Consumption to blame, not Bush.

Fred Durso, Jr.'s article "Clean Energy Goes to College' (In Briefs, July/August 2004) was revealing about the consumption patterns of a future generation of energy consumers. Of course, people tend to politicize things by blaming the President of the U.S. for everything. Ironically, if a disastrous energy policy is driving this push for alternate sources, then maybe the disastrous energy policy isn't so bad after all.

I'm sure that if fuel prices tripled within six months, or if fuel rationing were to happen, it also would be considered disastrous, and likely the President would again be blamed. Probably the President should also be blamed when tuition goes up to pay for the additional infrastructure needed for clean energy, or when rents increase to pay for higher clean energy costs.

The consumption of energy is not the fault of some energy policy. It is the result of our ability to consume. No one forced the university to produce more greenhouse gases than 32 developing countries, even if it is convenient to try to blame that fact on some outside factor. It is encouraging, however, that these students are beginning to take responsibility for themselves in making changes to clean energy. Unfortunately, those choices are still affecting only seven percent of Temple University's needs.

John Zylstra, Professional Agrologist 

Bluesky, AB Canada