Danas+environment+final+draft

__The One & Only Son__  The environment is probably the most important issue concerning humans today. Something radical must be done to ensure the continuation of life as we know it. Solar power is one potential solution. __Solar power can improve the quality of people's lives by reducing our dependency on foreign oil, reducing toxic emissions from fossil fuels, and creating new jobs__. Solar power can be used to help to the environment and society because there is endless power from the sun. Fossil fuels such as coal, fuel oil and natural gas are contributing to global warming. Converting sunlight into electricity is the key to solar power. This power is clean and non toxic. You can power your home as well as heat your water. "I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy . What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait till oil and coal run out before we tackle that."- Thomas Edison (1847-1931). Some people are already ' living off the grid ' by not being connected to utility power lines; instead they are using solar panels. The way solar are made are cutting crystalline sillicon into tiny disks less than a centimeter thick and then they are carefully polished and then are aligned and spread on a flat thin sheet.The costs of installing solar panels might be expensive but we have to think of our future and cutting down our dependency on oil."Once installed, solar panels are virtually maintenance free and there are even government programs out there that will actually give you tax incentives and rebated if you adopt solar technology.”Solar panels cost about $215 and they produce variable amounts of electricity. Using scrap solar cells can save you a great amount of solar panel investment. Solar panels have a lifespan of about 20-25 years. A futuristic house called the i home that’s made for solar power saves much more power than a regular house. The i house is a modern house that runs on solar power and saves more electricity than a normal house would. Susan Connolly, a buyer of an i-house says (14) "I Have been interested in green construction and the environment in my own personal life." I-homes are beginning to catch on according to Kevin Clayton, the creator of the i -house. He thinks (13)"i-house very quickly could represent more than 10 percent of its business." This house looks very modern and is affordable. A person can feel good about living in a home that's also good for the environment. There will be many 'green jobs' created for working class people with the use of solar power. According to Lucy Blake of the Apollo Alliance (10) "a green-collar job is, in essence, a blue-collar job that has been upgraded to address the environmental challenges of our country ." With the high unemployment rate and our current recession this is good news for young people everywhere as they look to their future. Jones said in a recent NY times interview (12) "Those green collar jobs can provide a pathway out of poverty for someone who has not gone to college." Solar power offers hope for the environment and for the job force. According to Van Jones founder of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and the Apollo Alliance and also adviser to President to Barack Obama (11) "So we are going to have to put people to work in this country weatherizing millions of buildings, putting up solar panels, constructing wind farms ." Young people who begin to work in the solar industry will be able to eventually grow into management positions and possibly wind up inventing new ways to use solar power. If more people use solar power the world would be less likely to have a blackout. We can begin to live "off the grid" using the sun's power. We can be healthier and do something for the future. Our administration is committed to the environment and solar power. President Obama plans to "create 5 million "green-collar jobs during his presidency”. The sun is the greatest resource that the planet has ever discovered.