When people talk to me about the green business they're working on, it will sometimes become apparent as we talk that at least part of the problem they are encountering may not be what they think it is.Rather than being an issue related to planning, marketing, product development, or greening their operations, the issue is sometimes more fundamental, reflecting an inner struggle they have about making money.
This can reveal itself in discussions of larger businesses that have undertaken efforts to save money by wasting less energy, water, and other resources.“Sure, but they’re just doing it to save money,” the person will say.Another variation of this often comes out in discussion of using market mechanisms to address climate change, in which case some people say “Businesses got us into this problem – how can they get us out?”
Their thinking reveals a fundamental assumption many people have, that making money and doing the right thing for the environment cannot coexist.Curiously this assumption reveals itself in people at opposite poles of environmental issues.For some people this assumption is used to support their belief that we cannot solve environmental problems without extracting a ruinous economic toll (more on this one another day).For others though the conflict is the mirror image of this, that if you are making money you must not be doing the right thing for the planet.
Statements like these reveal an internal conflict that shapes their efforts to create a business.Deep in their mind some of these people are thinking that if they make money, then they’re part of the problem.Which leads me to make a simple statement.It’s okay for a green business to make money.In fact, it’s more than okay – it’s essential.Commitment to helping the environment is important, but if your business does not make money will disappear.
If this seems overly obvious to you and you’re wondering why you are reading this, then read no more.If this strikes a chord one way or another though, then you should explore this further.
I call the answer to this thinking “ISABS”, which stands for “It’s Still a Business, Silly.”Green or otherwise, a business needs to make money.Some green entrepreneurs do a great job at building a rationale for how they can help the environment, but lack a clear plan for how their efforts will make money.Being green does not relieve a business from the need to have a sound plan, develop great products, figure out how to sell them, and bring in more money than they spend.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not advocating unrestrained, unregulated business.Making money needs to be balanced with doing the right thing for us all.It’s not that “Greed is Good”.But properly regulated, morally and environmentally sound capitalism is not just okay – it could be the thing that saves both the economy and the environment.Capitalism funnels capital to fuel innovation, and we need innovative and cost effective solutions for clean energy, buildings, water, food, transportation, and just about every other aspect of life.Do the right thing, and make money while you’re doing it - that’s all I’m saying.
If any of this resonates with you, take some time to examine your feelings about making money and how this might be impacting the green ideas you are working on.Working through some of these questions early on will avoid heartache and headaches later on, and help you get where you really want to go, helping the environment while building a strong profitable business at the same time.
Glenn Croston is the Fast Company expert blogger on green business, the author of “75 Green Businesses” (www.75GreenBusinesses.com), the author of the e-book “Greening Your Business On a Budget”, and the founder of Starting Up Green (www.StartingUpGreen.com), helping entrepreneurs from all backgrounds to start and grow successful green businesses. He can be reached at glenn(dot)croston(at)75greenbusinesses(dot)com.
The latest economic numbers are in, and it looks like the economy may be bottoming out but has a long way to go before reaching anything like normal.It may be years before we see a return to where the economy was, if ever, driving the shift from the consumer economy to the conserver economy in which people are saving more, wasting less, and thinking of the long term.
What do the numbers say?Fewer new unemployment claims were made recently, but unemployment has risen to 8.9%, and could still rise as high as 10%.An AP report from May 8, 2009 states “The Fed says unemployment will remain elevated into 2011. Economists say the job market may not get back to normal -- meaning a 5 percent unemployment rate -- until 2013.”Underlying economic issues are likely to drag down spending for years to come.Home values and other assets are still 40% below where they used to be in many cases, and will not recover their value in just weeks or months.Government spending to get the economy going today will need to be paid tomorrow.The stress test on banks helped to remove some uncertainty, but the results also suggest that some banks are far from healthy.Overall there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel is a long one if we try to tunnel through on the same track as before.
Getting on a new track is where the real opportunities are at.Even in the midst of our economic crisis, there are opportunities for individuals and businesses to do well by doing more with less in the conserver economy.The shift is driven by economic necessity, and by reevaluation of priorities people are engaged in as they search for the best way forward.
Where are the opportunities today?The shift toward conserving and away from consuming is creating new opportunities, and reviving some old ones.In a recent visit to a watch repair store I asked how business was and the response was that business is actually good of late, better than usual.Rather than buying new watches, people are fixing the old watches they already have, the ones that have been sitting in their dresser drawer unused.This is just one example.Overall, these trends may not emphasize the environment directly, and may not consider it at all but the end result is often green nonetheless.Most people fixing watches are probably doing it to save money, not out of concern for the environment, but that’s okay.In the end it doesn’t really matter why people take actions that help the environment, as long as it happens.
The six trends to lead in the conserver economy include the following:
1.Sharing
We waste resources and money buying seldom-used goods that sit in closets, garages, and boxes taking up space.In the conserver economy, people are thinking again if they need to buy one of everything.This includes our cars.Many cars sit parked most of the time, using money even when they are not moving through insurance costs, maintenance, and depreciating value.By ridesharing and carsharing with businesses like Zipcar and PickupPal, we get more value out of cars, and save parking spaces and resources.
2.Renting
If we need to use a product for a short time, why not rent it?To own it means you have to store it, you have to maintain it, and you absorb its declining value as it ages.This can apply to appliances, tools, and even books.The renting trend can be expanded to include fields where once you would buy goods, and these can be replaced instead with a service.For example, instead of selling an air conditioner, you lease the air conditioner and sell cool air.Instead of buying solar panels, you buy the power they produce from a business like SolarCity.At Bag Borrow or Steal you can rent the latest in designer handbags, which can make a great deal of sense for seldom used fashion accessories.
3.Repairing
I mentioned repairing watches earlier.The repairing trend applies to many objects.When times are flush with money, money tends to get flushed.Where before people might buy a new appliance when the old one broke, they are more likely to fix the old one today with the help of businesses like repairclinic.com.Rather than going to the mall to buy new clothes, people are also turning to tailors to fix their clothes, and cobblers to fix their shoes, both professions that are suddenly seeing double-digit surges in business.
4.Reusing
Think of all of the goods we have sitting in our closets and packed in our garages gathering dust.Think of the millions of tons of material getting sent to the landfill.Now think of them differently, not as a nuisance, but a resource as businesses and consumers work harder to get more value out of things they already have.Reselling used clothes has seen a big surge at thrift stores like Plato’s Closet, for example.Terracycle is building its whole business around reusing materials that would otherwise be garbage to make and sell new goods, making lunch boxes out of juice pouches, for example.Buildings are deconstructed rather than demolished by companies like The ReUse People, a field with huge opportunity ahead still to reuse building materials of equal quality but much lower cost than new building materials.
5.Rebuilding
We are in the process of rebuilding our infrastructure, including our buildings.Our buildings waste $ billions on energy, money that can be saved with retrofits to increase energy efficiency.The US Government is providing billions to change this through measures like those in the 2009 stimulus package in the process of being implemented.With over 100 million homes in the US, and millions more commercial and industrial buildings in need of attention, this opportunity to save money and help the environment could not be larger.
We are also rebuilding our energy infrastructure, changing from fossil fuels to renewable energy and rebuilding and improving our electrical grid for the needs of the 21st century.We need to rebuild schools and training centers to prepare people for the lean and green economies emerging from the crisis.We need to rebuild the US to get the economy back on track for the long run.
6.Rethinking
How big of a car do we want or need?How big of a house do we want?People are rethinking these questions, often out of necessity.In a time of crisis Hummers are out, a symbol of excess.Home sizes have steadily risen in recent decades, but there is a move away from McMansions now, as people rethink their homes as part of their changing life priorities.The Not So Big House is part of their Not So Big Life, as described by author and architect Sarah Susanka.
I’ll expand on each of these in the days and weeks ahead.Many of these trends are connected closely to the green economy – by using resources more wisely, getting more out of what we already have, we help the environment as well as our own bottom line.All of these trends make sense for consumers and businesses as they address their everyday priorities like paying the bills.
Glenn Croston is the author of “75 Green Businesses” (www.75GreenBusinesses.com) and the founder of Starting Up Green (www.StartingUpGreen.com), helping entrepreneurs from all backgrounds start and grow green businesses.
The green wave is rapidly spreading out in many ways, including new geographical locations.Although green has grown greatly it is still not spread evenly around the globe.Cities like San Francisco, Portland, and New York are known for their green efforts, but green is also growing in many other towns and states, and in other parts of the world like Latin America.
I just got back from going to the Hudson Valley last week and I’ll be speaking at the MiaGreen 2009 conference being held in Miami Beach on June 11 and 12, talking about opportunities and strategies for businesses to make money and help the environment (yes, you can do both).Bringing together governments, non-profits, educators, and businesses, meetings like this serve as focal points for making valuable connections and generating innovation, propelling businesses rapidly forward as they ride the green wave to new regions and new opportunities.
Another way the green wave is spreading is by growing deeper, with more people getting involved from many different backgrounds.The list of participants at meetings like MiaGreen includes many of the groups you associate with green, including the US Green Building Council, and the Florida Green Building Council, working to make our buildings more efficient and healthier for their occupants.The green wave includes businesses delivering innovative green technologies like Green Eco Sys, and those selling services for green businesses to get started and grow, including marketing companies like Creative Mindworks and environmental consultants like Eco Advisors.Environmental non-profits like the Environmental Coalition of Miami play an important role in advancing the eco-agenda, but the green wave is also growing through the businesses and business groups like the Chamber of Commerce who are not traditionally focused on the environment, but are realizing the opportunity that green provides for their members to save money and grow their business.
As the wave grows, valuable information is provided at meetings like MiaGreen, not just about the environmental problems we face, but the practical solutions that are available for businesses and those seeking jobs.Greening buildings requires practical information about LEED certification, government incentives, opportunities for water conservation, and how to save money through energy efficiency.Getting all of this information in one place is like hitting the fast forward button to advance more rapidly than would otherwise be possible.
Now is the time of greatest opportunity, as the wave continues to grow and build.Green is at a critical juncture, where it has grown greatly, but still has huge growth ahead.Businesses that make the right connections now can catch the wave early and ride it farther as green continues to grow.Those who hesitate might just lose out.Hope to see you in Miami.
I spoke at a couple of events on April 29 in the HudsonValley, talking about green business opportunities.One was a workshop I did sponsored by SUNY Ulster in KingstonNew York, and the other was a luncheon with GET (Gateways to Entrepreneurial Tomorrows).Both provided insight into the powerful response of people getting into action to move their lives and the economy forward.
Attendees at the SUNY Ulster workshop all shared a common interest in the opportunities of the green economy, although they are pursuing a variety of paths to get there.Some are looking for a job, others want to green their existing business, and some are searching for new opportunities for green businesses.
I focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency in buildings in the workshop, talking about trends supporting the growth of these areas, as well as markets and strategies for finding jobs or creating businesses.I’m often asked “What is the big opportunity you see for green businesses right now?”There is not a one size fits all answer to this question.The opportunities are as varied as the people who provide solutions.These fields both have huge growth ahead, for people with specific technical skills (electricians, contractors), as well as those who have more general business skills (sales, marketing, finance, business management).Whether they are looking for a job, or want to start a business, part of the solution I tell people is to do a self evaluation of the resources they have, and match this up with the opportunities that excite them, putting together a path to move forward.
At the GET Luncheon, I gave an overview of green opportunities, including some from my book, along with the trends that will keep green growing for many years to come.I find increasingly that while not everyone has been green all their life, that the entrepreneurs, politicians, and activists are increasingly on the same page, moving forward together to help the economy and the environment.
The luncheon was followed by the kickoff for the Hudson Valley Entrepreneurial Conference hosted by GET, a free event to help entrepreneurs get started with advice, training, and practical information to help them start their own business.Many of those starting businesses today are doing so out of necessity, and greatly need help to get started.Important resources like GET are seeding the creation of small businesses which revitalize lives and communities in a difficult time.
One final note - Melissa Everett, Executive Director of Sustainable Hudson Valley deserves credit for getting in contact with me to make the trip, and giving me the opportunity to see first hand the great work going on the HudsonValley to go green from the ground up.
In recent weeks I’ve been watching tadpoles in a small pool in a drying creekbed.The tadpoles are small but they tell a big story.The pool they’re in lies in a canyon surrounded by trees and grasses.It has been another dry year in San Diego, and the surrounding hills are already turning from green to brown.As the small creek stopped flowing, the pool started to shrink, slowly at first and then more rapidly.The tadpoles swimming among the algae may not have realized it, but they were in a race against time.
The tadpoles had to mature and grow legs quickly, before the pool went dry. Or else.Recently I saw that the pool had dwindled to a few inches deep, although the tadpoles were still quite young.I thought they might have time still, but when I came back a few days later the pool was dry already, reduced to a muddy depression.Based on the young state of the tadpoles when last I saw them I’m afraid they didn’t make it.
I felt a little for the tadpoles, and then found myself comparing them to our own situation.As the economy changes, old pools of opportunity have shrunken, leaving many businesses and workers high and dry, unable to move on it seems to find the new pools.
And yet, I realized there is an important difference.The tadpoles cannot do much about their situation.The water level is beyond their control, and they cannot will themselves to grow legs and hop out of there.We can.If our pool is drying up, we have the power to leap out and find the next pool, the next big opportunity.If we don’t have the legs to get up and go, then we can grow them, fast.
I’m not talking about real legs, of course, but metaphorical legs.The legs we need are the direction, innovation, drive and the power to make the decision to get moving in a new direction, to make the leap up out of our current situation with the faith that something better lies just ahead.
And the opportunities are out there.Despite our economic woes, there are plenty of opportunities still – they have just moved to new places.We have immense problems, but these problems in the midst of our crisis are also creating vast opportunities.
Green business opportunities are one example I’ve written a lot about, and the opportunities in the conserver economy to help people save more, waste less, and think of the long term.
If you see that your pool is drying up, don’t wait for the water to be completely gone before you get moving.It’s better to leap on your own terms before the water is all gone.If you’re not sure where or how to leap, then its time to grow some legs.Read up, talk to people, and lay out a plan to make a change.Evaluate what you have to offer and get out and sell it.Look at things differently, seeing the problems as opportunities, and take control.Then make the leap.
Everything starts with a vision, including the green startup businesses that are leading the way to economic and environmental recovery. Each of these businesses starts with the vision of an entrepreneur who sees the potential to make a positive difference in the world by providing solutions for the big problems like climate change that we face.
There are imposing problems to be dealt with on many fronts, but climate change takes the cake. It’s hard to overestimate the challenge presented by climate change, probably the biggest global challenge we’ve ever faced. Even when the current economic crisis fades, dealing with climate change will still require a steady path, long-term commitment, and practical, cost effective solutions. Addressing such a long term goal requires true leadership from all spheres, including the business world.
As the CEO of the Eco Investment Club, Yeves Perez is recognizing business and investment professionals who are leading the fight against climate change with his new ClimateChanger™ designation. ClimateChangersTMare described as “business people who have demonstrated an eagerness to reduce carbon emissions in their industry of practice, and the knowledge and creativity to achieve that goal.” By earning this designation, and proving their commitment to finding business solutions for climate change, the idea is that ClimateChangers can demonstrate to investors, partners and the rest of the business world that they are the real deal when it comes to green. “Upon completion of ClimateChanger™ requirements, recipients will possess a tangible, marketable, and recognized credential based upon high-quality professional education, and demonstrable business implementation,” said Perez.
For the educational requirement for the designation, entrepreneurs and investors can take advantage of two different courses currently. The first is “Climate Change and Business - The ROI for Going Green,” a 2 day course being offered by Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego. The second course is the “Eco Investors Bootcamp,” which includes classes and tours of green businesses to get up to speed on the state of the green business community. In addition to these classes, ClimateChangers must demonstrate that they are putting their vision into action. The key is taking action to make a real difference.
The CEO of Envision Solar in San Diego, Bob Noble is the first to receive the ClimateChanger designation as recognition of his know-how, his commitment, and his achievements. As the CEO of Envision Solar, Bob Noble has a vision for how solar carports can change how solar is integrated into the built environment. “A ClimateChanger™ is an influential business or investment professional who leads in creating a green corporate culture, reducing carbon emissions, and constantly improving the return on investment for going green”, said Noble.
I talked with Noble recently for the latest book I’m working on, and I was impressed with the potential for what Envision is doing and by the vision of Noble. “It’s not just about solar, it’s about the built environment, with form and texture, light and dark, and shape and space,” said Noble. “Solar needed to tell its story, because it’s beautiful.” Beyond solar carports, Envision is in the process of creating LifeVillages out of readily fabricated steel buildings and solar panels to bring shelter, services, and power to parts of the world like Sub-Saharan Africa where these basic aspects of life are often absent.
One benefit of the ClimateChanger designation is avoiding confusion. As the green business world grows rapidly, sorting out the true greens from the wannabees can be confusing. Having certification standards for green business leaders may help to cut through confusion and provide solid value, just as it is doing for green products and green businesses.
Climate change remains an immense problem, which makes the opportunity to address climate change with profitable businesses all the greater. With ClimateChangers like Bob Noble and others, we’ll effectively address climate change and other environmental challenges while building a stronger and more sustainable economy in the process.
Much was made of the stock market rally this week, with the Dow bouncing up 9%, and other economic news emerging that was viewed as positive. Having a little good news is refreshing, to be sure, even if the good news is really just news that wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be. It seems some of the big banks are not as bad off as we thought they were, although their problems are still immense, and the credit rating of GE only got knocked down a single notch instead of sinking further.
I’ve even heard from a few green entrepreneurs I've talked with lately that their business is starting to pick up already, probably in response to the approval of the stimulus and knowledge that financial support is on its way to help move renewable energy projects and other businesses forward. That’s very good news indeed.
Entrepreneurs of many backgrounds, green or not, are taking matters into their own hands to start new businesses doing things like making jellyfish tanks with whatever resources they can, often out of necessity for those who have found themselves unemployed.
Many businesses though seem to be frozen still, hunkered down, waiting for the storm to pass and for things to go back to the way they were. If only they can close their eyes, and click their heels, they will wake up from this bad dream back in Kansas, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. I sure wish those flying monkeys, the banks, the stock market, credit crisis, and plunging home values, would all vamoose and leave me in peace.
I understand where they’re coming from, but they are missing an opportunity. Hunkering down, trying to spend no money, does not develop your business. We’re not clicking our heels out of this one, and spending no money gets nothing done. It also fails to take you in a new direction, and a new direction is needed.
As things do get moving again, I think it’s likely we will emerge from our current crisis in a different place than where we entered. The New York Times wrote recently that “Job Losses Hint at Vast Remaking of Economy”. There is something big happening here, with large chunks of the economy changing right before our eyes. It’s best if we have our eyes open. You’re business needs to be busy finding where that new direction is and get moving in that direction.
Personally, I think that green is going to be a big part of the new business reality. The government is creating unprecedented incentives for renewable energy, and energy efficiency, and more is probably on the way as the government starts to talk seriously about taking on climate change. All of those consumers out there won’t be returning to their old spending any time soon, even as the economy starts to improve. With asset values down, and weighed down by debt, look for a great number of consumers to start acting instead like “conservers”, saving money and thinking of the long term. There are opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs in the new “conserver economy”, finding ways to help people waste less, repair old things, share goods and services, and reuse material, for example.
So, maybe we’re not going back to Kansas. But that’s okay. Open your eyes. Let’s find a new destination and get started in that direction instead.
When I was growing up my Mom would tell us about her childhood in the Great Depression growing up on a farm, about driving to town with some chickens to sell and eggs to trade for an ice cream cone.They did not feel deprived, but lived simply because they had to.They were not hungry and all of their needs were cared for, but they were not shopping for sport or distraction.They wasted little, with every resource used and reused.When something broke, it was fixed.If it had a hole, it was mended. That was just the way it was.
For us kids the whole story sounded a little distant and irrelevant to our own lives.We lived in the suburbs after all, in the land of fast food and shopping malls, ground zero of the consumer economy - what did chickens and farming have to do with us?
My mom’s stories are sounding a lot more relevant these days.Those chickens are coming home to roost.After spiraling downward for several months the economy seems to have slid off a cliff lately.Home values have plummeted, millions of people have lost their jobs, the stock market has lost an estimated $10 trillion in value, and we are left with a massive debt hangover.It could be a long time before our old spending ways resume.If ever.
Many economists believe that when the economy finally bottoms out it won’t bounce back up, but enter a period of slow growth and a long slow recovery.The trillions of dollars in lost asset values are not likely to recover quickly; those who are waiting for a quick return to old spending habits may be disappointed.We are entering a new era in which consumerism is held in check by economic realities.Americans have maintained for years a negative savings rate, spending more than they make, but you cannot keep this up forever.Much of this spending was fueled by refinancing to withdraw money from homes that constantly escalated in values.The dramatic declines in home values have taken this option off the table for most.For the first time in years the savings rate for Americans has become positive again.The consumer economy is being swiftly replaced by a new era in which people are spending less and saving more.Rather than returning to the consumer economy of old, we may be entering a new era, the age of The Conserver Economy.
The transition from consumer to conserver does not mean that opportunities for businesses are going away, but they are moving to new niches along with changing lives of individuals.Finding the opportunities created by new trends and habits, businesses can join the conserver economy, helping people save more, waste less and take care of the long term.
Despite the massive turmoil that we face, the Conserver Economy may also have good things going for it once we emerge.By reducing waste and using resources more carefully, The Conserver Economy is greener in its impact on the environment.It's also bigger than green trends have been in the past, and more closely connected to the concerns most Americans share like paying their bills, taking care of their kids and providing for their future.
Next time I’ll talk about the trends and new opportunities for businesses large and small in the Conserver Economy.
I belong to a few environmental groups and so I receive a steady stream of flyers from these groups in the mail, more often than not highlighting the plight of whales, polar bears, and wolves. Even today as the world goes through wrenching change the flyers and eco-junk mail tends to focus on the plight of these mammals.This is either admirable tenacity or a sign of losing touch with what is going on right now for most people in the world.
First, let me say that I believe in the cause.I signed up for the groups, I studied biology in school, and was moved by The Inconvenient Truth to start working on “75 Green Businesses”.I believe that we imperil ourselves by ignoring our impact on the natural world.I drank the eco-Kool-Aid.
But here’s the thing -no matter how I feel about polar bears, I doubt they are the first thing most people think of in the morning or the last thing they think about when they go to sleep.For the vast majority of people, thinking of polar bears does not keep them awake at night.What does keep them awake is worrying about their jobs, their bills, their homes, and their families.“How will I pay the mortgage?” they lie awake wondering.What will they do to pay for college?
This isn’t to say that nobody cares about the natural world.There is a solid core group of people who care deeply about the bears, wolves, and the rest of the natural world, and with the world still facing pressing environmental issues that will still be around when the present economic smoke clears this is a very good thing.Most people care about the environment, as revealed by a steady stream of surveys.But this core group is a relatively small percentage of the people.Single digits.For most people the environment is not at the top of their list.
The danger for the environmental movement, and for green businesses, is that if they address only this core group they will miss the other 95%.And if they miss the 95%, they risk making themselves irrelevant.I’d like to see more flyers with the wolves saying “Save the humans”.Green businesses, marketers and non-profits that successfully connect what they are doing to the things that 95% of us are worried about should excel.
On Friday the US Congress passed the final version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, also known as the “stimulus package”, and President Obama is slated to sign it on Tuesday.If you want you can read it yourself, either the part related to taxes, or to spending, although altogether it’s about 1000 pages worth of stimulus.Renewable Energy World has a summary of some of the provisions. It is everyone’s hope that this important measure will get the economy back in gear and moving again.The $787 billion in the final bill is a lot of money.Some say too much, while others fear not enough.Other measures in the works are being designed to deal with the housing crisis and credit crunch.However you feel about this government action, one thing that is clear is that it focuses a significant chunk of its attention and money on the green economy, a huge step forward for businesses that can take advantage of this opportunity.
The stimulus focuses billions of dollars on renewable energy and energy efficiency through a combination of grants, direct spending, loan guarantees, bonds, and tax incentives.Altogether the bill spends about $80 billion on renewable energy, improving the electrical grid, increasing use of biofuels, developing electric cars, and making homes and federal buildings more energy efficient. This investment could create millions of jobs in the years ahead, and opportunities for thousands of businesses across the country, helping green businesses to continue being a bright point in the economy.
One of the great things about these investments is that they create jobs and create business in the near term over the next few months as the provisions are enacted, and continue stimulating the economy later on.Every dollar spent on energy efficiency releases far more dollars later on, saving money every month with lower utility bills, money that can be spent more productively elsewhere.Renewable energy creates jobs in the near term, supports further research and development, and helps take us a step closer to a cleaner economy, without the cost of fossil fuel pollution and the potentially huge cost of climate change further down the road.The stimulus is a lot of money, it’s true, but if it accomplishes goals like these then it is money well spent.
