.

The good folks at “We Can Solve It” are still putting their marketing might behind changing consumer’s attitudes to demand clean energy within 10 years. However, this time, they are focusing on getting government officials involved in the fight. The video above is their new message to U.S. politicians. You might remember this goal of having 100% clean energy in the U.S. in 10 years from Al Gore’s Energy Challenge speech.

It is important that all countries reduce their reliance on a single source of energy, so I’ve listed all of the different sources of energy below. (The video only mentions wind and solar energy.)

1. Wind Energy
2. Solar Energy
3. Geothermal Energy
4. Hydro Energy (Dams, Wave Energy, Tide Energy)
5. Nuclear Energy
6. Fossil Fuels (Oil, Coal, Natural Gas)
7. Space Solar Power System

The technology that is most interesting to me is the Space Solar Power System as it allows electricity to be generated from outside of the Earth’s environment.

Through all of this, it is important to keep everything into perspective. As the U.S. moves to a new energy infrastructure, it needs to consider doing it in a responsible way so that it isn’t a reckless gold rush like it is in upstate New York. What are your thoughts?

“The wealth of nations is no longer stuff in
the ground; the wealth of nations resides in
the human mind, in human creativity.”
– George Weigel

The Fourth Annual Tyburn Lecture, May 2004, “The Free And Virtuous Society:”

There are few messages that are more positive than the message above. It is a concept that has been said in many different ways by many people. Although Saudi Arabia and other oil rich countries are getting a “free ride” at the moment, as have many nations who have built the majority of their wealth from resource extraction, times are changing. The more and more I read and listen to experts’ words on the topic of resource scarcity, the more and more I become convinced that the central solution is productivity out pacing inflation. The solution to productivity has always been breakthrough innovation, and the source of breakthrough innovation has always been the human mind. This applies even in resource extraction.

Other than building strong individual character, the greatest cause that anybody can advocate is this:
Increase the percentage of innovative for-profit entrepreneurs. Why? because this creates a more competitive environment which results in more creative destruction which leads to higher productivity which leads to a higher quality of life for all citizens.

I have thought about whether or not I could make this claim for some time now, and have tried to “break it”, but I have found that the claim is unbreakable.

Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming. By Paul Hawken.

I read a lot of books dealing with the intersection of business, the environment, and sustainability. Overall, this emerging genre leaves me excited yet apprehensive about our future. There are scores of brilliant people doing truly amazing things, yet our problems are titanic and time seems to be growing short. I brought this apprehension into Blessed Unrest and Paul Hawken managed to erase it, leaving behind a newfound hope. If you have any interest in human rights or the environment there are many books you should read, this is one you need to read.

As a foundation for his thesis, Hawken writes a short history of the environmental and social justice movements. There will be nothing groundbreaking here for anyone who has followed these fields, although I enjoyed the refresher and was impressed with his research. What is groundbreaking is how Hawken adds it all up. He sees the emergence of a giant web of individual forces for change, often unaware of each other, working toward the same goals in a fashion similar to the human immune system.  Hey PosiPeople, how does it feel to be a big ol’ white blood cell? This is a powerfully hopeful book, bound to become a classic.

Most of the book is made up of an appendix where he begins to define and categorize the seemingly endless movements and organizations that make up “the largest movement in the world”.  In fact, this book has come directly from Hawken’s work at the Natural Capital Institute, which in turn has created the WISER project, which in turn has a website. Click through and you’ll get the idea.

Five PosiPeople apples out of five, I couldn’t recommend it more. And of course, the Amazon link.

Social entrepreneurship is so intertwined with politics that it is impossible to get away from a political discussion. I hope that readers determined to figure out the politics- social good conundrum will join me in figuring this mess out. But beware, there are tangents as I attempt to see an even bigger picture.

I confess, until I arrived in Washington D.C. 3.5 months ago I had spent very little to no time investigating the platforms of different political parties. Because of politics, the culture here has got to be one of the most complex and intriguing in the world. The place is literally teeming with non-profits who all think they are making society a better place for humanity, and teeming with people who are politically charged and motivated.

What is confusing and complex is trying to understand people in these non-profits who are extreme in their political views. Were they first principled before starting or working at a non-profit and thereafter align their principles with a political party; or were they first wrapped up in politics, and then start a non-profit per their political ideology? How is it that there are people who care equally as much for disadvantaged individuals, but are on completely opposite ends of the political spectrum?

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It seems that the recent Forbes article, Top Businesses Demand Climate Action, is a sign of things to come. Yet, there is more going on here than initially apparent. Yes, businesses are beginning to wake up to the harsh realities (and growth opportunities) presented by climate change. And yes, the largest corporations are potentially beginning to develop the minute wisps of something resembling a “conscience“. Both these developments are to be applauded and encouraged. Yet if we look deeper, other themes emerge.

Another article, from the legal world, displays what could be truly motivating these giants. Lexis Nexus recently launched a new Environmental Law & Climate Change Center. From their press release:

“With the prospect of increasing state, local and federal regulations, the new center offers legal professionals news, information, expert analysis, podcasts and blogs centering on the most relevant case law, state legislative activity, regulatory changes, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiatives and other key developments driven by climate change concerns.”

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