Green Options

US oil, natural gas and coal (fossil energy) companies perpetuate the “energy independence” myth. According to this myth, importation of oil is our energy problem. Buying foreign oil is “the greatest transfer of wealth in history,” and “It sends money to governments that hate us.”

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.

If you have every put your heart into a movement, you know that anyone who is coerced becomes a drag. Unfortunately, the national service issue is surrounded by the others-should-want-to-do-it-for-their-own-good myth.

Failing to register with the Selective Service through negligence or intention can ban men from government jobs, college loans and even college. What is really amazing is that this life sentence is irrevocable.

Swarzenegger is now considering releasing prisoners, shortening the school year, and legalizing marajuana.

Geithner has produced a “cash for trash” scheme to buy “toxic” securities from mortgage bankers who are bulldozing foreclosures.

Eric Schmidt, the chief executive of Google believes that newspaper executives should create a “new format” for online journalism, including delivery methods that give consumers personalized content they want to read.

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.

Lawmakers continue to raise a stink about the $1.7M earmark for hog odor research in Obama’s stimulus package, calling it “pork” in its finest form. Rural residents who live near hog farms, or worse, facilities where hogs are butchered, are calling it about time!

Despite public outrage over AIG bonuses, Obama had a good week. He traveled across America expressing his own outrage over the bonuses. He was warmly greeted in Orange County, California — once a bastion of conservative Republicanism. Republican Governor Swarzenegger warmly embraced him and assured him that California supported the stimulus plan. Obama appeared on the Tonight Show displaying his quick wit with the show’s host Jay Leno.

To some degree none of us know what role we will individually play in our march toward a low carbon economy, yet there are signals locally and globally that the carbon market may ultimately have significant influence in our daily choices.