Green Options

Across the spectrum, leaders and pundits are calling on a return to old-fashioned notions of virtue, nobility and the ability to distinguish between right and wrong.

Whether they are “social” entrepreneurships or just plain entrepreneurships, it is clear that New Orleans is laying the right groundwork for a full-scale “and then some” recovery.

“We have our priorities right here in Louisiana, we treasure the arts. Our friends and family come first. We have a shared sense of stewardship to the community”,

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, is known for his particularly progressive thinking when it comes to developing the economy of San Francisco.

According to the Long Now Foundation, which recently sponsored a presentation by him, mayors are the most powerful politicians in America, right up there with county supervisors. This is why cities pay so much attention to each other and learn so much from each other.

Van Jones is a rising star in the green economy. As the founding President of Green for All, he is a doer. As the author of “The Green Collar Economy” he is a spokesperson and advocate. But he is actually much more than that. He’s actually Innovation 3.0.

The objective is to use entertainment content as a vehicle for educating mainstream audiences on topics such as HIV/AIDS and education in the hopes of influencing public views and behaviors.
One of these initiatives, called Get Schooled, is a partnership with Viacom that will weave education-themed story lines into existing shows or create new shows centered on education.

For years politician have promised affordable housing. When the market delivers it, the politicians act like it’s the bubonic plaque!

Fifteen months ago, U.S. negotiators were booed at at Bali, Indonesia, that U.S. when they threatened to veto an accord laying down a two-year negotiating process to replace the Kyoto Protocol. Yesterday, the U.S.A was applauded at a 175-nation U.N. meeting in Bonn as Todd Stern pledged to “make up for lost time” in reaching a global agreement on climate change.

Grameen and its managing director (Nobel Peace Prize-winner) Muhammad Yunus, known for the Grameen Bank, recently launched a new partnership with German conglomerate BASF to create a joint social business venture called BASF Grameen Ltd., to be based in Bangladesh. BASF Grameen Ltd. is being modeled as a “social business”, whose purpose will be to improve the health and provide related business opportunities for poor members of Bangladeshi society (reminiscent of the base of the pyramid framework) through the distribution of dietary supplement sachets and impregnated mosquito nets.

A “persistent” President Obama addressed the nation last night, defending his plan to create jobs, boost the housing market and energize the credit markets. In a primetime address, Obama asked the American people and Congress to support his proposed $3.6 trillion budget, and his ambitious spending and tax proposals one day before the plan begins to move in Congress.

While President Obama makes strides towards dealing with the issue of climate change, many prefer that he focus on fixing the recession first. Republicans like Rush Limbaugh have been quite vocal about it but other political figures like Tony Blair say that climate change must not fall victim to the recession.

Can President Obama realistically fix both the recession and climate change?