Day: October 1, 2020

You must reply to at least two colleagues in a manner that extends the discussion. A simple “I agree/disagree” will not be accepted.

post 1.

There are many myths about renewable, sustainable, conventional energy. And with these myths, they are out there spreading false information to the people who are not the most educated on the topic. These people dont know any better and without proper research and knowledge, most people will believe these myths. In the chapter, Oklahoma State University gave 900 people a survey and after the results came back, they found 4 myths from the results. The 1st myth was, Solar and wind energy are less costly than other forms of energy. I think this myth is the one that mostly everyone should know is wrong. There is so much cost that goes into wind and solar. Solar is the most expensive and wind is right up there with it. You need to buy, maintain everything that goes into these forms. The 2nd was, Expanding the emphasis on renewable energy is the route to energy independence of the U.S. To emphasize independence in the U.S., they need to lessen the amount of imports of petroleum from other countries, primarily because, they are mostly used for transportation. There are so many other energies that could help the U.S. gain independence. If we are running out of the renewables, why not just start using any of the other types. The 3rd was, The use of oil and coal are not sustainable far into the future. It is said that these forms of energy will be sustainable for at least the next 50 years. I know that isnt too long form now, but I believe it is enough time to start to move over to other forms, so that we can try and go even longer without running out completely. The last myth was, Energy from biofuels is sustainable far into the future. This one is said to be more environmentally friendly than gasoline and it is a sustainable approach to meeting energy demand. This information may be true, but overall, it isnt sustainable going forward. Right now, biofuel is twice as much as gasoline, it is way too costly. It also come with term fuel for food, which takes away our food supply for fuel, which will lead to hunger for millions of low-income people all over the world. And lastly, it isnt completely clean, it may not emit greenhouses gases, but it will release emissions and it will accumulate a lot of waste water. Overall, if people were more educated on this information, then they could see how a lot of the information out there are myths.

post 2.

People believe in many myths when it comes to renewable energy. One of these myths is that renewable energy cannot provide for all of our electricity needs. This has been proven to be false. A 2018 research paper published in Energy and Environmental Science found that wind and solar resources in the United States could achieve 80% renewable energy penetration by 2050. This would be incredibly important because it is expected that at the current rate we are using oil, we will run out of oil by that time as well. There are several countries that have already been utilizing renewable energy sources widely. Countries of note include Sweden, who has declared they want to eliminate fossil fuels by 2040 and Costa Rica, who has produced over 90% of its energy through renewable energy sources. While these countries are not as large as the United States, it is an excellent example of how renewable energy sources can be applicable. While it is unlikely we will see renewable sources take over 100% due to several issues including the transportation sector, and that our country would need an entirely new infrastructure. However, through conservatism, which would reduce our energy needs, we could use solar and wind effectively to meet our energy needs. This could be done within the next 20 years. This development is incredibly important because at this point in time, we will run out of oil in our lifetime, unless we start making some serious changes. In order to make these changes, we need to educate people so they understand the how and why.

https://blog.se.com/sustainability/2018/10/05/definitive-answers-renewable-energy-myths/

https://www.climatecouncil.org.au/11-countries-leading-the-charge-on-renewable-energy/

Module 6: Reflection Essay (Please note you will need to read the Strengths-Based Leadership book to complete this assignment.)
1. What great leaders have in common is that each truly knows his or her strengths (Rath & Conchie, 2008). List your top five strengths as determined by the StrengthsFinder 2.0. Do you agree with this assessment? Why or why not? For example, which of the five describes you best? Is there one that surprised you? Are you currently in a job that utilizes your strengths? Explain.
2. Re-read the section of Strengths-Based Leadership that addresses the four basic needs of followers. Evaluate yourself on how well you provide each of these to your followers (even better, also ask an employee or a co-worker to evaluate you). Which come easily to you and which do you need to improve on in order to meet your followers needs? Practically speaking, how can you do this?
3. In the Additional Resources section of the book, strategies for leading in a way that meets followers four basic needs are presented. (Note: You only need to read the pages that address your top five strengths.) Do any of these suggestions resonate with you? Which strategies do you believe would make the biggest impact if you implemented them at work?
4. According to Rath and Conchie, how are team members typically selected? Why is this problematic? What do leaders need to understand to build an effective team? Use the chart on page 24 (How the 34 themes sort into the four domains of leadership strength) to identify what you bring to a team. For example, do your strengths fall primarily into one category or are they spread out over several? Are you actively and consistently using your strengths on your team? Explain. Is your team balanced (i.e., are all four domains covered or are everyones strengths in the same one or two categories)? Discuss. Remember, individuals dont need to be well-rounded, but teams do.
Written Communication Guidelines
Effective written communications is a key component of this course. Present your work in a fashion that you would be proud of if it were to be read by the head of your organization.
The expectation is that each of you is aware of the computer softwares capability regarding spell check, grammar check, and formatting. The instructor reserves the right to take off points for unclear wording, grammatical errors, and misspellings.
For the body of a paper, use a 12-point Times New Roman font and single-spacing (with double-spacing between paragraphs).
All papers should be submitted to the Assignment box.