McDonald’s made the business decision to phase out Styrofoam packaging for its Big Macs. Sure, the burgers may not remain quite as hot and the buns may get just a little soggier because they are using a different packaging. But they taste the same and McDonald’s hasn’t missed a beat as far as business is concerned. It was also a good PR move and showcased the trademark of every good business: the ability to adapt and change to survive and thrive. They thrived during the recent recession and are still, of course, one of the most recognized brands in the world.

We would do well to retain a little bit of that youthful naivety that naturally leads to defiance of the status quo. We should remember that period in childhood when we didn’t know how hard it was to accomplish certain tasks and didn’t think of all the obstacles in the way; we simply acted. Sure, there’s foolishness in that approach and real life responsibilities and adult obligations must be upheld. But the full-hearted clearness of vision and belief that it will come to pass is something to emulate. I didn’t think about how hard it would be for McDonald’s to change the way they package millions of hamburgers or the impact that it would have on their bottom line. I didn’t think I’d be wasting my time writing a letter. My 12 year old mind told me I was going to write McDonald’s, tell them they should change their packaging, and then see that change the next time I went to eat a Big Mac.

That brings me to the third point: revolution. I’ve had conversations with friends about whether the second green revolution actually fits the definition of a revolution. Revolution is most often associated with overthrow of government or rebellion against authority. It’s also used in terms such as Industrial Revolution to signify a major break with convention or a fundamental change of some sort. My friends often say that a revolution has to happen quickly. But the Industrial Revolution took decades. Some say a revolution has to be violent. The IT revolution wasn’t violent but it was definitely disruptive. Same for the energy revolution. The upheaval that is brewing as century-old energy interests and the basis of the modern economy – oil, natural gas, and coal – are replaced by alternative sources of energy is disruptive, even violently so in some ways. Jobs and fortunes will be lost. People will be hurt. That is why there is such a fight to retain control.

The John Stewart clip from yesterday’s post took a humorous (and at times foul-mouthed) look at a major problem: presidents since Nixon have stated that the U.S. is dangerously addicted to oil and that we should make hard choices to move to a more sustainable and secure energy future. But we have yet to act. We need a revolution. I think it is finally happening. Businesses understand the savings that can be had by making more environmentally-and-bottom-line friendly decisions. In addition, many of us still harbor the belief that what we do matters; the choices we make have an impact. Just take a look at the popularity of the “Yes, we can!” slogan President Obama used during his campaign. As trite and cliched as it sounds, we can make a difference. At least this former 12 year old boy still thinks so.

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I’ll keep this short. The nearly $1,000,000,000 a day that we send to foreign countries is both Republicans’ and Democrats’ money. The jobs being lost and the economy being destroyed in the Gulf as a result of the Deepwater oil gusher are affecting people without regard to political philosophy. China, with its booming economy and enormous clean technology push, is happy to see the U.S. Congress play politics, tear each other down, and refuse to compromise on energy legislation. It knows that by doing so, the U.S. will cede its economic and technological prowess to them.

Regardless of party affiliation, if you think the United States should finally make a dedicated, conscious, long-term effort to strengthen our economy, increase our national security, and move toward a sustainable society, click on the link below to sign your name in support of such a revolution. It literally takes 10 seconds. “It’s time, once and for all, for our nation to fully embrace a clean energy future”:

Clean Energy Future

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Over the last couple of months we have been revamping our online presence by redesigning 2ndgreenrevolution.com.

Today, our new site is live. We are bringing you the same relevant and engaging content through a cleaner and more user friendly interface. Take a few minutes to explore the new site and help spread the word about the new 2nd Green Revolution!

- Justin and Eric

Many of us are making the ever so slow and tedious climb out of debt. On a personal level as well as at the national level, a long put-off realization and rebalancing is upon us: our spending has been beyond our means and our financial lifestyle is unsustainable. Much the same can be said about our energy lifestyle: we have been using energy beyond our means and living an unsustainable energy lifestyle. Here we are consuming in just a few hundred years the “ancient sunlight” that over millions of years has been converted and deposited in various forms of energy.

In the simplest terms, there are two ways to control our finances: 1) increase our income 2) reduce our expenses. To achieve the first aim, we can tap our savings, get a second job, inherit a million dollars, or win the lottery. Although some may be more prudent and possible than others, all of these changes allow us to increase our income. Governments can likewise raise taxes and take other measures such as selling assets and land to raise revenue.

To reduce expenses, we can curtail shopping sprees (delaying that long lusted-over flatscreen TV), move to an apartment or house that has cheaper rent or mortgage, make our lunch or eat dinner at home. This list also spans from minor to major changes and differs in ease of implementation. Governments can of course cut services (no Saturday mail delivery), reign in entitlements, reduce waste and redundancy, and otherwise cut expenses.

With energy, it’s much the same. These two tenets of financial management of can be implemented in the energy sector: 1) increase energy production (increase income) 2) decrease wasted energy through efficiency (decrease expenses). We can easily increase our energy production in the short term through expanded oil and coal development. But over the long term, this is akin to turning to Ponzi schemes or other nefarious means undertaken to increase income. Eventually, the unsustainable nature of the plan catches up with you. Oil and coal will be plentiful for a while but not forever. And the effects of using those methods to produce energy harm people through pollution, lost natural habitats, and resource depletion. Ponzi schemes and the financial foolishness on Wall Street obviously caused harm to people far outside the circle of people actually carrying out the madness.

As we reduce those credit card balances and send those monthly student loan payments, even the smallest changes can help us in our quest to be debt free. Saving $8 by packing a lunch multiplied by 20 work days can net $160 that would have otherwise been spent. That’s enough money in some cases to double that monthly student loan payment. We can likewise make small energy lifestyle changes such as installing energy efficient light bulbs and appliances and using smart meters. Done consistently, these simple changes have the ability to drastically reduce the amount of energy expended just as savings $8 a day and putting it towards debt reduction can drastically decrease the amount you’ll pay in interest on a student loan.

Generating more energy must be done in a clean and relatively non-destructive way through using green technology and renewable resources. Energy expenditures must be reduced through conservation, efficiency, and implementing data and management technologies that allow us to better conserve our energy. We already know how to get out of debt and how to create a more sustainable green and clean energy economy. The tough part is actually following through and making the changes necessary to eventually regain independence. Financial independence and freedom from debt as well as energy independence and freedom from foreign oil can be achieved by taking remarkably similar approaches. We’ve already started walking down that path toward a greener and more stable future. It’s time to break into a run.

- Justin Manger

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