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Green is the New Pink


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There are more tangible benefits to going green than cleaning up the environment that we all have to live in. More money means more research means more efficient technology. Cheaper for consumers, cheaper for energy producers, and better for the planet -- we all win.

The planet has gotten nearly 1 degree Fahrenheit hotter over the past 30 years and will get another degree hotter due to greenhouse gas pollution already in the atmosphere. The ten hottest years on record have all occurred since 1990.

Translation: it only takes a 1 degree rise in ocean temperatures to kill off almost all coral, which is the bedrock of all ocean life. Without it, we see a mass die off along with a significant drop in oxygen generation. Trust me when I say we don't want that to happen, and that the consequences are far graver than losing a pretty place to rec-dive.

On top of releasing his health care plan to the public so people can read for themselves what his plans are, also proving that he actually has plans and ideas once he gets into the White House, Edwards is ramping up other plans and letting people have a go at them. Speaking of , here is a message from Elizabeth Edwards that was sent out in February. Health care is extremely important when the richest nation on the planet has half its population unable to get medical insurance and go to a doctor when they really need it. Some candidates don't care, but we do.

Invest in Weatherized Homes and More Efficient Buildings and Appliances: Upgrading home furnaces, ducts, windows, and insulation can cut energy bills by 20 to 40 percent, year after year.

Good for consumers, not so good for profiteering utilities. On the other hand, states such as California that are reaching demand that outstrips supply could really benefit from this.

Reduce the U.S. Government's Energy Use by 20 Percent and Make the White House Carbon Neutral. The U.S. government is the nation's single largest energy consumer, with a $15 billion energy bill in 2005. However, its investments in energy efficiency have been cut in half since 2001. Edwards will overhaul federal buildings and vehicles to emphasize efficiency, reducing the use of energy by 20 percent, and expand the government's use of renewable sources. After taking energy efficiency steps at the White House, he will purchase carbon offsets to make it carbon-neutral. [DOE, 2006; Alliance to Save Energy, 2007]

That is a something that can be a huge difference, and a large portion of it can be done by order of the President without having to wade through Congress. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world though if Congress wanted to take the lead on this issue. *Hint* *Hint*.

Read more on Edwards plan over at the official blog. Tons of solid ideas over there, go read!

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The text of this article is Copyright © 2006,2007 Paul William Tenny. All rights reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Attribution by: full name and original URL. Comments are copyrighted by their authors and are not subject to the Creative Commons license of the article itself.