[LadyRuby]

Jim Jubak at MSN Money is looking for our suggestions on how to increase the energy supply. He offers some of his ideas for decreasing oil demand (not bad, a gas tax and assurance that gas prices will remain at at least $4/gallon).

My 4-point plan to cut U.S. energy use

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')ow many times over the last year -- as oil was on its way to $75 a barrel and gasoline crept toward $3.50 a gallon -- have you said, "I could come up with a better energy plan than these bozos?"

Well, here's your shot. In today's column I'm going to lay out my four-step solution to our current energy crisis -- well, actually half the crisis. My plan focuses on the steps we should take to reduce our demand for energy.

My challenge to you is to tackle the other half of the solution and come up with ideas for increasing energy supply. You can use my plan as a template for the level of detail and specificity I am looking for in your own ideas and then send them to me. No idea is too outrageous, too controversial or too impossible. (As you'll see in a little bit when you get to my national energy-efficient refrigerator lottery plan.)

[grabby]

Go around neighbor hoods and trade cheap glass beads to the natives for their lawn mower gas.

[rwwff]

Bump it to $5 a gallon via tax, and dedicate the revenue to strictly building and supporting two new nuclear-only carrier battlegroups.

[lorenzo]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'J')im Jubak at MSN Money is looking for our suggestions on how to increase the energy supply.

[SILENTTODD]

Move to within 5 miles (8.045 kilometers for the non American world) of your work site and ride your bicycle to work (get a rain suit if you don't live in California like I do). I did this 8 years ago and have never regretted it. Oh yes, get kevlar tires, they cost more but last 5 times longer than standard rubber/nylon ones.

[dub_scratch]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('SILENTTODD', 'M')ove to within 5 miles (8.045 kilometers for the non American world) of your work site and ride your bicycle to work (get a rain suit if you don't live in California like I do). I did this 8 years ago and have never regretted it. Oh yes, get kevlar tires, they cost more but last 5 times longer than standard rubber/nylon ones.

[tsakach]

The corporate world needs to switch more people to telecommuting. It is pointless to travel miles to sit in a cubicle and send emails all day to co-workers in cubicles next to you. Face-to-face meetings aren't really necessary for most tasks.

[Doly]

My email:

I've read your 4-point plant to decrease energy use and I'd like to answer your challenge to propose ways to increase energy supply. Any article you write on the subject should contain the following 3 key concepts:

1) Incentives to energy conservation and efficiency and disincentives to waste. OK, you've addressed that already. But it can't be stressed enough that reducing demand is equivalent to increasing supply.

2) Incentives to research and to start-up enterprises in the field of alternative energies. We obviously haven't found yet the ideal energy source. We need to keep working on it.

3) Incentives to use alternatives to fossil fuels and disincentives to using fossil fuels.

I know I've stated the obvious. But it's easy to get bogged down on details.