Thomas Greenough, 14, thinks it pretty neat that former President Jimmy Carter preached green energy decades ago, installing solar panels on the White House during the oil-embargo days of the 1970s. (Ronald Reagan later took them down.)
So when Thomas learned that President Obama's administration had failed its commitment to reinstall solar panels by last summer, he took to his computer.
"That time has come and gone," he says, "so I want to hold him to his promise."
Two weeks later, the petition Thomas posted on a White House site is slowly climbing in the online ranks. By late Tuesday afternoon, the petition had 772 signatures -- and a long hill to climb. The administration's new "We the People" initiative guarantees a written response to petitions that draw at least 25,000 signatures within 30 days.
The ninth grader at Mooresville's Pine Lake Preparatory says the exercise combines his love of science and politics. He's still hopeful the petition will earn a response.
"I'm optimistic," says Thomas, who's been featured in local news articles. "Word of mouth is very powerful."
So when Thomas learned that President Obama's administration had failed its commitment to reinstall solar panels by last summer, he took to his computer.
"That time has come and gone," he says, "so I want to hold him to his promise."
Two weeks later, the petition Thomas posted on a White House site is slowly climbing in the online ranks. By late Tuesday afternoon, the petition had 772 signatures -- and a long hill to climb. The administration's new "We the People" initiative guarantees a written response to petitions that draw at least 25,000 signatures within 30 days.
The ninth grader at Mooresville's Pine Lake Preparatory says the exercise combines his love of science and politics. He's still hopeful the petition will earn a response.
"I'm optimistic," says Thomas, who's been featured in local news articles. "Word of mouth is very powerful."
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4 comments:
The petition can be found at the White House We The People website. The address for the Reinstall Solar Panels petition is http://wh.gov/23m
My guess has been in using the updated technology, we should have been doing as we started into alternatives some forty years back, I was installing then, until it was blocked by the same interests funding the new meme's and blockage, and that updated technology is coming out of those who used to envie us, places like China and more. Thus new funding would be needed and well we knows all about that and who's obstructing, the same corporate reps who were before and not only on alternatives!!
Should add, the military, veterans admin, and some other agencies are moving pretty rapidly in upgrading into alternatives, especially the military, but they're running into roadblocks as well that are slowing that down, and to think it would All save money thus bring down the deficit!!!!
James,
Does the name Solyndra ring a bell? We are "creating" jobs at a cost of $15 million a pop. That's a great use of taxpayers' money and savings? Solar energy costs 5x regular energy and it's not green. Have you ever wondered where the rare-earths are coming from? Just becuase you don't see devastation in places like China, Uganda etc. it doesn't mean it's clean
Solar is not green? Source please. The US Dept of Energy says a solar panel pays back it's economic and environmental cost (including end-of-life recycling in 1 to 4 years). After that, the energy it produces is completely free and clean.
Solar cost 5X "regular" energy? Not if you add in the health costs of burning coal. Harvard Medical School quatified those costs this year. If you add them to what you pay Duke today, solar is already cheaper than coal.
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