Karen Oland wrote:

>Polystyrene would have to be rejected on any environmental grounds.
>
>1) Trees grow back, oil does not.
>
I agree with all else that Karen said and will stick with wood - but it
may be that oil does "grow back". There was a hypothesis many years ago
that oil is in continuous formation and is not static. What was once
thought of as oil seeping into old wells may be not old oil seeping in
but new oil created from all the methane that exists in the earths
mantel. The hypothesis now has many adherents.

Oil reserves are now estimated at between 150-250 years, compared to
giving out in 1990, which is what was generally believed many years ago.

In addition, since it is the methane that is being cracked, it is not
dinos that are the source of the oil but the methane that has been in
the earth since its creation. Interesting that known methane deposits in
the ocean, if and when we decide to "mine" them, are estimated at a
10,000 year supply. and that is just what we know about. So called
"fossil" fuels will be around for a long time. Now if I can only get my
VW to last that long, I'll be set.

Some of the questions I answered "correctly" on science tests are being
proven to be absolutely wrong. But they are still better off than some
so-called scientific disciplines. In my economic tests, they are now all
wrong.(Check those who have won Nobel prizes in economics and the state
of their theories now.)

Bill Truesdell
Bath, Maine