Al Gore's speech at West Coast Green
The big draw at West Coast Green conference was the keynote speech by Al Gore. Big Green Al spoke for nearly an hour to a rapt group of true believers, including me. He got us energized and inspired with thoughts like "the green revolution is the solution" and the idea that the current situation offers us the opportunity to step up and do something brave and great.
Gore acknowledged that the today's environmental state of affairs is bad, and seems to be getting worse, with ice caps melting and carbon emissions higher than ever. For the first time ever, the developing world outpaced the U.S., producing 53% of global emissions. Not to mention the economic meltdown happening right this minute. It was a sobering snapshot of the world today.
But then Gore turned it around by talking about the kind of bold actions we can take to remedy the situation.
"Enough baby steps!" he thundered. He reiterated his challenge for the U.S. to produce and source 100% of our electricity through clean technology in 10 years, and talked about the investment in infrastructure that we need in order to achieve that goal. And it's a huge initial investment -- we're talking about revamping our entire electrical grid! -- but one that will pay equally huge dividends over time.
Another bold step he proposed was CNMA or "Connie Mae," a Carbon Neutral Mortgage Association that would help finance carbon neutral projects with mortgages that reward and green, energy efficient building practices. It would pay for itself through the savings on utilities bills over the life of a structure.
Gore got one of the biggest rounds of applause when he called for a complete ban on building any new coal plants. He reminded the crowd that the more coal, gas, or oil we use, the higher prices climb. But the more solar cells we build, the lower the price gets. In a time of financial crisis, this kind of math should be both obvious and appealing!
To close the speech, Gore reiterated that it's important to stay optimistic, and that it helps to be an active part of the solution. He believes, deeply and truly, that we are on the verge of millions of people going through a personal transformation. Soon people who want to change the way we create and use energy will become the majority. Gore said that once this shift happens we'll see a lot of other changes happen quickly.
On that note, he wrapped up with a challenge for all of us to use our moral imaginations to decide what kind of future we want, and then find a way to make it happen. Leaving Big Green Al's speech, it felt both necessary and possible to do just that!
Another bold step he proposed was CNMA or "Connie Mae," a Carbon Neutral Mortgage Association that would help finance carbon neutral projects with mortgages that reward and green, energy efficient building practices. It would pay for itself through the savings on utilities bills over the life of a structure.
Gore got one of the biggest rounds of applause when he called for a complete ban on building any new coal plants. He reminded the crowd that the more coal, gas, or oil we use, the higher prices climb. But the more solar cells we build, the lower the price gets. In a time of financial crisis, this kind of math should be both obvious and appealing!
To close the speech, Gore reiterated that it's important to stay optimistic, and that it helps to be an active part of the solution. He believes, deeply and truly, that we are on the verge of millions of people going through a personal transformation. Soon people who want to change the way we create and use energy will become the majority. Gore said that once this shift happens we'll see a lot of other changes happen quickly.
On that note, he wrapped up with a challenge for all of us to use our moral imaginations to decide what kind of future we want, and then find a way to make it happen. Leaving Big Green Al's speech, it felt both necessary and possible to do just that!
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