Thursday, October 30, 2008
If it Can Happen in Blacksburg
It's happening in Blacksburg, Virginia. That means it can happen anywhere in the country. Blacksburg is a sleepy town among rolling hills hours away from the nearest city. It's home to Virginia Tech and the folks there are mighty proud of their Hokies. But it is not a town usually associated with progressive, green minded citizens or businesses. Now that's changing. I was there for a conference hosted by the Virginia Sustainable Building Network the other day and I ran into a gentleman named Pat Bixler. Pat is the Executive Director of a group called, "Sustainable Blacksburg." As it says on their web site, "Sustainable Blacksburg is a non-profit community organization which facilitates effective environmental stewardship in the Blacksburg area to enhance the region’s livability and economic vitality by reducing its impact on the local and global environment." But it's really so much more than that. Sustainable Blacksburg represents to me the next step in the greening of the American mind. Sure, Takoma Park, Catonsville, and Arlington have been doing green for years. There is a lot to be proud of in those parts. But to get this country to turn the corner and embrace a sustainable lifestyle, free of the threat of climate change and pollution requires the mainstreaming of all things green. It can't be just for progressives in the "blue" areas. There's hope. It's happening in Blacksburg. And if it's happening in Blacksburg, why not Lexington, or Fredericksburg, or Frederick?
Monday, October 20, 2008
Montgomery County Shines Again
Montgomery County, Maryland is once again offering consumers a "reward" for going green and I for one could not be happier about it. The County's Clean Energy Rewards Program has been renewed with some new improved rules voted on by the County Council. Right now, businesses, non profits, and residents who buy clean energy from certified vendors will get a reward of 1/2 cent for each kilowatt hour of clean energy purchased. This may not sound like much, but I am hard pressed to name a single county, city or state in the entire United States that is taking this kind of innovative approach to fighting climate change through clean energy solutions.
Hats off once again to County Council Members George Leventhal, Roger Berliner, Nancy Floreen and the others who supported this!
I am proud to say that I played a very direct role in changing the rules of the Program.
The initial incarnation of the Program only allowed regional clean energy sources to count, and it capped the non residential award at a mere 100,000 kWh annually. While I strongly supported the bill, I lobbied to change the rules. Now, my plan is being implemented. The new Program now allows national clean energy sources to qualify and raises the cap to 400,000 kWh annually. This means that the clean energy is cheaper and the Reward larger for small businesses. This was a victory for our Clean Currents customers in the County who now qualify for the Reward and will get real savings as a result. It will enable Clean Currents to more broadly market clean energy to the hundreds of small businesses in the County who might otherwise be priced out of the market. From a climate change perspective, of course, the changes have no impact. The environmental benefit (with regards to carbon) will be the same no matter where we get the clean energy from.
Clean Currents may be the only company in the entire state of Maryland that lobbies on behalf of environmental legislation shoulder to shoulder with the leading environmental advocacy groups. We won a victory in Montgomery County, and with your continued support can win victories elsewhere in the state.
Hats off once again to County Council Members George Leventhal, Roger Berliner, Nancy Floreen and the others who supported this!
I am proud to say that I played a very direct role in changing the rules of the Program.
The initial incarnation of the Program only allowed regional clean energy sources to count, and it capped the non residential award at a mere 100,000 kWh annually. While I strongly supported the bill, I lobbied to change the rules. Now, my plan is being implemented. The new Program now allows national clean energy sources to qualify and raises the cap to 400,000 kWh annually. This means that the clean energy is cheaper and the Reward larger for small businesses. This was a victory for our Clean Currents customers in the County who now qualify for the Reward and will get real savings as a result. It will enable Clean Currents to more broadly market clean energy to the hundreds of small businesses in the County who might otherwise be priced out of the market. From a climate change perspective, of course, the changes have no impact. The environmental benefit (with regards to carbon) will be the same no matter where we get the clean energy from.
Clean Currents may be the only company in the entire state of Maryland that lobbies on behalf of environmental legislation shoulder to shoulder with the leading environmental advocacy groups. We won a victory in Montgomery County, and with your continued support can win victories elsewhere in the state.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Taking the Long Term View
I am not going to try to pretend to fully understand the financial meltdown that is hitting Wall Street and the rest of the nation. I'll leave that to the pundits. But I do know that this nation seems trapped in the vice grip of short term thinking. And it is short term thinking, with an emphasis on profit or loss today(!) that appears to be at the heart of this recent calamity, plus a lot of other financial implosions. Unfortunately, it is this very same short thinking mentality that prevents us from solving our climate challenge.
Climate change is the deadliest of problems for Americans because it hits at our biggest weakness - inability to confront a challenge until it is right upon us. The build up of carbon in our atmosphere occurs slowly over time, but once it hits a certain tipping point, we are doomed to catastrophic consequences in our ecosystem and hence in our entire way of life. We can't see the carbon coming out of the tailpipes of our cars and power plants. It's hard to measure in a way that people can comprehend. Unlike the movie, "The Day After Tomorrow," there is not likely to be a single massive event that everyone can point to as evidence that the climate has passed the tipping point. So, how do we solve a problem that is long-term and not visible, or easily understood by the average person?
Long term thinking. We have to make investments in clean energy, in energy efficiency, and yes, in adaptation, today with the thought that these investments may not pay off for several years. We need to break the chains of short term thinking. Maybe the Wall Street meltdown is enough of a wake up call. Maybe our leadership will finally understand that we need policies in place that go beyond the next election cycle. We need fundamental change that will last a generation. The beauty of investments in a clean energy infrastructure are that they provide jobs today. They put this country back to work. In the short term, that will provide a needed lift. In the long term, the clean energy economy will solve climate change.
Climate change is the deadliest of problems for Americans because it hits at our biggest weakness - inability to confront a challenge until it is right upon us. The build up of carbon in our atmosphere occurs slowly over time, but once it hits a certain tipping point, we are doomed to catastrophic consequences in our ecosystem and hence in our entire way of life. We can't see the carbon coming out of the tailpipes of our cars and power plants. It's hard to measure in a way that people can comprehend. Unlike the movie, "The Day After Tomorrow," there is not likely to be a single massive event that everyone can point to as evidence that the climate has passed the tipping point. So, how do we solve a problem that is long-term and not visible, or easily understood by the average person?
Long term thinking. We have to make investments in clean energy, in energy efficiency, and yes, in adaptation, today with the thought that these investments may not pay off for several years. We need to break the chains of short term thinking. Maybe the Wall Street meltdown is enough of a wake up call. Maybe our leadership will finally understand that we need policies in place that go beyond the next election cycle. We need fundamental change that will last a generation. The beauty of investments in a clean energy infrastructure are that they provide jobs today. They put this country back to work. In the short term, that will provide a needed lift. In the long term, the clean energy economy will solve climate change.
Monday, September 8, 2008
The Big Issue
With less than 60 days left until the election, we are about to witness an intense barrage of political talk from both parties. At the conventions in Denver and Minneapolis, we heard hours and hours of talk about each candidate's vision for the future of this country. I am not here to take sides in the election (you can check out my facebook page to see that!), but I am taking the side of fighting climate change now, not in ten or twenty years. Now.
One could be excused for thinking that we have reached the tipping point in the United States regarding the need to fight climate change with clean energy. After all, the past four years has seen every major magazine (Time, Newsweek, etc), newspaper and broadcast news program prominently feature global climate change. Al Gore's movie won the Academy Award, was a huge hit with millions of viewers. The former VP and the international scientific group that coordinates studies on global climate change won the Nobel Peace Prize. Hurricane Katrina showed people the very real danger of climate change. The Polar Bear is being listed as a threatened species from Arctic ice loss. Executives from some of the largest corporations in the country have written and spoken repeatedly about the need to address carbon emissions.
In short, it seemed the time for action had finally arrived.
Thus, my total disappointment and frankly, shock, that global climate change apparently disappeared completely from one party's convention. There was not a single mention of the need or a plan to fight global climate change by the GOP's nominees during their acceptance speech at their convention. It's as if the last four years didn't happen and we are back to the bad old days of 2000, when global climate change was an issue way down the priority list at best. The Sunday morning talk shows and the political pundits on television seemingly don't bring up the issue of global climate change when talking to the candidates or their surrogates.
This issue is too important to have one party own it. We need all major American parties to work together now on solutions. There are Republicans like Arnold Schwarzenegger and others who are showing amazing leadership. We as a country need to ensure that these kinds of leaders have a seat at their own party's table, and that we all work together to solve this challenge.
Take action - write a letter to the Editor of your paper, contact both Presidential campaigns, let people know that global climate change is the biggest challenge of our generation. Let them know that you demand action, and that you want to hear their plans for how to create a cleaner, greener future. Don't let the media or the politicians off the hook. This is the big issue of our time. Silence is not an acceptable answer.
One could be excused for thinking that we have reached the tipping point in the United States regarding the need to fight climate change with clean energy. After all, the past four years has seen every major magazine (Time, Newsweek, etc), newspaper and broadcast news program prominently feature global climate change. Al Gore's movie won the Academy Award, was a huge hit with millions of viewers. The former VP and the international scientific group that coordinates studies on global climate change won the Nobel Peace Prize. Hurricane Katrina showed people the very real danger of climate change. The Polar Bear is being listed as a threatened species from Arctic ice loss. Executives from some of the largest corporations in the country have written and spoken repeatedly about the need to address carbon emissions.
In short, it seemed the time for action had finally arrived.
Thus, my total disappointment and frankly, shock, that global climate change apparently disappeared completely from one party's convention. There was not a single mention of the need or a plan to fight global climate change by the GOP's nominees during their acceptance speech at their convention. It's as if the last four years didn't happen and we are back to the bad old days of 2000, when global climate change was an issue way down the priority list at best. The Sunday morning talk shows and the political pundits on television seemingly don't bring up the issue of global climate change when talking to the candidates or their surrogates.
This issue is too important to have one party own it. We need all major American parties to work together now on solutions. There are Republicans like Arnold Schwarzenegger and others who are showing amazing leadership. We as a country need to ensure that these kinds of leaders have a seat at their own party's table, and that we all work together to solve this challenge.
Take action - write a letter to the Editor of your paper, contact both Presidential campaigns, let people know that global climate change is the biggest challenge of our generation. Let them know that you demand action, and that you want to hear their plans for how to create a cleaner, greener future. Don't let the media or the politicians off the hook. This is the big issue of our time. Silence is not an acceptable answer.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Keeping it in Perspective
I just had the good fortune to travel to Rocky Mountain National Park this past week. I cannot think of a better way to celebrate this nation's birthday than to experience and appreciate the natural beauty that is our inheritance. As I stood near a lake 10,000 feet above sea level and looked at a glacier a mere 100 meters away, I thought about the fact that this glacier was around when George Washington won at Yorktown. It was around when Nero fiddled while Rome burned. It was around while the great Library of Alexandria flourished, while Plato taught, while David ruled over the Kingdom of Israel. The glacier was in existance when the first human being achieved consciousness. Our lives, our hopes and dreams are but a blink in the eye to the life of this majestic glacier. And now it is on course to completely disappear. In our lifetime possibly. That is the impact of global warming. It is not some far off problem to be handled when things are more convenient. It is a problem we created that is changing our entire eco system right now.
The Rocky Mountains are not just beautiful to look at. The glaciers and snow pack they contain are crucial to the lives of the animals, plants and yes, humans in the region. Boulder, Colorado's beautiful creek, which flows right through the town is fed by the ice melt. Without those glaciers, there is no ice melt.
Our planet is in peril. It behooves all of us to take a minute and to see first hand the damage we are causing right now through our addiction to fossil fuels. Wildfires, draughts, habitat loss - it is happening all around us, and we can see global warming up close, if we only take a moment to look.
The Rocky Mountains are not just beautiful to look at. The glaciers and snow pack they contain are crucial to the lives of the animals, plants and yes, humans in the region. Boulder, Colorado's beautiful creek, which flows right through the town is fed by the ice melt. Without those glaciers, there is no ice melt.
Our planet is in peril. It behooves all of us to take a minute and to see first hand the damage we are causing right now through our addiction to fossil fuels. Wildfires, draughts, habitat loss - it is happening all around us, and we can see global warming up close, if we only take a moment to look.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Keep our Energy Money Home
It isn't often that I find myself reading a Charles Krauthammer column in the Washington Post and actually nodding in agreement. But just the other day, he wrote a column called "At $4, Everybody Gets Rational," in which he calls for a significant increase in the gas tax. The argument really is simple, as Krauthammer puts its:
"Want to wean us off oil? Be open and honest. The British are paying $8 a gallon for petrol. Goldman Sachs is predicting we will be paying $6 by next year. Why have the
extra $2 (above the current $4) go abroad? Have it go to the U.S. Treasury as a gasoline
tax and be recycled back into lower payroll taxes. "
The problem is that when it comes to gas or energy prices, nothing is simple. We have our elected leaders to blame in a lot of ways because they constantly tell the American people that we have some kind of God given right to cheap energy. Case in point - John McCain and Hillary Clinton calling for a gas tax holiday to lower the price at the pump this summer. There are thousands of other examples. Instead of educating people about the true cost of energy, our elected leaders seem to feel much more comfortable telling people what they think they want to hear ("vote for me and I'll lower your energy bill"). Then, when the very good idea of an increased gas tax comes up, these very same politicians turn around and say, "that's not possible because the people will never accept that." Hmmm... wonder where the "people" got that idea.
Coupling an increased gas tax with a lower payroll tax makes a lot of sense. It would be a great way to help reduce our dependence on oil and lower the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. Now all we need to get this done are some elected leaders willing to do the right thing.
"Want to wean us off oil? Be open and honest. The British are paying $8 a gallon for petrol. Goldman Sachs is predicting we will be paying $6 by next year. Why have the
extra $2 (above the current $4) go abroad? Have it go to the U.S. Treasury as a gasoline
tax and be recycled back into lower payroll taxes. "
The problem is that when it comes to gas or energy prices, nothing is simple. We have our elected leaders to blame in a lot of ways because they constantly tell the American people that we have some kind of God given right to cheap energy. Case in point - John McCain and Hillary Clinton calling for a gas tax holiday to lower the price at the pump this summer. There are thousands of other examples. Instead of educating people about the true cost of energy, our elected leaders seem to feel much more comfortable telling people what they think they want to hear ("vote for me and I'll lower your energy bill"). Then, when the very good idea of an increased gas tax comes up, these very same politicians turn around and say, "that's not possible because the people will never accept that." Hmmm... wonder where the "people" got that idea.
Coupling an increased gas tax with a lower payroll tax makes a lot of sense. It would be a great way to help reduce our dependence on oil and lower the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. Now all we need to get this done are some elected leaders willing to do the right thing.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Take Me Out to Exxon's Ball Game
The Washington Nationals should be commended for building a LEED certified green stadium for their new home in DC, but one particularly heinous sponsor threatens to harms all of the great environmental kudos the team has earned. My good friend Mike Tidwell tells me that Exxon Mobil, the number one denier of global warming, is not only an extremely prominent sponsor, but the fossil fools are the exclusive sponsor of the seventh inning stretch. Yup, all of us DC area greenies who go to the Nats games apparently will have to rise and take off our hats for the "Exxon Mobil Seventh Inning Stretch." Mike reports there were several boos throught the stadium when the Exxon name was announced. Not a surprise. After all, it would be hard to imagine a single company on the entire planet that is more responsible for contributing to global warming and funding junk science to prevent real solutions for many years. Remember how angry people were at the cigarette companies for funding reports that "proved" smoking does not cause cancer? Well, Exxon Mobil does the exact same thing with climate science. In fact, Greenpeace has done exhaustive research to show the slimy trail of Exxon Mobil money going to fund front groups and scientists in an effort to block action on global warming and create a phony debate about the science. Click HERE to see the Greenpeace site.
The Nats have the right to take sponsorship from anyone they want. But giving such a prominent display to the single worst climate denying company in the world does not fit in with the Nats green mission.
Nobody debates the green bonifides of the Nats. They are a quality organization that is trying to do the right thing and should be applauded for that. But they need to find a new sponsor for the seventh inning stretch. Environmental activists are considering protesting at the Nats games until Exxon Mobil is given the boot. The Nats should be one step ahead of the crowd and give them the boot now.
PS - we said goodbye last week to Josh Tulkin, Claire Douglass and Paul Berman, three amazing organizers with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. They are moving on to other adventures after kicking some serious butt in Maryland, DC and Virginia for a cleaner environment. The green community will miss them, but their legacy for a better planet will live on for many, many years. Personally, I want to say thank you to each of them for fighting for the Earth. And to Josh, who I met when he was a college intern strumming the guitar one summer at Greenpeace - our paths will meet again!
The Nats have the right to take sponsorship from anyone they want. But giving such a prominent display to the single worst climate denying company in the world does not fit in with the Nats green mission.
Nobody debates the green bonifides of the Nats. They are a quality organization that is trying to do the right thing and should be applauded for that. But they need to find a new sponsor for the seventh inning stretch. Environmental activists are considering protesting at the Nats games until Exxon Mobil is given the boot. The Nats should be one step ahead of the crowd and give them the boot now.
PS - we said goodbye last week to Josh Tulkin, Claire Douglass and Paul Berman, three amazing organizers with the Chesapeake Climate Action Network. They are moving on to other adventures after kicking some serious butt in Maryland, DC and Virginia for a cleaner environment. The green community will miss them, but their legacy for a better planet will live on for many, many years. Personally, I want to say thank you to each of them for fighting for the Earth. And to Josh, who I met when he was a college intern strumming the guitar one summer at Greenpeace - our paths will meet again!
Friday, May 2, 2008
Stupidity in Pursuit of Votes
I am absolutely appalled that Hillary Clinton and John McCain, two people that claim to be champions of fighting climate change are touting a "gas tax holiday" for the summer. This is pure politics and it completely undermines efforts to fight climate change in the long run. There really is no fuzzy middle ground on this. Supporting the gas tax holiday makes it crystal clear - Clinton and McCain are not green.
I could go on for quite a while about this, but Thomas Friedman did a great job in the NY Times explaining how stupid these two politicians are being for the sake of picking up a few votes.
Click HERE to read his opinion piece.
I could go on for quite a while about this, but Thomas Friedman did a great job in the NY Times explaining how stupid these two politicians are being for the sake of picking up a few votes.
Click HERE to read his opinion piece.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Maryland Session Wrap Up
Maryland General Assembly Recap
The Good, the Good, and the Ugly
Maryland's elected leaders just wrapped up their 2008 legislative session that was overall positive for progressive environmental issues. Clean Currents was proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the environmental community as a strong advocate for manyof the bills that passed. There were several cleanenergy and global warming bills that were debated fiercely. Fortunately, Governor O'Malley and the leaders of the General Assembly put their political capital on the line to back these important measures.
Renewable Energy Solar and Geothermal Grant Program
The legislature passed a bill to increase the grant available for Maryland homeowners who put solar systems on their roofs, and added money for grants for geothermal systems as well. The new solar grant is for$2,500 a kilowatt up to a maximum of $10,000. It will help make solar more affordable for middle class Marylanders. For more information on the grant amount, or if you are interested in solar for your home or business, contact us at Clean Currents and we'll help you out!
Renewable Portfolio Standard
This one is personal for me. In 2001, I went to Annapolis to push for a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and almost nobody was willing to listen. After three years of hard work and some heart ache, I led the efforts to pass the state's first ever RPS, requiring energy companies in the state to get 7.5% clean energy. Now, the RPS has been improved a great deal. The legislature passed a bill to increase theRPS to 20% and increase the penalty for noncompliance. My what a difference a few years make!
Energy EfficiencyStrategic Energy Fund
The legislature passed a bill directing where the state can spend the proceeds from the carbon allowance auctions that are part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI is a ten state compact committing to reducing greenhouse gases from powerplants by 10% by 2019. As a member of RGGI, Maryland has agreed to use the carbon allowances from the state's fossil fuel power plants to invest in energy efficiency and clean energy. Passing the Strategic Energy Fund makes good on that promise. Now, consumers and businesses in Maryland will have access to tens of millions of dollars in aid to reduce their energy use and get powered with clean energy. Legislators fought off cynical efforts by some to divert the money to consumer payments that have nothing to do with energy efficiency. Investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy is the best long term strategy for saving consumers money, lowering our carbon output, and being more energy independent.
Empower Maryland
Governor O'Malley has challenged all Marylanders to cut our energy use. And now the state is committing to cutting per capita energy use by 15% by 2015. This is a great effort that will save consumers money, make usmore energy independent, and fight global warming.
Global Warming
The Ugly Maryland's environmental and progressive business community joined forces to make an unprecedented push for one of the nation's first ever statewide cap andreduction of global warming gases. The bill would have required Maryland to significantly cut global warming gases from all sectors of the economy. It would have created new jobs and exciting new business opportunities while upholding our moral responsibilityto protect the environment. Unfortunately, this is where "the ugly" won out. The owners of what used to be called Bethlehem Steel used their high priced lobbyists, combining with the usual array of well heeled attorneys for the polluting interests to kill the bill. The bill passed the Senate in a weakened form, but Delegate Derek Davis' Economic Matters Committee finished the bill off on the last day of session. There were some notable champions for this bill, including Senator Paul Pinsky and Delegate Kumar Barve. Unfortunately, the forces of the status-quo won out.
The Good, the Good, and the Ugly
Maryland's elected leaders just wrapped up their 2008 legislative session that was overall positive for progressive environmental issues. Clean Currents was proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the environmental community as a strong advocate for manyof the bills that passed. There were several cleanenergy and global warming bills that were debated fiercely. Fortunately, Governor O'Malley and the leaders of the General Assembly put their political capital on the line to back these important measures.
Renewable Energy Solar and Geothermal Grant Program
The legislature passed a bill to increase the grant available for Maryland homeowners who put solar systems on their roofs, and added money for grants for geothermal systems as well. The new solar grant is for$2,500 a kilowatt up to a maximum of $10,000. It will help make solar more affordable for middle class Marylanders. For more information on the grant amount, or if you are interested in solar for your home or business, contact us at Clean Currents and we'll help you out!
Renewable Portfolio Standard
This one is personal for me. In 2001, I went to Annapolis to push for a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and almost nobody was willing to listen. After three years of hard work and some heart ache, I led the efforts to pass the state's first ever RPS, requiring energy companies in the state to get 7.5% clean energy. Now, the RPS has been improved a great deal. The legislature passed a bill to increase theRPS to 20% and increase the penalty for noncompliance. My what a difference a few years make!
Energy EfficiencyStrategic Energy Fund
The legislature passed a bill directing where the state can spend the proceeds from the carbon allowance auctions that are part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI is a ten state compact committing to reducing greenhouse gases from powerplants by 10% by 2019. As a member of RGGI, Maryland has agreed to use the carbon allowances from the state's fossil fuel power plants to invest in energy efficiency and clean energy. Passing the Strategic Energy Fund makes good on that promise. Now, consumers and businesses in Maryland will have access to tens of millions of dollars in aid to reduce their energy use and get powered with clean energy. Legislators fought off cynical efforts by some to divert the money to consumer payments that have nothing to do with energy efficiency. Investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy is the best long term strategy for saving consumers money, lowering our carbon output, and being more energy independent.
Empower Maryland
Governor O'Malley has challenged all Marylanders to cut our energy use. And now the state is committing to cutting per capita energy use by 15% by 2015. This is a great effort that will save consumers money, make usmore energy independent, and fight global warming.
Global Warming
The Ugly Maryland's environmental and progressive business community joined forces to make an unprecedented push for one of the nation's first ever statewide cap andreduction of global warming gases. The bill would have required Maryland to significantly cut global warming gases from all sectors of the economy. It would have created new jobs and exciting new business opportunities while upholding our moral responsibilityto protect the environment. Unfortunately, this is where "the ugly" won out. The owners of what used to be called Bethlehem Steel used their high priced lobbyists, combining with the usual array of well heeled attorneys for the polluting interests to kill the bill. The bill passed the Senate in a weakened form, but Delegate Derek Davis' Economic Matters Committee finished the bill off on the last day of session. There were some notable champions for this bill, including Senator Paul Pinsky and Delegate Kumar Barve. Unfortunately, the forces of the status-quo won out.
Monday, March 24, 2008
The Value of a REC
A lot of people ask whether Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) actually make a difference or not. The media has stirred up some controversy about the subject lately and people want to be sure they are making a real change. Let me start by saying that the biggest difference you can make is to use less energy. The energy not used is the best kind of energy at all. And let me also say that RECs are not some kind of silver bullet that solves all your environmental problems with one easy shot. However, RECs do make a difference. They are responsible for a lot of new clean energy production coming online. They demonstrate a real viable market for renewable energy (and that gets the venture capital and deep pockets guys interested). They help educate the public about the impacts of energy choices.
At the end of the day, we will need a government mandate to move us quickly to a clean energy future. But voluntary purchasing or RECs will always have an important role to play, one step ahead of government action.
At the end of the day, we will need a government mandate to move us quickly to a clean energy future. But voluntary purchasing or RECs will always have an important role to play, one step ahead of government action.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Green vs. Real Green
I'm tired of "green" companies selling all kinds of green products and services, but refusing to stand up for the thing that will really make a difference - mandatory carbon reduction legislation.
I've often heard some green companies proclaim they are not "against" coal, etc., merely "for" wind and solar. That is bunk!
Clean Currents is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with colleagues in the environmental, faith, labor and business community fighting for legislation to dramatically cut greenhouse gases.
We have testified on numerous bills to support the environment.
We are not going to solve global warming by voluntary green purchase alone. They are important. But to really solve the problem, we need to pass comprehensive legislation.
So, the next time a company tells you they are "green" or they want you to buy their green product, ask them what they are doing to help pass environmental legislation at the state or national level. If the answer is "nothing," than go elsewhere.
I've often heard some green companies proclaim they are not "against" coal, etc., merely "for" wind and solar. That is bunk!
Clean Currents is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with colleagues in the environmental, faith, labor and business community fighting for legislation to dramatically cut greenhouse gases.
We have testified on numerous bills to support the environment.
We are not going to solve global warming by voluntary green purchase alone. They are important. But to really solve the problem, we need to pass comprehensive legislation.
So, the next time a company tells you they are "green" or they want you to buy their green product, ask them what they are doing to help pass environmental legislation at the state or national level. If the answer is "nothing," than go elsewhere.
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