The advantages and disadvantages about solar power in replacing the Essay

The advantages and disadvantages about solar power in replacing the original power (gas, oil) in United States - Essay Example In truth, most people, probably, do not even think about where their energy and fuel comes from until it is turned off. Few things do not require a power or fuel source, especially today, when that energy not available everything can begin to fall apart. Unfortunately, fossil fuel based energy sources commonly used bring with them serious consequences to the environment, as well as, not being limitless. The initiative to encourage power and fuel alternatives continues to be debated. The â€Å"go green† movement suggest â€Å"renewable† energy sources. Climate changes, continuing pollution, and the insecurity of the existing power and fuel sources are serious considerations. (Jacobson, and Delucchi 1154) Renewable sources may be exactly the solution that is needed, which includes the use of wind, geothermal, hydropower, and, particularly, solar power that could easily help secure a brighter future for the generations to come. Given the potential success and efficiency it is only common sense to investigate further and consider solar power, along with other â€Å"green† energy possibilities; feasible solutions to our modern energy needs. History Many researchers feel that the acquisition of and the ability to use fire, along with the development of language, is what, decidedly, made us human. It was, however, the understanding and utilization of fossil fuels that made us officially modern. As populations began to increase, in any given locations, the need to provide clothing, shelter, warmth, food, and transportation became paramount. Fossil fuels helped such large industrial populations to achieve that. Between 1880 and 1913, along with the natural born citizens, 60 million immigrants joined the population of the United States. (McNeill) As these growing populations in America continued to grow larger it became more and more necessary to engage in greater and greater usage of energies derived from fossil fuels. However, the abundant usage re sults in the excessive accumulation of â€Å"green house gases,† which is, generally, a mixture of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane. The green house gases literally change the chemical composition of the atmosphere and the harmful gases contribute to global warming. Researchers confirm that our planet’s surface temperature has, markedly, increased over the past two decades.(Mingyuan 359) This is a serious problem involving serious consequences. Not only are fossil fuels causing environmental damage it is, also, not an unlimited resource. Oil, coal, gasoline, the fuels and energy sources most are familiar with, are not going to be sufficient to meet the United States demand forever. Since the 1980s much research has been geared towards finding renewable energy sources that could wean us from our fossil fuel dependency in exchange for environmentally friendly, more reliable energy sources. There are multiple options within the parameters of renewable energy, bu t, the majorities agree that it is any resource that is naturally replenished by the earth or nature. Solar power, of all the environmental friendly green options, is probably, so supporters claim, the most viable and available renewable energy resource.(Mingyuan 356) Yet, as seen in the chart below, the United states has continued to rely on coal, petroleum, natural gas and, even, nuclear energy more than upon any of the renewable alternatives. The United States uses only a small fractions of the potential; at least in comparison of the to the usage of fossil fuels.("Solar") The sun, essentially, plays a huge part of what makes it possible to grow plant life to be harvested. Before

Effect of consumerism on society Research Paper

Effect of consumerism on society - Research Paper Example Starting with the rise of the department store, and culminating in advertisements that show females the way to live the good life, consumerism for women is all about achieving the life and identity that she is â€Å"supposed† to have. The possible exception to this is the Dove real beauty campaign, that tells the woman that she is fine the way that she is. However, in a way, consuming this product is also buying into an identity, albeit this identity is one that is not constructed by purchasing the product, but, rather, is an identity that is internal to who she is. For the male, the evolution has been a bit different, as the modern and pre-modern male was discouraged from consumption - he was the provider, not the consumer. However, post-modernism has arguably changed this, and has made the male more of a consumer because of the rise of branding and designer labels. Branding and designer labels has given the post-modern male a way to construct his identity with consumption, j ust as females have done. How Consumerism Has Affected the Female Identity Modern consumerism, as explained below, was typically associated with the female, as opposed to the male. This was affected by the rise of the department stores in the late 1800s, and this was where the culture of consumption observed a turning point (Martin, 1993, p. 149). ... Advertising plays a role in shaping female consumerism, as it does male, as explained below. For the female, she is shown, through advertising, what it is to aspire to and what it is to be afraid of. Female-directed advertising explains to women that they must aspire to a physical ideal that is unattainable by many, and also must aspire to a youthful appearance. Thus the prevalence of advertisements for products such as weight-loss pills and hair dye (Dyer, 1989, pp. 3-4). The advertising succeeds in selling these products through the process of modeling and mirroring. The advertisements model what the good life should be, and what a woman should aspire to – being fit, youthful, vigorous, sexual and fun. At the same time, they hold up a mirror to the woman’s life, and how her own life does not match that of the ideal. The advertisements seem to imploring the woman to buy the product so that she can reach the ideal that is portrayed in the ad (Dyer, 1989, pp. 3-4). This puts pressure on the woman to reach this ideal, which she can only reach through consumerism - buying products that maybe she does not really need, but feels that she does, because she wants to attain the good life that is portrayed on her television screen. Sometimes advertising actually ties products in with a certain feminist ideal, such as the Virginia Slims campaign back in the seventies, whose tag line was â€Å"You’ve Come a Long Way Baby† (Johnson & Taylor, 2008). That said, at least one advertising campaign, Dove, has attempted to use a different message to sell its products to the female audience. Their â€Å"Real Beauty† campaign featured women with less-than-perfect bodies in their underwear, and the message was that women