Why Renewable Energy Is Our Future

In his September 16 New York Times opinion piece entitled Have a Nice Day, Thomas Friedman makes a strong presentation of how and why the U.S. is dropping the renewable energy ball, and the consequence of doing so.

As Friedman posits, the green revolution has moved from being a “cause” to the mainstream and is now becoming a prime engine of economic growth. Countries like Germany that have incentivized renewable energy and encouraged its widespread adoption are now positioned to be technical leaders and reap the rewards as the world follows. That means economic power and jobs will flow to them, along with the ability to influence and maneuver.

Some will tell you that green and its various components, including renewable energy, are the future, not just for the environment but for economic development as well. In a time when we must make extremely difficult investment decisions sustainable energy seems a wise choice. This is where innovation is occuring and this is where jobs will be created. The jobs we need to drive economic recovery.

It seems these days that we are all about rescuing companies and policies that have failed. Why not rescue our future with investments and policies that encourage sustainability at a national level. Grass root efforts will be stymied unless they find deeper roots and nourishment in national strategy and policy. And that’s what the U.S. needs now.

Let’s get serious and get busy with sustainability.

You can read Friedman’s article here http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/opinion/16friedman.html?