I will be the first to admit that I don’t know a lot about how we get our energy. I don’t give much thought to what goes on behind the scenes to light my house, power my television, heat my stove, or cool my house. But, in writing this green blog, I must do a lot of eye-opening research.
Today, I stumbled across an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about drilling for natural gas. Specifically, the article focused on a coloring book to teach children about natural gas drilling.
The coloring book features a cute little dinosaur called Terry, a “Fracosaurus,” who explains the natural gas industry. Moms and dads and kids smile in the coloring book as Terry explains that natural gas drilling is safe and a good idea. The coloring book was created by Talisman Energy, Inc., one of the largest petroleum companies in Canada. But, Talisman isn’t the only energy company to do a coloring book for kids. Chesapeake Energy has its own dinosaur named Charlie, who is also featured in a coloring book.
The books make natural gas seem like a natural and in some subliminal ways, a downright patriotic thing to do (Charlie wears an American flag patch on his jumpsuit).
But, is natural gas drilling really the way to go? Some say it’s not. The anti-natural gas drilling people say the coloring book is falsely educating the youth because natural gas drilling is bad for our air. Some say smog caused by the drilling is inevitable, even if everything goes as planned. Hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, xylenes, and ethylbenzene can be released into the air, affecting nearby communities.
While some say natural gas is burns cleaner than fossil fuels, other disagree. The naysayers believe that over its entire life cycle, natural gas is dirtier than coal. The fracking, the process of drilling for the natural gas, mixes water with chemicals into the ground. This creates fissures to release the natural gas, but during this process, some scientist say as much as 8 percent of the methane escapes through vents and leaks. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is about 23 times more powerful than carbon dioxide.
You have to decide for yourself whether natural gas drilling is a good idea or not. But just remember when you are at that community fair and the energy company is giving away free coloring books, the things in the coloring book can help your child form his or her views of energy in the future.