The common response to questions about renewable energy is that it simply isn’t worth the cost or effort in the short term. However, this response gives no attention to a number of the implications of most energy from fossil fuel sources, or to what the benefits of renewable energy actually are. Though those in charge of the industry might try to persuade us to believe otherwise, there are no fossil fuels that can be considered “clean.” All fossil fuel energy creates pollution, and some methods of collection or production can cause horrendous catastrophes in the natural world, such as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2011 or the Kingston Fossil Plant fly ash spill in 2008. What’s more, research shows that production of almost all commonly used fossil fuels is declining, and that sources of these fuels may eventually run out.

Green energy, in general, creates no pollution, and has almost no risks associated with its collection or distribution. Solar and wind power harness resources that are basically inexhaustible and that have no side effects on the environment. No major disasters can occur due to photovoltaic panel use.

The financial argument in favor of fossil fuels would appear to be strong, but even the economic justifications cannot stand up to close inspection. Most technology that is used to produce green energy requires little maintenance or oversight, and can run smoothly for decades with no decrease in productivity. This means that, while wind turbines or PV panels may seem too expensive in the short term, the money saved over a long period of time by producing electricity with no recurring costs can easily make up for the initial investment. The price of fossil fuel energy has also been rising for many years as can seen on a chart for fuel oil rates, and will continue to do so, perhaps until supplies simply disappear. Companies or individuals producing their own energy, however, don’t need to worry about rising costs or decreasing oil and coal reserves, as their energy production will retain a steady rate and a stable cost over the years.

Prevention is key to fighting newsletter spam
When it comes to fighting newsletter spam, the best method is prevention. The majority of Internet users will sign up for newsletters at some point. When signing up, it is recommended to never give your primary e-mail address. Savvy individuals typically establish several e-mail addresses, each one having its own purpose. Some people even utilize software designed to cut down on the amount of spam that reaches an inbox. And of course, most e-mail providers have spam solutions built into their product.

Appropriating your email addresses
Each e-mail address should be used for its own purpose. One address can be used for giving out information that has a good chance of resulting in newsletter spam and junk e-mails. Another address can be utilized for contacting family and friends. If you conduct a lot of e-mail correspondence at work, you should appropriate an email address for that purpose too.

After you set up each email address, you should take caution as to who gets access to each address. Sometimes, people may give out their friends and family’s email addresses for seemingly harmless purposes. However, this puts the address at great risk of getting compromised. Once an address belongs to a spammer’s list, it is very difficult to remove, so request that friends and family refrain from giving out your e-mail address without your explicit permission.

Never respond to newsletter spam
If newsletter spam reaches your inbox, under no circumstances should you respond. One popular method used by spammers is sending an initial email to “test” an address. If the spammer gets a response, an auto-responder may flag the address as “active,” triggering a barrage of unwanted emails. If you get e-mails from unknown senders, delete them sight unseen.