A Question of Ethics
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mmm from what I hear ethanol use is the reason for high milk prices... I really don't know enough about the projects... but we have one going up in our area... I'll look into it and get back to you.
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I think you should continue to make the model. Doing so is no reflection on your views whether Ethanol production is good or bad. The point of the model is to help others understand what is really being proposed and to help inform them. Some might buy your developer client's viewpoint that such a development does not belong where it has been proposed. Others might see your model and think "oh that's no big deal". Your model will not sway any of the zealots on either side. What it can do is help put some more of the facts on the table.
Go for it! And be happy to cash the cheque. There is no ethical issue for me.
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It seems to me the decision should be made on the reality of the situation. Your model would help clarify things. As to whether the idea is good or bad would then be up to the folks directly impacted.
I tend to not favor NIMBY arguements, but I would think all the factors should be known.
rollin'
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Bruce,
Seems to me you've hit the trifecta...community service, interesting SU work, and a paying client! (I'd call it the lottery if the project passes and you get the "how can we make it ok with the neighbors" contract as well! :`) -
Tom's right, ethically it is a grey area but you are in a win win situation.
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Bruce... I found thi site... Pros and Cons about ethanol.
http://www.wilson.edu/wilson/asp/content.asp?id=1928
sounds to me like it may be a great idea with not enough fuel to really use it. a bandaid so to speak.
if we're going to work towards no fossil fuel then we need to be able to replace it all together. not just a few percent.
which brings up an interesting question about fuel. if you could use water for fuel. would you? it seems to me the only thing oil is good for is plastic and fuel. but water is a much more useful resource... if we started using that resource for fuel? might we risk it being avaible for all those other uses later?
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To me, it's not about the product that's going to be produced there but the location. Ethanol is a green product and all that, but producing it close to a city centre is bad idea, IMHO. It's an industrial establishment and so is best located in an industrial area outside the city. If located close to the city centre, it's definitely going to be an eyesore (just did a Google image search). I don't know anything about ethanol plants, but what about noise and smoke emission, if any?
Bruce, your effort, if successful at the larger context, is going to make your city retain its character.
Guite
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I thought that too Guite... right in the middle of town?
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I know this isn't the basis of your concern but I just thought I would throw it out....
Currently ethanol production is not very green at all. The majority is produced from corn but the hidden part of the equation is that corn uses so much fossil fuel to fertilize and harvest that using ethanol is the same as using oil. This is the cover story in current issue of National Geographic.
I commend you on considering the ethics of what work you take. This is one of the most important things we can do. Thank you for reminding us all that it's never "just a job".
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http://www.savetheorangutan.co.uk/?m=200704
My girlfriend and I "adopt" an Orungutan through the WWF, not sure if this directly relates to Ethanol but the demand for alternative fuel crops is apparently leading to more slash and burn clearance of the rainforests.
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@unknownuser said:
if you could use water for fuel. would you?
There is a well documented case that suggests the Saudi oil industry may have had a hand in the murder of Stan Meyer, a man who claimed he could do this and trial drove a dune buggy powered on water. There is loads of stuff about this if you Google it and video evidence of the buggy's engine and trials.
http://waterpoweredcar.com/stanmeyer.html
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/dispatch/content/local_news/stories/2007/07/08/hydroman.ART_ART_07-08-07_A1_4V77MOK.html -
@tomsdesk said:
Bruce,
Seems to me you've hit the trifecta...community service, interesting SU work, and a paying client! (I'd call it the lottery if the project passes and you get the "how can we make it ok with the neighbors" contract as well! :`)I'm with Tom. I happen to think ethanol is a boondoggle, but that is not the issue here. SU is a great tool to show how things fit together and how things can be made to fit well together.
I'd keep in mind that it's just as easy to lie with pictures as it is with statistics and you do have an ethical obligation to not make things look better or worse than they really are.
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