The Green Lining
By Renee Lafair

The United States is the Saudi Arabia of Wind Power. ~  T Boone Pickens 

Reading the news these days is full of scary stories about what is happening to our world economy, its changes, and all of the implications thereof.  But with every piece of bad news, there is a “green lining.”   

So, what is the “green” lining?  It is the part of the dark storm cloud that offers hope about our future, and that hope for all of us is going to rely more and more on following the basic tenets of being green, of getting back to our roots.  Instead of its usual silver color, I propose that it is really green. 

First, our economy has an incredible chance to grow from green businesses and the development of new technologies that reduce our need for oil.  Some examples of this potential growth can be seen in the following concepts:

·         T Boone Pickens has proposed a plan that would produce 20% of the United States’ energy needs through wind.  One of the many the benefits of his plan include the ability to revive much or the rural economy in the central part of the United States.

·         In this past month’s Mother Earth News, the magazine focuses on changes coming to cars.  Basically, cars are going to be able to get 100 mpg.  There are going to be massive design changes in cars to accomplish this.   

The jobs created by this growth sector are going to be key to financial growth. 

Second, in our personal lives, becoming more green allows us to stretch our own personal resources further and save money.  David Bach, in his recent book, Go Green Live Rich goes over 50 ways to save money by going green.  His suggestions range from everything to getting rid of a car to reducing your need for gas to decreasing electricity and water usage.  One of the most widely cited personal “green activities” consists of replacing your standard light bulbs with cfls. When a cfl pays for itself five times in a period of 5 years, this is one of the best investments on the market today.  This is one of hundreds of examples of how we can stretch our resources  

For every financial problem, both at the world level and in our own households, the suggestions of how to go green fit perfectly into the long term solutions. 

Who knows, the “green lining” of green business and green activities could help lead us out of our current financial mess.  We need a silver lining in today’s times, and I propose that lining is obviously right in front of us. 

Embrace green concepts.  They pay.