GO GREEN: Hype, Hoax or Hope?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the world population is expanding at a mind-boggling rate. The world reached 1 billion people in 1800; 2 billion by 1922; and over 6 billion by 2000. It is estimated that the population will swell to over 9 billion by 2050. That means that if the world's natural resources were evenly distributed, people in 2050 will only have 25% of the resources per capita that people had in 1950.

Why Go Green

The word green comes from the Old English word grene, or, in its older form, groeni. This adjective is closely related to the Old English verb growan ("to grow") and goes back into Western Germanic and Scandinavian languages.

Culturally, green has broad meanings. In some cultures, green symbolizes hope and growth.  The most common associations are found in its ties to nature. Green is also associated with regeneration, fertility and rebirth for its connections to nature. Recent political groups have taken on the color as symbol of environmental protection and social justice, and consider themselves part of the Green Movement, some naming themselves Green Parties. This has led to similar campaigns in advertising, as companies have sold green, or environmentally-friendly, products.

In times past, GREEN was a movement of environmental-sensitive and eco-friendly products and services. Green organizations like ThreeHugger, ThinkGreen, WorldWatch, PlanetGreen, GreenOrg, and GreenSpace commission was to create a culture of environmental responsibility through recycling, energy-saving, water and gas consumption reduction initiatives to name a few.

Presently, the GO GREEN scope has broadened.  GREEN is developing low-frequency emission processing circuits, water and energy consumption to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Sustainable, Renewable, and Recyclable Technologies.  In fact, GREEN has spawned a new generation of Green Jobs, Green Workers, Green Education, and Green Economy.  In order for the American people to maintain ourselves players in the 21st century global economy, our Nation must innovate, says the Obama Administration.  To this end, GREEN initiatives will create careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics industries and energy efficiency and renewable energy industries such as Wind Turbine, Solar Photovoltaic, Environmental Technology, Green Building, Sustainable Construction, Sustainability and Ecological Literacy, HVAC Upgrades, Indoor Air Quality, Lighting Retrofits, Building Automation Upgrades, and Energy Management Applications.

In a speech to the National Academy of Sciences, President Obama outlined a bold commitment to basic and applied research, innovation and education.  President Obama outlined RE-ENERGYSE.

RE-ENERGYSE (REgaining our ENERGY Science and Engineering Edge), will be jointly funded by the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.

RE-ENERGYSE (REgaining our ENERGY Science and Engineering Edge), would fund new undergraduate and graduate energy curriculum and research opportunities to prepare up to 8,500 highly educated young scientists and engineers to enter clean energy fields by 2015 alone. Technical training and K12 funding would support hundreds of programs nationwide to train thousands more technically skilled clean energy workers. ENERGYSE will support:

• An education and outreach campaign that uses movies, radio, cyber-learning, television, classroom curriculum, social networks, and local science museums to capture the imagination of young people, and teach them about the role that science and technology can play in addressing our energy challenge
• Energy research opportunities for undergraduates
• Educational opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities who seek careers in the clean energy sector
• Partnerships between industry and two-year and four-year colleges to strengthen education for technicians in the clean energy sector, focusing on curriculum development, teacher training, and career pathways from high schools to community colleges
• Interdisciplinary energy graduate programs at the master's and Ph.D. level that integrate science, engineering, entrepreneurship, and public policy
• Individual fellowships to graduate students and postdoctoral researchers involved in the frontiers of clean energy research

In close, Green is not merely about environmental-sensitive and eco-friendly products and services.

GREEN, however, is a New Era and a New Generation of fiscal prudence, integrity, and accountability, sustainable products and technologies, cost-saving and reduction, organizational productivity and efficiency, sustainable buildings, construction, and schools, human consumption and conservatism, and recyclable technologies.

In short, GREEN is about creating a sustainable America that can continue to thrive, flourish, and compete in the 21st century global economy.