jobs are created if we simply remove the machines…I mean, after all, if you want something done right, do it yourself. How many of you remember grandma’s chocolate chip cookies made from scratch? Now compare those to tollhouse. No comparison. The same goes for custom entertainment systems. I would love to see large public cinema’s. With the focus being on community and efficient energy consumption instead of making profits at all cost’s (your arteries, electronic components in landfills, my personal favorite, regurgitated story plots). There does not need to be any enforcement, only education, for the most part, people want to do well. I did not use to feel this way, but more and more, I see those around me changing the way they think, changing they way they work, and changing the ways they consume materials, media, natural resources or whatever.

I agree with all of those idea’s listed in the article and then some, I hate to advertise, but here is a site that makes completely self sufficient structures from entirely recycled materials…http://www.earthship.net/education/begin-here.html I look around there for idea’s and motivation on environmentally efficient techniques.

Love it Julie…great article! I just hope they don’t read it in Sacramento.  I like to flush regularly and often.

I propose they ban any Government Spending that surpasses 90% of the annual budget set in 1990. This will bring the expences back down to affordable rates and thus cut the cost of all the Government waste that contributes to the State’s Warming issues…(which tend to be coming from somewhere deep inside the core of the planet—I believe its a place called Hell).

What about Hummers and other gas guzzling but high performance vehicles?  Why should consumers be allowed to make choices regarding the gas consumption of their cars but not the electrical consumption of their flat panels?  It would make just as much sense if California outlawed sales on all cars getting less than 30 mpg.

It is going to be difficult to get these cats back in their bags…

Good points Jeanette.

Great comments Jeanette, so how about an “energy-guzzler” tax on electrical devices that don’t qualify for Energy-Star certification?

Energy Guzzler Tax? Does that include Al Gore’s house? I see he uses 8-10x more energy in his home in one month than the average home across America does in one year. Yet, George Bush’s house uses about 20% less than the average…. I wonder who’s out to get the $$ out of all of this? Hmmmmm
http://www.snopes.com/politics/bush/house.asp

Thank you for acknowledging California’s leadership role in curbing our nation’s energy consumption and for sharing other energy efficiency ideas though your publication. Recently, McKinsey & Co released their study, “Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the US.”  Inside, it identifies and prioritizes the biggest opportunities for abating carbon emissions through 2030. Of the 670+ measures that were assessed for cost-effectiveness, which included everything from lighting to nuclear power plants, residential and commercial electronics are #1 and #2. 

We live in a techno-economic society.  We solve our problems with the best technology for the lowest price.  Sometimes, market drivers are not sufficient to ensure the well being of society, requiring legislation or regulation (ie seat belt law,) The TV legislation is consistent with the values we live by here in CA.

It would be interesting for EHP to build upon the idea of prioritizing electronic expenditures. Which gadgets do more to save energy and for what savings per dollar spent?  Energy efficient TVs? Control systems? Window treatments?