Stupid Judy, Stupid Energy

I apologize for the lack of blogging these past few days - Thanksgiving re-entry has been tough, and without Dancing with the Stars to write about ... well, it took me some time to dust myself off and get back into the swing of things.

Over the weekend, the family and I stopped by the new climate change exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. If you haven't been, go. It's a great exhibit, well worth the exorbitant fee to get in, and best of all, it's really thorough. From the definition of greenhouse gases to the new waves of technology greening our future, the exhibit provides an in-depth look at where we are, how we got here, and what to do next ...

... Which reminded me a lot of the mission of EPCOT's Universe of Energy. In its current incarnation, Ellen's Energy Adventure, the attraction explores how energy is produced, the history of energy, and new energy resources. The trouble is, that ride was imagineered in 1996. And A LOT has changed since then - what we know, why we know, and how we're trying to change the status quo. After seeing the American Museum of Natural History's exhibit, with it's ripped-from-the-headlines feel, the Universe of Energy seems more dated than ever.

"The world uses 30 per cent more electric power than it did in 1997 and around 50 per cent of that new power has been fuelled by coal. There are some 100 million more cars on the world's roads - almost all still fuelled by oil." (Source: BP)

In addition to the fact that we're using more energy today than ever before, there has been an incredible shift in the way we think about energy and how it affects the environment and our world. First, we have acknowledged there is a problem, and second - and more important - we have realized that that problem is manageable, and our daily actions can help reduce the causes of global warming.

So where is this in the Universe of Energy? Nowhere, really. Don't get me wrong, I like Ellen's Energy Adventure - Bill Nye, Stupid Judy, and 40 minutes out of the hot sun - what's not to love? But wouldn't it be great to see an updated attraction, maybe with an interactive post-ride experience where visitors could learn more about conservation efforts and easy ways to go green?

As Disney continues to let the pavilion waste away, alone and forgotten in favor of E-ticket rides, the concept of "innovation" is slowly draining out of EPCOT. Even worse, the park isn't even the Experimental Prototype Community of Today, but of Yesterday. And who wants to visit EPCOY?