Program presented by Princeton Circle of Entrepreneurs
By: Hilary Parker
The bad news first. Fossil fuels are a finite resource.
More bad news. Climate change is taking place.
The good news? There are things people can do to address both of these problems, which Princeton-resident and energy expert Alfred Cavallo will share Thursday evening in a program on "The End of Cheap Oil" presented by the Princeton Circle of Entrepreneurs.
The Princeton Circle of Entrepreneurs is an extension of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia (www.sbnphiladelpha.org), a nonprofit organization that connects forward-thinking entrepreneurs and businesses interested in sustainability. The free event will be held in the community room at Panera Bread, with Mr. Cavallo’s talk slated to begin at 7:30 p.m., following an open hour of socializing.
"This is serious stuff," said Mr. Cavallo, citing a recent acknowledgement by Exxon Mobil Corp. that non-OPEC oil production will peak and plateau by the year 2010. At the same time, he said, natural gas production rates in the United States have already peaked, prompting utilities to increase Canadian imports leading to higher prices consumers have experienced across the nation.
The price of gasoline will continue to rise, he predicts, as nations like India and China industrialize and seek to power their developing economies.
But, Mr. Cavallo doesn’t aim to be a doomsayer, he said, and intends to share a positive message with his fellow Princeton residents: "We’re headed toward a very different world and … there’s something you can do about it."
As part of the program, Mr. Cavallo will share those things he himself has already done like purchase a hybrid car (he drives a Toyota Prius), use public transportation (he takes the train to his office in Manhattan) and take advantage of renewable energy sources (his home is heated by a geothermal ground-source heat pump).
Acknowledging the ever-growing problem of limited resources is important and a focus on climate change is paramount, he said, but people needn’t throw up their hands in despair.
"Do something about it yourself," he said. "You can do quite a bit."