A Green Future for All Americans
We are on the verge of a clean energy revolution that has potential to create millions of new jobs, revive our economy, and finally free us from our dependence on foreign oil. It is refreshing that we will soon have a president that understands the importance of investing in the green economy to secure America's future prosperity and security. But, it is equally important that we invest our money in programs that are working.
Last week, President-elect Obama announced that the nation's economic stimulus plan - will double alternative energy production in three years, cut the use of fossil fuels by improving energy efficiency in 2 million homes and 75 percent of federal buildings, and invest heavily in public transportation.
As Congress debates Obama's plan to create millions of green jobs, it is critical to ensure that these jobs are inclusive and our money is spent wisely. In San Francisco, we are doing this through our solar incentive program, GoSolarSF, the nation's largest solar municipal rebate program. GoSolarSF offers a bigger rebate to companies that hire workers from the city's workforce development program. Since the program launched in July, applications for new solar installations have nearly quadrupled.
On my Green 960 radio show this past week, I discussed the green collar economy with Van Jones, founder of Green for All and author of a best selling book on the topic and Dave Lorens, founder of 1 Block Off the Grid (1BOG), a San Francisco based company that is transforming the solar industry. Listen to the podcast.
"Who will get these jobs? Are there pathways out of poverty into prosperity? The big opportunity we have here is to build a green economy that Dr. King would be proud of," said Van Jones. "This is not our great-grandmother's economy that we are trying to fix in terms of inclusion and equity. This is one we are going to build ourselves, in our lifetime, so let's [build this new clean energy sector] with inclusion built in."
1BOG's web site organizes homeowners to bargain together to drive down the costs of solar installation, and selects solar companies that hire installers through city workforce development programs. Members of 1BOG first solar program negotiated up to a 43% savings for participants. The company launched in San Francisco, the day after we passed GoSolarSF, and has spread to 20 cities.
As Obama's new energy plan takes shape we should look to innovative companies like 1BOG and programs like GoSolarSF that provide opportunities for all communities to have a place in the new, green economy.
Listen to Mayor Newsom's radio show online or subscribe to his weekly policy discussions on iTunes. This week's guest is Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia. Stay in touch with Mayor Newsom by joining his growing Facebook family. You can also join him on Twitter.
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There could be no better investment in America than to invest in America becoming energy independent! We need to utilize everything in out power to reduce our dependence on foreign oil including using our own natural resources. Create cheap clean energy, new badly needed green jobs, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. OPEC will continue to cut production until they achieve their desired 80-100. per barrel. The high cost of fuel this past year seriously damaged our economy and society. Oil is finite. We are using oil globally at the rate of 2X faster than new oil is being discovered. We need to take some of these billions in bail out bucks and bail ourselves out of our dependence on foreign oil. Jeff Wilson has a really good new book out called The Manhattan Project of 2009 Energy Independence Now. He explores our uses of oil besides gasoline, our depletion, out reserves and stores as well as viable options to replace oil.Oil is finite, it will run out in the not too distant future. WE need to take some of these billions in bail out bucks and bail America out of it's dependence on foreign oil. The historic high price of gas this past year did serious damage to our economy and society. WE should never allow others to have that much power over our economy again.
Mr. Mayor
Their is another Green company in San Francisco, that has been trying to contact you, to help you prevent the layoff of over 400 San Francisco city employees - for Free. You can be a Green Hero, save your workers their jobs, and set an example for the rest of the country.
http://www.iplanretirement.com/layofftool.html
The free software and forms on the Green Retirement website, can be used to identify which of your employees are in a position to retire, thus avoiding the need for layoffs. San Francisco could be the model, for how to prevent layoffs, and the place where the economy turned around. Hopefully, you get this message, emailing you and your staff hasn't worked so far.
there is an article in the new issue of ENVIRONMENT magazine on public financing of renewable and solar technolgy. it focuses on the Berkeley FIRST program.
I include the final paragraph from the article and the URL link below.
"Other forms of financing are currently being used to fund energy-efficiency projects, such as on-bill financing, specialized unsecured bank loans for solar installations and energy-efficiency retrofits, mortgages designed to reward investments in energy efficiency, and traditional sources of funds such as home equity lines, second mortgages, and unsecured personal loans. Time will tell which of these best serves customers’ needs, but it is clear that experimentation in this area is important for speeding the transition to a low-carbon economy. The importance of developing novel mechanisms of this sort is clear if we are to meet energy security and climate goals; the challenge will be implementing programs in this vital yet uncertain time of national and global financial instability. If we do not invest in programs of this nature, we may be simply rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic."
http://www.environmentmagazine.org/January-February%202009/FullerPortisKammen-full.html
In addition to wind and solar, companies are beginning to develop real alternatives to oil based products as well. See http://globalinvestmentwatch.com/2009/01/16/green-motor-oil-you-betcha/
Are they cheaper of more expensive?
You are penny wise and pound poor.
PLEASE, would the "me" the "here" and the "now" people find someplace else to share their special brand of supidity. If we, as a nation don't support these efforts, both good and bad, we will never find our way in the coming "energy era".
Whale oil was a lot more accessible than crude not so long ago and somehow we were able to move on from that. Ya, the status quo is always a good way to approach things. Go ask the people in Europe how their keeping their houses heated this winter after Russia shut off the natural gas lines.
Wake up nay-sayers and join the revolution, I would suggest starting a club, where you can all sit around brain-storming your "no change is good" policies, but I'm afraid that much brain power in one place might create a warp in time and space.
http://www.mygreenscene.com
FYI, to those who are at the bottom 50% of the country in intelligence.
Geen = expensive energy, higher costs and higher taxes
Glad to see that the upper 50% of intelligence are present with lots of wonderful, detailed problem-solving ideas. Thanks, VikingQuest!
What is the problem?
I don't believe we can magically control the climate . . . we have SUVs in Minnesota, lots of them and we have been at -40 degrees this week.
SUVs aren't the problem then :)
Solar panels on my house for three years now, paid off, monthly payments were less than my power bills, no more power bills, ever. Higher costs my A@@! Now if somebody would just make an electric car I would never have to buy gas again, either. Even if you are not a tree-hugging, war-hating, homo-loving liberal (like me), do it for the cost savings, folks, it's a no brainer.
Define "Geen" please
California has the strictest, most invasive , controlling enviro laws and restrictions in the world and thanks in no small part , is on the verge of bankruptcy with no redeeming results to show
As opposed to sending our $$$ to the Middle East where some of it finds its way into the pockets of Al Quida.
How about neither and stop wasting money?
All that legislation on green policiies, entitlement policies and feelings has really put California in a great position hasn't it?
Keep it up California, you guy are brilliant.
For the green economy to take off in the short-term we need programs like GoSolarSF and all forms of distribted generation. Large scale wind and solar facilities simply take too long to permit and build, and are often located too far from major loads.
But more than that, we need citizens in large cities and small towns alike to do for renewable energy development what they did for the Obama campaign, show your support, be vocal, stand up in meetings and speak intelligently about why you want renewable energy in your back yard. This must be a national campaign - it's time to build baby build.
Learn more about distributed generation and show your support at www.buildbabybuild.net
proponents not only of the new green economy, but those who are so anxious to make us all environmentally correct, neglect the thing that is most important to me and to everyone else I know. It must be cost effective - i.e. COST THE SAME OR LESS not with rebates or incentives, but to begin with.
Most people can't afford to put out more money up front then have to wait months for a rebate, and most people don't care about tax incentives, close to 80% of people don't itemize their taxes, and even if they did, green incentives don't come close to making it worthwhile.
are you even aware of the programs Mayor Newsom is doing? well, they provide 100% of the money up front, repayable through 20 years of property tax assessments which stay with the property and are tax deductible. homes immediately jump in value, electricity bills immediately drop to zero. with no cash outlay. the "average home," after the rebates, etc. will only require about $12,000 worth of panels, so that's about $450/year across the first 20 years. if you can't afford to replace $1,200 a year in energy bills with $450 in tax-deductible capital improvements, and if that "don't come close to making it worthwhile," then you need to see a different accountant.
Some of us, rather than complaining, are advocating for a feed in tariff, so that every kwh of power you feed into the grid PAYS you, in cash, ~ 50 cents, so turning off the lights, and tossing an extra panel on the roof become PROFIT CENTERS. the point is, Big Energy infrastructure is MORE expensive (and you have to pay 100% of the cost, even though they own it), and the power they will have a monopoly over, if Big Solar and Big Wind trump local solutions, will be MUCH more expensive. There is not "staying with the status quo," which externalizes all its costs to ratepayers, taxpayers and the environment, so it's either THEM (Robber Barons) or US (we, the people) who will own the new green economy. I vote for US!
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