It's All Green To Me!

Clean Coal is Oxymoronic! Goodbye FutureGen

Well, it appears Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman is beginning to more clearly see that pumping billions of dollars into a twisted attempt at prolonging our dependency on coal is an exercise in futility.  Pumping pollutants underground - out of sight - out of mind - yet left for those FUTURE GENERATIONS  is what the infamous FutureGen project is all about.  Thank God somebody in Washington is waking up to common sense.  You can't disrupt the natural balance of our environment, underground or above ground,  and not expect there to be any consequences.  I'm not sure who dreamed up this project, but I'm glad to see it leave the state of Illinois, and this PLANET, for that matter.

I've received comments on my other blog  www.enhanceyourenvironment.com that this so called clean coal may not be a perfect solution, but it's a step in the right direction.  Um, well, you know,....I think I'd rather hold out for something better given the investment necessary here, the lengthy timetable involved, and the fact that there are other solutions.  O.K.  Let's say 'clean coal' is a decent solution.  How do we get that coal here - by rail or transport?  - - burning more fossil fuel again.  Why are we settling?  Surely the great minds out there can innovate our way out of this mess.  I mean, is this something a scientist would be proud of?  "Hey guys, I've got an idea, instead of polluting the 'environment' - let's hide the pollutants and hope like hell they don't rise to the surface in our lifetime." C'mon.  And Goodbye FutureGen.

This Bush is Nuclear and Evergreen!

Well, no more beating around the bush (George that is).  He finally went on record that - "If America wants to solve its dependency on foreign (oil) sources, or wants to deal with its environmental concerns, we need to aggressively (step up our involvement with) nuclear power."  He went on to say, "If you're generally an environmentalist, if you're worried about whether or not we can continue to have electricity to foster economic growth, you ought to be for nuclear power."

I have just one question:  What took him so long to come to this conclusion?  This should have been said two or three years ago when uranium was $10/lb, instead of its current $90/lb, down from a peak of about $150.   Guess what the price will be when we ramp up these nuclear plants in 7-10 years?   I guess that depends on how many other nations are scrambling in line ahead of us.  At least now we know we can keep the lights on - AND minimize our impact on the environment.  While some critics have concerns over the spent uranium fuel, I suggest it can't be much worse than the suggestion of building more coal plants and pumping the CO2 and other contaminants underground.  What kind of a solution is that?

This may well be looked at as George Bush's finest hour twenty or thirty years from now.  When we realize how close we came to shutting off the lights, we'll all be cheering this decision.  I don't expect that to be happening anytime soon.  Though I can at least feel more comfortable knowing my children just may get to enjoy some of the same benefits of a green environment as most of us boomers have.  Right now this is just a solution, hopefulyl we can work out some of the remaining wrinkles and make it an evergreen solution.

Green Fax - Save a Tree and Toner too

I just started using a service that sends faxes directly to my computer. The provider is www.packetel.com.  In my situation, this began with not having a dedicated phone line easily available.  However, I'm most excited about the portability feature.  Whether I'm in my office or on the road, in this country or any other, I can still receive a fax.  Sure, most people use email today, but some folks, especially contractors, still rely on this old technology.  The best part is the total cost for is less than $50 for a year.   You can pay more to send faxes, but if I'm the initiator, email is my preference.  When you think about what you normally spend on an extra phone line and toner, not to mention the trip to go buy the toner, this is clearly a green solution! 

Green State of Mind

A few months ago, my friend and colleague asked me a very important question.  “What does it mean to be green?”  That’s when it hit me. Green is more than protecting our natural environment.  It’s doing the right thing.   It’s doing what’s right for you and everyone who is connected to you, which we know is just about everyone.  How do you know what’s right?  You just know!  That’s the green state of mind.  It’s an approach you bring to life that leads you – easily and reliably, to the best result – if you are following your intuition, your gut, that voice inside.  This is why I responded, “It’s all green to me!”

Why wouldn’t you want to do your best in every situation?  Now that concern for the environment is reaching a critical mass, it’s becoming possible to orchestrate results that previously were unimaginable, much less attainable. Think of what your world, your work environment, and your community would be like if everyone was working together - cohesively and harmoniously?  Stress would disappear, right?  Work would be fun again. You wouldn’t have to talk about the good old days because you will be having more fun and accomplishing more every day as we all get better and better.  This is a possibility if you understand the green state of mind and how to put it into action.  The green state of mind is renewable and sustainable, just like the environment.  Learning to work like nature is the key to saving the environment, and I suggest is also the key to countless other challenges facing our society today.

Be Thankful for Natural Rhythms

It's just a couple of days before the Thanksgiving holiday and the weather is still balmy here in Chicago - but not for long.  The chill of winter will be felt by a number of us as we engage in one annual ritual - the Turkey Trot - a typically 5 kilometer trek that seems to attract more runners every year - actually, thousands of them here in Naperville, Illinois.  This season I'm running with my kids - Zak and  Ali, who are 15 and 17 years old respectively.  I thought it would be too cold, but thanks to their challenge - I'm all in!  Even though the temps are going to be below freezing, and the snow may be falling, I'm really looking forward to it!

What are you looking forward to this Thanksgiving?  Like most of us, probably just a little time off.  This is a great time of year because the seasons are going dormant - suggesting we've all lived and worked hard enough for a while that it is natural for us to take some time for ourselves. Green teaches us balance - so take a walk and enjoy the fresh air of autumn with someone close to you - or just take a walk and be alone with your thoughts.  As the environment is slowing, so should we.  The more we can recognize and follow the rhythms of nature, the more likely we'll be able to tap into that magic of the Intelligence of Nature -- which gives us clues to what's right - like enjoying time at home with our families and just soaking in the warm colors of nature.   Thanks for reading. :)

Future Green Leaders

This week I had the distinct pleasure of meeting dozens of talented and energetic young men and women that are ready to embark on their career in the green industry.  One of my colleagues from California commented at our Roundtable Recruiting Session that you can't help but feel younger yourself when you are surrounded by so much youthful energy.  I couldn't agree more.  The event we are all attending is the annual Green Industry Conference sponsored by the Professional Landcare Network (PLANET). 

Now that the environment is under a bright spotlight, our awareness of green is changing how we feel about the future of this industry.  Yes, green is hot right now.  But there is more to it than that.  I believe the focus on the environment may well transform into awareness of other issues facing our society.  One of them is a dire shortage of skilled labor to maintain our natural environments.  The energy that surrounds this issue, both positive and negative, will likely reach a tipping point very soon.  I look forward to that resolution.  With the enthusiasm I've seen this week from present and future green industry leaders alike, we can only hope that our leaders in Washington will see that there is a great deal of good that can come out of resolving the present stand-off on immigrant labor.  We can only hope they will recognize that we are all in this together and there is a solution to every problem.

Burning Leaves - A Fond Pastime To Forget

Yesterday I smelled burning leaves - a memory of fall - a fond memory at that, which is forever 'burned' into my memory since childhood. I have to admit I love the smell of burning leaves.  And I don't even know why, other than it is a reminder of my favorite season.  I don't mean to make light of this because I know this is a serious problem for those that suffer from asthma and other respiratory ailments.  Fortunately, most municipalities now prohibit the practice. The truth is I love the smell of burning leaves because it is associated with my childhood, which I remember as being a good childhood.

Up until the age of 8 or so, I lived in Youngstown, Ohio.  Everyone burned their leaves in the street.  It's just what we did in the fall.  We raked the leaves to the street and burned them.  It was a ritual in a way.  I suspect our fathers enjoyed indulging in this primordial behavior.  I guess it was choice between this and watching Ed Sullivan and Jackie Gleason.  Times have changed and we have adapted to them.  This was my thought yesterday when I smelled the burning leaves.  So, I began to wonder about what the other conditioned behaviors are that we'll have to change.  At some level I suspect we all know if we stay on the course we're on we'll have to dramatically change our transportation habits.  Can we really believe we'll have as many automobiles, trucks and buses on the road in the future as we do now.  Look at the present situation in China. It's intolerable!  It's also inevitable that oil will run out in our lifetime. And it's very likely that the effects of our 'carbon footprint' will become take on a geometric progression.  Are we prepared to change?

I suspect our society is moving from a place not unlike that of when cigarettes were proclaimed to be good for our health.  Remember the old Lucky Strike ads - "not a cough in a carload"!  Some of the purported benefits were healthier, glowing skin and improved digestion!  While we now laugh at this, I wonder how long it will take until we are recognize some of our behaviors today will also soon be laughable.  The big question is which ones!  All we can do is continue to be aware and maintain a healthy debate about what is right --  for everyone.  As much as I enjoy the smell of burning leaves, I doubt I'll ever light up a pile of them now that I know what I know. 

Green Works - That's What I'm Talking About!

I was so pleased to read the article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal about this country's "resurgence " in nuclear power.  And where is the intended location of the two plants for which permits are being sought --  to my surprise, in Texas where energy giant TXU had just months ago planned to build up to eight coal powered plants.  I commented on this in one of my other blogs - in www.enhanceyourenvironment.com,  I believe.  Evidently, many others had a few things to say too - and now TXU has abandoned those plans and is now strongly considering taking a position in nuclear power.  This isn't planting meadows or trees, but as far as I'm concerned, this is green thinking.  This is what I'm talking about!

You see, it's one thing to ignore the effects of commerce on others - and in the case of energy, more specifically, the effects on the environment.  Yet, the truth is we need power to keep the lights on and we are running out of options.  Nuclear is clean - certainly, cleaner that coal - which now suppplies nearly 55% of the electric usage in this country.  And nuclear is sustainable for hundreds of years.  Worldwide we have plenty of uranium to go around if we get busy mining it.  And better yet, much of that uranium is located in countries like Canada and Ausrtalia - friends of the U.S. and many others!  Certainly, it will take years for those mines to ramp up, but that is only a short-term problem- predominantly  due to the fact that the industry has been out of favor after such incidences as the Three Mile Island accident. 

But times have changed.  We now have the foresight and the technology to prevent such occurrences.  This is an example of green working indirectly to make a difference.  Awareness of green leads us to responsible solutions.  There are no perfect solutions, especially in the case of energy, but as long as we move responsibly in the right direction, that is all anyone can ask.  So, while I chastised TXU
in a previous post, I now applaud them for taking a responsible position.  You don't always need to wave a banner - just do the right thing.

It's All Green To Me™

This is the inaugural post of this blog.   My other two blogs are  www.therightwayworks.com and www.enhanceyourenvironment.com.  The purpose of this blog is to provide perspectives that may change your thinking about  who you are and what you do in your day to day activities - especially your work.   I believe the present awareness for change concerning the environment will serve to catalyze a a concurrent shift in our collective thinking and affect positive changes - not just for the environment - but for other influences that determine how well people around the world live - simply by moving towards the integration of getting things done for the greatest benefit of everyone concerned.

Green is hot right now! It seems everyone in business wants to be connected to green. It is trendy to be green. Hollywood stars embrace it - which makes it fashionable. Consumers now favor green products and methods more than any time in history. Why?  Being green shows responsibility, not just to the environment, but to everyone and everything in general.  At least that is my belief and why my mantra is "It's All Green to Me!"

So, you want to be green?  The question then becomes how. The truth is most people only have an idea. They look outside of themselves, possibly for a connection to organizations that champion green to give identity to their brand. This is one approach.  I believe we need to look inside - inside of ourselves, and from a business perspective, inside of the corporation.  This is where we can affect behavior by connecting with people and changing the mindset of everyone that works in that organization. To do this, we have to show people how being green really works – how it extends beyond the natural environment to include everything we do in the business environment to produce the results that are right for everyone - now, and far into the future.  -- Jeff Korhan