"Each person must live their lives as a model for others" - Rosa Parks
I'm not generally a big fan of HUGE corporations, but at the same time I think you need to give credit where credit is due. Last week, Google announced that they are going to take responsibility for their impact and pour "hundreds of millions" of dollars into renewable energy research specifically in the fields of solar and wind power. Their long term goal is to produce 1 gigawatt of power from renewable energy that will sell at prices below coal generated power. It's an astonishing goal and if successful, would be enough power to power all of San Francisco. Google apparently keeps their energy use private (and much is already solar generated) but rumours put it right around "a buttload of power".
So why is this so important? For starters, we all know how big Google is, so for an industry leader like this to head in this direction shows the rest of the sheep out there where they should be heading as well (politicians take note!). Also, if successful, which I suspect they will be, the end run of this is that solar prices will drop significantly making it much more affordable to the average joe. It's really, in my opinion, a space shot kind of moment when you consider that the largest solar array presently in existence is 20 Megawatts (a gigawatt is 1000 megawatts so you can see how ambitious this really is).
Seeing as our elected "leaders" seem to be unable to come up with a comprehensive energy plan that calls for renewable energy and an end to fossil fuel addiction, I'm glad corporations like Google are there to show them that it needs to be done, can be done, and will be done.
It's about time.
You can send Google a hail and hearty Huzzahhh at comments@google.com. Let em know you care and you appreciate the fact that they are in the game.
Thanks to my buddy Grant for the tip off.
Live Sustainably
Dave
3 comments:
And you ask me how I can be a conservative (but not Republican). Well here is one fine example.
And don't think that for one minute I miss the irony of a conservative concept (business is better at innovation than government) to further a progressive ideal (Save the World from Itself! (or whatever... as long as we still get to wear hemp... now where's my beanie?)).
(BTW: All this should be taken tongue in cheek: As Dave likes to point out, I'm a progressive who doesn't know it yet)
I rather like that it's politically confusing. I'm sure there are people out there who aren't sure whether they should root for this or not.
Duane, you're a closet liberal, now just admit it and get it over with.
You actually brought up an interesting point that bums me out sometimes. A lot of people i talk to hear about my passions (well at least the enviro ones) and immediately assume that i am a liberal. Why does caring for the earth and trying to live in balance with it and ourselves have to be a partisan issue? I've never understood it, and I think doing so hurts everyone. This is a human issue not a political one no?
By the way, don't think that I don't realize that posting on this blog brings you one step towards accepting that you are a Kucinich loving hippie waiting to spring forth your love upon the world!
One other note, for the record, I don't care who comes up with it, the government, big business, the people, or my dog (who has some wild ideas by the way), if it's allows us to use less, pollute less, and be more sustainable, I say Huzzaahhh (trying to bring that back into vogue if you haven't noticed).
Huzzahh
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