An op-ed piece in the New York Times, The Climate For Change, by über environmentalist, Al Gore, outlines for President-Elect Obama changes we need to make to both improve the economy and decrease climate change.
Much of what he recommends is good news for ecopreneurs.
1…. incentives for the construction of concentrated solar thermal plants, wind and advanced plants in geothermal hot spots .
2… planning and construction of a unified national smart grid for the transport of renewable electricity from the rural places to cities
3…. help America’s automobile industry (not only the Big Three but the innovative new startup companies as well) to convert quickly to plug-in hybrids
4… a nationwide effort to retrofit buildings with better insulation and energy-efficient windows and lighting.
This leaves many opportunities for entrepreneurs engaged in not only green energy, but also clean tech, green building and all of the ancillary services. Now that’s trickle down economics!
Gore also recommends government investment in infrastructure …and that these investments incorporate green initiatives. Large-scale government projects focused on rebuilding our crumbling, bridges, roads, levees and energy producing entities is something that has caught my interest lately. Like the TVA during the Roosevelt era, where large groups of otherwise un-employed workers were put to work upgrading our infrastructure, this type of program can lead us into the 21st century and mitigate the impact of the severe recession which we may already be in.
There must be some kind of population caps put on with carbon caps. Why is no one talking about the number of users of energy?
If you think this is good stuff, then you should read: “Al Gore’s Investment Tips” on FastCompany
Posted by Anya Kamenetz
Yesterday Al Gore published a mega-op-ed in the New York Times outlining the necessary steps to address the climate crisis, energy independence and the economic crisis all at once.
Read more Here… http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/anya-kamenetz/green-day/al-gores-investment-tips
One other initiative that must come to pass under the Obama administration is the expansion of broadband access to all Americans. In Virginia, then Governor (now Senator-elect) Mark Warner made broadband access a pivotal part of his policy, and now all Virginians have access to the web, its information, and resources to help them start businesses and give them opportunity not otherwise afforded by their geographic limitations. That includes reading articles like this by Al Gore, and changing the economic rules for rural communities to help introduce/accelerate them toward green.