TE Michigan Daily Edited and managed by Students at the University of Michigan Wednesday, May 8, 1974 News Phone: 764-0552 AE: Short fuse THE WIRE SERVICES these days offer little news to cheer about, what with transcripts, impeachment hearings, resignations in Germany, and violence in North- ern Ireland. But an especially sick, macabre piece cleared the wires last weekend that points up a poten- tially explosive--quite literally-situation that can and should be immediately remedied. Out of Houston came a story about a father who, allegedly, castrated his 13-year-old son by exposing the boy's testicles to canisters of radioactive cesium while the lad slept. Following by less than a week the rehash- ing of the Nazi sterilization experiments with X-rays on the ABC television feature QB VII, the story had an es- pecially gruesome tone about it. And how had the father managed to obtain this obviously harmful cesium? Well, to put it bluntly, quite legally. Officers of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) had duly authorized him to retain and use radio- active material in connection with his work as an oil exploration engineer. Naturally, we can't totally blame the AEC for the tragic result. But, at the same time, it seems that the AEC's applicant screening process must be dangerously careless to permit such a psychotic person to slip through. AND THIS IS NOT the only instance of careless action on the part of the AEC. The student-sponsored Pub- lic Interest Research Group In Michigan (PIRGIM), for example, recently distributed a study which shockingly detailed the unbelievable lack of security precautions which surround radioactive materials being transported on Michigan highways. Admittedly, atomic energy is here to stay, and that's all well and good. The life-saving medical techniques that have resulted from atomic research are alone prob- ably worth the billions spent over the past 30 years. But those who work with radioactive materials have an imperative responsibility to the public to remember that these substances are dangerous and harmful, and must be handled with the upmost precautions possible. We shouldn't have to be reminding the AEC of their public duty-of the very reason the Commission was es- tablished in the first place. Apparently, however, the AEC seems to have forgotten. Perhaps a few friendly letters to Congress might help them remember. -DAVID BLOMQUIST Contact your reps- Sen. Phillip Hart (Dem), Rm 253, Old Senate Bldg., Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. 20515. Sen. Robert Griffin (Rep), Rm 353, Old Senate Bldg., Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. 2515. Rep. Marvin Esch (Rep), Rm. 412, Cannon Bldg., Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. 20515. Sen. Gilbert Bursley (Rep), Senate, State Capitol Bldg., Lansing, Mi. 48933. Rep. Perry Bullard (Dem), House of Representatives, State Capitol Bldg., Lansing, Mi. 48933. Low energy summer living By TODD WOOD and MARY LaPORTE HERE IS a lotmore to sav- ing energy than driving 50 MPH and dialing down to 68. We can conserve our precious na- tural resources in many ways in Ann Arbor. It's simply a mat- ter of chaniging some of our little day to day activities. The waste cycle of the Unit- ed States is extremely energy intensive. There are steps the individual can take to limit the amount of solid waste, and in the process discover a valuable resource. Thinking about a garden this summer? Do it orgnicaly. It is much more beneficial to your body and a whole lot cheaper. All you need is a compost heap, which is very easy to put to- gether. Save your organic kit- chen garbage -- peels, e g g shells, leftovers, even bird drop- pings. The compost pile is made up of layers of dirt, organic matter, and manure. Spread this on your garden before plant- ing for good, rich topsoil. The Ann Arbor Public Library and the Ecology Center have in- formation on composting and or- ganic gardening. RE-CYCLING has got to hap- pen on a wider scale. Less en- ergy is required to recycle aluminum, paper and many oth- er materials than is required to make the products from raw materials. Recycled paper pro- ducts such as towels, napkins, tissues and writing paper are on the market. Urge your stores to stock recycled paper products and then buy them. There is a recycling station at 1965 South Industrial High- way, open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30. The station accepts news- papers, magaznes, computer cards, computer paper, glass, metal cans and plastic gallon containers with tops. Paper ar- ticles should be separated and bundled with string. Newspaper must be bundled separately from all other paper matter. Staples and other bits of metal should be removed. Glass bottles should be cleaned sorted by color (green, brown and clear) and all metal rings removed. Metal cans should be cleaned, have labels removed, and be crush- ed. Aluminum cans should be separated. Any metal will be ac- cepted as long as it is crushed. THERE ARE some areas around campus where you can take your stuff. East Quad will accept everything, and you don't have to live there. The collection center is in the basement. Alice Lloyd collects newspapers, and area stores will gladly take old brown bags. Campus Cornets takes a load of recycleables to the station every Wednesday. The people there like the materials brought in by early Wednesday. Of course all these articles must be properly prepared. Glass jars can be valuable. The grain co-op on Packard and State is always glad to get them. If you know anyone who is into :anning, ask them if they could use some. Plastic bread wrapper bags make good stuffing for a throw pillow. It's surprising what can be done with a little imagination and your usual trash. DO WHAT you can as a con- sumer. A drink in a returnable bottle is less expensive than one in a throwaway container. If you do not see returnables on the shelf, urge your stores to stock them. Campus Coners has a wide selection of beverages in returnable bottles. Village Corn- ers also stocks them, but you have to ask. We have a direct impact on the earth and its energy re- sources through the food which we eat. The diet of an aver- age burger champing American sa r.a~i 1 -ir c a-- d nr this country have developed the absurd cultural attitude of rele- gating non-meat protein sources to an inferior position. IT IS THE earth's natural li- mitations that must be consider- ed. A very large portion of the United State's agricultural re- sources are funneled into the production of meat. The Com- mission of the National Acad- emy of Sciences has concluded that to survive in the future we will all have to rely more on plants and less on meat. We feed 78 per cent of all our grains to animals. The world grain supply is now at an all time lowe. A cow must be fed 21 pounds of protein insorder to produce 1 pound of protein for human consumption. It is im- possible to continue at this rate. 'Not only what we eat, but where we get it is important. Fortunately for Ann Arborites, there is an alternative to the high-cost, high-energy weeky supermarket sweep. The co-op system gives you a chance to decentralize your food buying. Because it doesn't involve the usual packing, shipping a n d packaging, the food is much bet- ter, fresher and cheaper. We have a grain co-op, neighbor- hood vegetable co-ops, and there are plans for a possible bakery co-op. TO GET THE very best food, have a garden. It's a good ex- cuse to be outdoors in the sum- mer, and you'll reap the harvest in the fall. People are capable of adapt- ing to the forces of the environ- ment, by building a shelter which protects them from the elements. The conventional American method of coping with weather is by using as much energy as is necessary to maintain com- fort within the environment. This last winter many Amer- icans were faced with the real- ization that energy isn't going to last as long as the elements. They also saw how inefficiently their shelters were constructed. TO START making your home more energy efficient stop all sources of air leak. A lot of cold air can come is from under. neath a door and around win- dows, and it displaces warm air. Everyone has heard that they should put weather-stripping on the door, put up storm windows or sheet plastic, and make sure that there is caulking around the windows, but, how many have done it? The popular ra- tionalization is "Well, I don't own the place where I live, I'm just renting." And the landlord probably is not aware of exist- ing conditions or else doesn't want to take the initiative to fix them. So why don't you take the initiative to fix them)Think about it. Why wouldn't a land- lord gladly reimbudse you for the little it costs? It saves them money in not paying for labor, it saves you money in fuel bills. In the average home it is not hard to reduce heating and cooling bills by at least one third. ONCE YOU have the problem of keeping cold air out licked, you can begin on the problem of keeping warm air in. 30-35 per cent of household heat leav- es through the roof. In most homes, heat first goes into the attic and then out the roof. In order to save your heating dollars you should weatherstrip the door to the attic and seal around heat ducts and the furn- ace flue to keep heat from es- caping. If you air condition you lose cool air as you do warm air in the winter. The National Bur- eau of Standards says that these unnecessary air leaks cst an extra $.30 per day fr cooling. A few tips for de-energizing your home: S Clean your thermostat yearly. * Replace furnace filters every 45 days. * Keep soot out of your fur- nace. * By keeping the hsmidity in your home up in the winter, you can dial down. Take plastic milk cartons and fill them with wat- er. Place them in a warm place. If you have a radiator, place a tray of water under it. A pan of water on the stove will increase humidity. In the summer, dis- pose of all sources of ezeos water. Keep a window open in the bathroom and the kitchen, the two main sources of mois- ture in a home. * If you have a radiator, put aluminum foil, shiny side to- ward the room, on the wall be- hind it and on the floor beneath it. * If weatherstripping doesn't work, place an old towel up against the bottom of the door. ONE OF THE common atti- tudes in handling the barrage of e n e r g y crisis information is, "some type of alternative will come up, it always does." The alternatives have been around for years. The homes and lifestyles of many persons are prototypes for us to adopt, if we are to survive. A man by the name of Harry Thomason lives in Washington, D.C., in his fourth solar home. He built his first one in 1959, and it is still functional. He receives about 95 per cent of his heating from the sun. The system he now uses cost him $1000. Martin Jopp lives in Pince- ton, Min. He has been build.ng, and using, windmills and gener- ators to convert the wind to electricity since about 1925. He developed these himself and has amazing success. Martin Jopp isn't a college physics professor, he is a farm- er and fix-it man with an eighth grade education. Robert and Eileen Reines live in a dome out in New Mexico which is heated by the sun, and their electric power - power enough for a television, stereo, refrigerator, blender, etc. - comes from the wind. Why don't we know more about this sort of energy inde- pendence and why isn't this life- style being implemented? It makes one wonder where the vested interests of our gove- ment's leaders lie. IN DECEMBER, 1972, Presi- dent Nixon's Solar E n e r g y Panel issued its report called Solar Energy as a National En- ergy Resource. The President paid no attention to it. Some of the panel's findings were: 1) "There are no technical bar- riers to wide application of so- lar energy to meet U.S. needs.' 2) "Solar energy utilisation on a large scale could have a mi- nimal impact on the enviran- ment if propery planned." 3) With support behind solar en- ergy programs, "building heat- ing could reach public use with- in 5 years, building cooling in 6 to 10 years, and electricity production in 10 to 15 years" and 4) "The cost of converting solar energy to useful forms of en- ergy .. . will become competi- tive in the near future." It would appear that the President's concerns are with someone other than the people. Perhaps the oil companies? They are the controlling force behind the development and Sm- plementation of nuclear (poison) power. That would explain how Nixon could say in June, 1971, that the nuclear breeder is "our best hope for the future" and blurt out in September, 1971 that, "This business about breeder reactors and nuclear energy is over my head." Ob- viously someone else is making Nixon's energy policies for him. WHAT IT all boils down to is, will the power structure come up with the right alterna- tive and will it be soon enough. The way things are going today it is hard to be optimistic. You must make your own alterna- tive or do all you can to enforce those already existing. WOUt-P YoU ouY A use -eai-wMPr FROM -tHis MANF?