Letter to Editor by Shannon Frazer

In a country where coal and oil share the reign over the energy kingdom and all of its loyal subjects, the American people, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. dares to suggest change. While attending his lecture Wednesday evening at Memorial Coliseum, I was inspired to consider the suggestion that there are in fact cleaner, cheaper and all around better energy alternatives aside from environmentally-taxing fossil fuel sources.

What was most surprising to me was the rate at which Kennedy and his company planned to establish these alternatives in entire regions. For instance, just recently his company Better Place, has taken the initiative to switch over the Israeli automobile market in three years’ time a plan that includes giving free electric cars to all citizens who sign the contract to own the $20,000-valued car battery (a fraction of the price of an internal combustion engine on a gasoline-powered car). The only incurred expense for Israeli citizens would be a premium they would pay to “refuel” at the charging stations. Kennedy mentioned Denmark was next on the list for contracting, and locales such as Britain, Australia and Hawaii would soon follow suit.

Some find it easy to claim that these propositions sound too good to be true. People might be hesitant to believe a near-future time table to put these ideas into practice because of how dependent we as Americans are on oil and coal in our daily functioning, and because energy sources such as solar and wind power have not taken off in the way that the environmentally-conscious community would like. But the reason why I simply cannot express those concerns is because the topics Robert Kennedy addressed in his plan are tangible, enforceable and are happening now. The reality is here.

I would be lying if I said that I left the coliseum on Wednesday unchanged after hearing about Kennedy’s environmentally responsible methods. It’s crazy to fathom the United States without dependence on nonrenewable sources of energy… but then again, maybe not. Maybe we Americans need to realize that it’s time to mutiny and overthrow coal and oil forever.

Shannon Frazer

journalism senior