Green for Dummies

To go “green”, the Legislators have to encourage “dirty energy” to be more expensive on the market and “clean energy” to be a readily available alternative. An example of the first half, about making energy more expensive, is the recent “cap-and-trade” bill from the Federal Government. Utility Companies will now have to purchase and trade credits for producing emissions. Cleaner air and less CO2, the cost of which will be passed to all of us, the consumer. Where you live right now in North Carolina, can you name another energy source beyond you local power utility that you can call up at any moment and order service? That is typically the case for far too much of the state for “alternative energy” to be taken seriously.

If you want to North Carolina to go green, the answer is entrepreneurship. We need products on the market that are accessible and recognizably beneficial in the most important place, the consumer wallet. Give tax breaks to green sector companies who will bring products to the market here. Have loan guarantees for small business start-ups whose services and products specialize in alternative and energy efficiency. Find ways to encourage more alternative energy production organizations like: NC Green Power.

Here’s a quick list of  “Green Job” that are available in our state RIGHT NOW:

By sector:

Climate Change Jobs Energy Efficiency Jobs - Environmental Jobs – LEED Jobs – Renewable Energy Jobs – Solar Jobs

Wind Power Jobs and least we forget: Clean Energy Jobs and Weatherization jobs.

Political Environmentalism aims to restrict how we can use the world around us, in order to prevent the earth from running out of resources. This is premised on the fact that such a thing is even possible. Its quite a grandiose assumption that is opposite of the “green party” altruism that humans are part of nature. It is natural for humans to adapt to changes. Just as we change our environment, so does it change us. Its difficult and morally questionable to force “energy efficiency” on a population through legislation. What the government should do is allow tax and incentive pathways that allow the consumer to get to the most cost effective product. Now that we are at work making the old Coal and Oil more expensive, its time to focus on actually making the alternative products more readily available.