Monday Matters: Alternate energy

By Jeff Gibson - 09/10/2007

Jeff Gibson

Flatbed solution The Russians are developing floating nuclear reactors — ships with nuclear plants aboard that might be moored near small coastal cities remote from conventional power sources. It’s an interesting idea. Is there any reason why remote inland cities — maybe even in Montana — could not benefit from something similar? Let us articulate a vision about this: flatbed reactors that trucks could haul from place to place during times of peak power needs.

Flat-bed reactors would have to be smaller than kind the Russians are looking at, but small reactors can be built. A news report years ago said that Russia developed, but never launched, a reactor small enough to go aboard a space satellite. This was an actual reactor, different from the nuclear generators that NASA occasionally uses.

Financing flatbed energy would be a snap. The cigarette tax hasn’t been raised in months.

Critics might say flatbeds would be unsafe, but this is not necessarily so. Just make sure the trucks have good tires so they don’t slide off winter roads. If a meltdown started, you’d want to get the unit at least as far away as North Dakota in a hurry.

And that’s all there is to it. Rad vision, huh?

Catting around A friend told us that his son and daughter-in-law planned to ship their cats to Singapore. “Good place for them,” we agreed.

But then he explained. His son is an engineer who is being sent to Singapore for two years by his employer. The son and his wife have two pet cats they can’t bear to leave behind, so they plan to send them ahead by commercial airliner — at $1,500 per cat. First, however, they have to take the cats to the vet for a physical examination and shots. Then, upon arrival in Singapore, the cats will be quarantined for 30 days, at further expense. After two years, the cats will fly back home, again for $1,500 a head.

No wonder cats are so damn smug. If they were our cats, we’d put both of them and a saucer of milk by a neighbor’s back door then dash for the airport alone.

Kitty, kitty cats galore, on a plane to Singapore. This is one for Dr. Seuss.

Essential “Trekking poles are becoming a trail essential,” said a headline. The expert quoted in support of this was Bruce Ferris — “a sales specialist at REI.” REI sells a ton of trekking poles.

Another observer — a woman who holds seminars (probably for a fee) on how to use trekking poles, said that “all the top hikers in the world” use them. How does she know? Who rates the world’s “top hikers?” Nobody talked to us, and in all modesty, we are one of the top hundred-thousand dirt sloggers out there.

Occasionally, a hiker does need an aid for balance, maybe while descending a steep, rocky slope. At such times, a stick picked up from the ground comes in handy. Upon reaching level ground, the hiker tosses the stick, lest it become, as our hard-hiking bro once said, “just something else to carry.” Never having used trekking poles, we can’t comment on just how useful they might be. However, we have been hiking for a long time — since walking away from our unit just before Antietam, in fact — so we can assure you that while trekking poles might be essential, they are not necessary.

But if trekking poles make it easier for you to carry your backpacker’s ice cream maker, or your collapsible chopsticks for trailside sushi — two more items sold by REI — go ahead and use them.

Be prepared Another outdoor equipment article described a rescue device called a “personal tracker.” It’s kind of a GPS unit and signal system that allows friends to keep track of hunters, hikers and others who are slashing their way through the jungle or the nearest wilderness area. If the traveler gets snake-bit, he can signal for help and rescuers will know just where to find him.

It’s probably not a bad idea, even though traditional outdoors people believe that being out of touch is a big reason for getting out of town in the first place. Just don’t rely too heavily on your personal tracker. Some search-and-rescue people say that even cellphones are making hikers and climbers lazy. Instead of properly preparing for their trips, some of these people adopt a “why worry?” attitude. They believe that if things go wrong, they can always call for help.

The trouble is that if you need help in a hurry, it might not arrive in time. So be prepared. Take all the essentials, including matches. You never know when a burnt offering will be your last hope.

Fueling hope The latest hope for the planet’s energy pinch is the jatropha, described by a reporter as “an ugly wild green shrub that thrives in India.” The plant’s seeds contain oil similar to palm oil that can be made into a biodiesel fuel.

Unlike corn, jatropha grows even in poor soils with little water. Boosters say it would not compete for prime agricultural land, so it would not worsen world food shortages. It doesn’t need much fertili-zer so it’s safer for the environment. And the cost of making a barrel of jatropha fuel has been estimated at $43, as opposed to $83 for corn.

Of course, jatropha also might have some drawbacks, and American corn farmers undoubtedly are scrambling to find them. Most people, though, probably would welcome jatropha development, if it’s as good as its supporters say.

Don’t let your hopes rise too quickly, though. Long ago, during the Arab oil embargo, biodiesel enthusiasts were touting the jojoba plant of the American Southwest as the great energy alternative. The jojoba (pronounced something like ho-ho-ba) also produces oil-rich nuts. Jojoba, though, has faded from view in recent years.

Jatropha sounds hopeful, at least. That miserable pumpkin patch in the backyard might produce something worthwhile, yet.

— Jeff Gibson is a retired Montana Standard writer.