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JerseySmarts.com

Could This Spring Bring Out The Bicycles?

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Retailers certainly hope so – and they have a good reason, too. After a very successful year in 2008 (aside from the lackluster holiday season), businesses specializing in bicycling need a solid year in 2009 in order to stay viable in a rocky economy. This issue was covered recently in a New York Times article which stated:

Mr. Townley is even more skeptical now, predicting a flat to slightly down year for small bicycle stores. Declining gas prices are one reason. He also cited major price increases in bicycles and accessories resulting from the rising cost of materials and shipping — 98 percent of bicycles are manufactured overseas — which cut into profits. He said data showed that wholesale sales of new bicycles to shops for the first nine months of the year were down by more than 4 percent.

As our national economy begins a real shift to become more “green” and sustainable, there is a good chance that other businesses which help to create the “sustainable” economy will become the focus of business writers. The thing to remember, though, is that even though going green is the rage among television shows and big businesses right now – it will still take some time to catch on among the general public.

Great strides are being made, however, and I don’t believe that articles like this one will serve to hurt the change in our economy.

The Monmouth County Blackout – What?!

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How the hell does this happen? I deliberately waited to post on this topic until two and a half weeks after the event because I knew that everyone would forget about by now. It’s bullshit. Here we are a few days away from 2009 and a fire that messed up the electrical grid in Neptune Township managed to cut off the power to tens of thousands of residents not just in the shore region, but also up in the Highlands part of the state, too! How does that happen?

With all of the discussion about improving America’s energy future and President-Elect Barack Obama’s pledge to make energy security the top of his domestic policy agenda, let’s hope that situations like this don’t happen for too much longer.

This reminds me of the blackout from 2003 that knocked out power for most of the northeast states as well as Ontario, Canada. How pathetic was that? If you remember, for a brief period of time after that blackout there was some talk about fixing the electrical grid so that something similar would never happen again. Yeah, well, apparently that was forgotten real quick, huh?

At the very least, America should have a secondary energy grid running at all times just in case the primary grid goes down like it did in 2003 or a few weeks ago in Neptune Township. The secondary grid should be built on green technology with wind turbines, solar arrays, and other renewable energy sources so that we know it will always be available (wind is always and sun is always shining…somewhere). Then the secondary system can be built upon and expanded which does two things. First, it actually creates a large portion of the “green collar” economy that keeps getting thrown around in political debate. Second, it begins to shift America’s reliance on coal and oil sources to renewable energy.

Or we can do the alternative – which is to keep bitching about the need for energy independence via renewable sources and do nothing to achieve that goal. And the next time there is a blackout in any part of the country, we’d have no one to blame besides our politicians (go figure).

Send a Message to President-Elect Obama

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How many times have we heard that the 2008 Presidential election was a historic contest? Probably enough to make you sick, I bet. Well, whether you voted for President-Elect Barack Obama, Senator John McCain, or a third party candidate I urge you to keep the winds of “change” blowing in this country.

This country is being confronted with a severe crisis and we are losing the battle, miserably. No, it’s not the economy and no, it’s not our place in international affairs. Americans are losing a battle in their own homes!

We are losing the battle for food.

New York Times op-ed columnist Nick Kristof wrote an interesting piece the other day on the topic of the next Secretary of Agriculture. In the op-ed, he cites Michael Pollan – author of In Defense of Food –:

“We’re subsidizing the least healthy calories in the supermarket — high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated soy oil, and we’re doing very little for farmers trying to grow real food,” notes Michael Pollan, author of such books as “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and “In Defense of Food.”

The Agriculture Department — and the agriculture committees in Congress — have traditionally been handed over to industrial farming interests by Democrats and Republicans alike. The farm lobby uses that perch to inflict unhealthy food on American children in school-lunch programs, exacerbating our national crisis with diabetes and obesity.

But let’s be clear. The problem isn’t farmers. It’s the farm lobby — hijacked by industrial operators — and a bipartisan tradition of kowtowing to it.

Kristof suggests that Obama rename the Secretary of Agriculture to the Secretary of Food, since it encompasses more Americans. Further, he suggests that we take a second look at what is really being accomplished for the agribusinesses that are bringing in these government subsidies.

I’ve read Pollan’s book and it’s eye-opening. I knew that there was a strong food lobby in Washington, but I had no idea of the extent of their successes. Did you know that at one point, the food companies could not name individually wrapped pieces of cheese “individually wrapped pieces of cheese?” Instead, they had to call them an imitation. There used to be a law against putting out imitation products and calling them anything other than imitations.

It’s shocking to think about how many things are no longer pure food and if this really is a time of change in American government, then why not change America from the bottom up – literally? Head over to FoodDemocracyNow.org to sign an online petition urging President-Elect Obama to choose the next Secretary of Agriculture wisely!

Plastic Bags are the Enemy in Red Bank

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The Asbury Park Press ran a story earlier this week talking about how Red Bank’s Mayor Pasquale “Pat” Menna and Councilman Michael R. DuPont are waging a war against plastic bags in their city. Originally, they wanted to outlaw the use of the bags and distribute $100 to $500 fines for any retailer caught using them. Since that resolution didn’t pass the city council, they are now seeking to create a “green” designation for those city retailers who are environmentally friendly. A piece of the article:

Menna said he hopes to name two borough schoolchildren — one from the local public school system and one from the Red Bank Charter School — to a committee to be formed in January. Menna has asked the top school administrator for each for help nominating students.

“I’ll ask for an advisory panel to designate which stores are using the cutting edge of green initiatives,” Menna said. “Kids are on the cutting edge of environmentalism, they can teach us about being stewards of the environment.”

Menna had proposed a “green” designation for local businesses as an alternative to various suggestions about banning plastic bags. “Green” is the popular adjective for people, businesses and other entities that are sensitive to environmental concerns or which promote environmentalism.

I’m not exactly sure what the end game is for the Mayor and Councilman, but I’m glad to see that they are bringing schoolchildren into the legislative process (and especially a child from the Red Bank Charter School).

While banning their use is certainly one way to curb the abundance of plastic bags out there, I think people should be introduced to new forms of eco-friendly shopping gear. I have these “Green Bags” that I bought at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and they’re great! Plus, you can buy reusable canvas bags at most grocery stores and most stores are also including a plastic bag recycling receptacle in their front entrances. All of these items should be encouraged as we move towards a greener, more sustainable society.

OPEC Pushes Back a Decision on Oil Output

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How disgusting is OPEC? I know this entry is a few days late in coming, but the word going around is that the cartel wants to set a standard rate of $75 per barrel of oil worldwide. These dummies don’t understand that price controls do not work in the type of worldwide economic downturn that we’re seeing. From the article:

OPEC, which accounts for more than 40 percent of the world’s supply, will next meet in Oran, Algeria, on Dec. 17. In a statement after yesterday’s meeting in Cairo, the group warned demand will be “much lower” than expected a month ago. The cost of crude has continued to slide even after the group agreed last month to lower production by 1.5 million barrels a day.

There shouldn’t be a problem with reducing the amount of oil that is generated by the oil cartel since worldwide demand is decreasing. That’s fine – that’s simple supply and demand: when demand goes down, supplies do not need to be as high. However, to reduce supply of a vital resources to a point where prices skyrocket is unacceptable. The world is taking notice of what OPEC does and its people will respond in turn.

Remember last month when OPEC cut their production by 1.5 million barrels per day? The purpose of the cut was to drive prices higher. Instead, prices sunk a few dollars per barrel on the very same day the cut was announced. Thankfully, the people of the world are beginning to seriously consider alternative energy sources and they are moving in that direction in large numbers. This shift away from a petroleum-based life is what the world needs to cut off some of these middle eastern countries who try to dictate their financial needs upon the world.

Let’s hope that demand continues to decrease as consumers continue to purchase energy efficient vehicles, household items, and renewable/resuable resources.