Comments on: Getting Our Act Together for the Green Economy http://citiwire.net/post/1460/ Leaving behind the 20th century pattern of cheap energy, endless automobility, burgeoning suburbs, threatened inner cities. To a challenge-packed 21st century: energy prices headed north, perilous carbon emissions, deepening have-have not divisions. But a time of exciting promise, too. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:05:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Matt Belcher http://citiwire.net/post/1460/comment-page-1/#comment-949 Matt Belcher Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:10:07 +0000 http://citiwire.net/?p=1460#comment-949 The HBA of St. Louis and Eastern MO has had a successful green building program for over four years now. It was the first program launched after the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) published its Green Building Guidelines. After four years and a few national awards, it has been used as a model for NAHB's new National Green Building Program which includes as its criteria the new National Green Building Standard (ANSI ICC-700). We also have a nationally noted collaboritive effort with the MO Botanical Grden's earthways center and the USGBC-St. louis Chapter to educate and promote the lower operating and maintenance costs and healthier, energy efficient lifestyle benefits of Green in new and exisitng housing! The HBA of St. Louis and Eastern MO has had a successful green building program for over four years now. It was the first program launched after the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB) published its Green Building Guidelines.
After four years and a few national awards, it has been used as a model for NAHB’s new National Green Building Program which includes as its criteria the new National Green Building Standard (ANSI ICC-700). We also have a nationally noted collaboritive effort with the MO Botanical Grden’s earthways center and the USGBC-St. louis Chapter to educate and promote the lower operating and maintenance costs and healthier, energy efficient lifestyle benefits of Green in new and exisitng housing!

]]> By: Robert Justice http://citiwire.net/post/1460/comment-page-1/#comment-944 Robert Justice Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:54:10 +0000 http://citiwire.net/?p=1460#comment-944 Dear Misters Henton and Peirce: Please forgive me if I say this approach is like Nero fiddling while Rome burns. We know what is necessary for the green revolution. We must change our energy systems to non-fossil fuels by building Nuclear Power plants, replacing old coal power plants with new efficient ones, build mass transportation systems, rebuild our railroads, rebuild our automobile industry and make building materials out of chemicals rather than destroying our forest. To accomplish this we will need to restart our steel industry, educate more engineers and rebuild our craftsmen supply that we have let dwindle to nothing by shipping jobs overseas. The main impediments to getting this accomplished is too much talk and too much listening to Al Gore, Robert Redford and Robert Kennedy Jr. President Obama needs to let Secretary Chu lead a group of scientists, engineers, educators and energy business people (yes I mean oil and power companies) to lay out a plan to accomplish this. We cannot afford to have seven democratic lawyers, a switch gear salesman and a geologist, T. Boone Pickins who has a ax to grind to point us towards all wind and solar use as it will not work and Secretary Chu knows that. And currently I would suggest that all of us write our Senators, Representatives, Governors, Mayors, etc. to support the efforts of John Kerry, Joe Lieberman and Lindsay Graham to start building the 26 new nuclear power plants that have applied for permits and to drill for more oil. This effort is going to take 50 years at least and we better get on with it. Dr. Robert Justice Retired Chemical Engineer Kingwood, Texas Dear Misters Henton and Peirce:
Please forgive me if I say this approach is like Nero fiddling while Rome burns. We know what is necessary for the green revolution. We must change our energy systems to non-fossil fuels by building Nuclear Power plants, replacing old coal power plants with new efficient ones, build mass transportation systems, rebuild our railroads, rebuild our automobile industry and make building materials out of chemicals rather than destroying our forest. To accomplish this we will need to restart our steel industry, educate more engineers and rebuild our craftsmen supply that we have let dwindle to nothing by shipping jobs overseas. The main impediments to getting this accomplished is too much talk and too much listening to Al Gore, Robert Redford and Robert Kennedy Jr. President Obama needs to let Secretary Chu lead a group of scientists, engineers, educators and energy business people (yes I mean oil and power companies) to lay out a plan to accomplish this. We cannot afford to have seven democratic lawyers, a switch gear salesman and a geologist, T. Boone Pickins who has a ax to grind to point us towards all wind and solar use as it will not work and Secretary Chu knows that. And currently I would suggest that all of us write our Senators, Representatives, Governors, Mayors, etc. to support the efforts of John Kerry, Joe Lieberman and Lindsay Graham to start building the 26 new nuclear power plants that have applied for permits and to drill for more oil. This effort is going to take 50 years at least and we better get on with it.
Dr. Robert Justice
Retired Chemical Engineer
Kingwood, Texas

]]> By: Neal Peirce http://citiwire.net/post/1460/comment-page-1/#comment-943 Neal Peirce Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:36:38 +0000 http://citiwire.net/?p=1460#comment-943 Comment from Rob Dickson of Albuquerque: I appreciate (Doug Henton's column), but it seems to me we will never have a green economy unless waste & pollution are priced into products & services via taxes. This could be done internationally. The amount of money raised from these taxes could in equal amount be cut from economically unproductive taxes on work, income, sales, property, trade, etc. This would seem to stimulate innovation, solve a lot of environmental and economic problems, and appears to be politically possible on the face of it - it's a tax cut as well as a tax increase. Economists of all stripes agree it's a more fair and efficient way to tax. Could be done over 20-30 years to allow for adjustment. We need to be talking about it Comment from Rob Dickson of Albuquerque:

I appreciate (Doug Henton’s column), but it seems to me we will never have a green economy unless waste & pollution are priced into products & services via taxes.

This could be done internationally.

The amount of money raised from these taxes could in equal amount be cut from economically unproductive taxes on work, income, sales, property, trade, etc.

This would seem to stimulate innovation, solve a lot of environmental and economic problems, and appears to be politically possible on the face of it – it’s a tax cut as well as a tax increase. Economists of all stripes agree it’s a more fair and efficient way to tax.

Could be done over 20-30 years to allow for adjustment.

We need to be talking about it

]]> By: Ethan Byler http://citiwire.net/post/1460/comment-page-1/#comment-936 Ethan Byler Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:21:35 +0000 http://citiwire.net/?p=1460#comment-936 I applaud the referencing of the often overlooked work of the Kettering Foundation in this article, and the suggestion to shed light on gray areas in policy using their process. I applaud the referencing of the often overlooked work of the Kettering Foundation in this article, and the suggestion to shed light on gray areas in policy using their process.

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