The Gilded Age Turns Green

Don't blink. The world we live in is an unprecendented state of flux. First off, our planet is in serious trouble. Ice sheets are melting quicker than originally predicted. Stronger than usual weather patterns have caused a disturbing series of damaging storms. Without immediate intervention, the future is unknown.

Next is the U.S. economy, which is crumbling before our very eyes. Thanks to corporate greed and regulation "lite" from our government agencies, Americans are likely to experience a rather unpleasant recession in the coming months and perhaps years. We, the taxpayers are now financing the bailout to the tune of $700 billion dollars. The bright light in this is the fact that we, the people will not lose everything and jump out of windows like in 1929.

Lastly is government. We have all had the great misfortune of living under a joke of leadership aka the Bush Administration, and the upcoming election is a very serious one. Both candidates look vastly different from where I'm sitting. The one that understands the importance of investing heavily in green technology rather than offshore and Alaskan drilling is the one who can solve a host of issues in one simple shot. It is imperative that we ban together and make the right choice.

Yes, the world is changing quickly, and we are headed back to basics. The Gilded Age of corporate greed, excessive lifestyles and lavish spending will slowly but surely come to a crawl. Over the next decade, I believe that we will witness a shift among corporate leaders towards global corporate responsibility. We have seen it already with T. Boone Pickens and he is just one of the first to emerge. With the failure of Lehman, Bear, Fannie, Freddie Mac, AIG and others, executive pay will be more closely scrutinized by shareholders, regulators and the press. At long last, corporate leadership will be held accountable and will earn a fair wage, not the lottery. Wall Street as we knew it last week, won't exist. The jury is still out in terms of what it will look like, but the huge bets, the huge amounts of leverage and the complete lack of regulation will be things of the past.

The current economic climate already negatively impacts families across our great country. Many jobs have been lost and consumer spending continues to decline rapidly. As a result, and purely by default, the main tenants of green living such as saving money, saving energy, reducing, reusing and others will be adopted. Consumers will look to cut corners, and by doing so will embrace green living more than ever. SUV's are being exchanged for smaller more fuel efficient vehicles, travel has been cut back and we (me too!) look to break out last season's fall handbag rather than buy a new one. Simple pleasures are back in style...a rainbow, a sunset, and an afternoon with your family. Count your blessings, not your cash.

Our new goverment leadership should be working for the people and leading us towards energy independence. This road will bring untold riches to our country in terms of jobs for both the white and the blue collars, the savings from being "off" foreign oil, and the ultimate benefit of seriously reducing greenhouse gases. The U.S. can and should be the world leader in green technology, and by doing so, help other nations adopt clean energy and ultimately, protect our planet. Read more!

Get Your Free Organic T-Shirt

...with your $30 contribution to the Obama campaign!

The last few Presidential elections, for me, were about picking the dog with the least fleas.

Not much has changed this time around, but the state of our planet and country are in complete disarray. This election requires our careful reflection and analysis. Because none of us have much time for that, here's a link to Grist, which offers a fact sheet on their home page for each candidate in regards to the environment.

The Obama camp has received the full support of the Sierra Club, as you may or may not be aware. I feel rather confident in my statement that I expect most, if not all of the remaining environmental groups to do the same.

Since the Democratic party has pledged that they are running the entire campaign on the pocket change of average Americans vs. special interest money (a rather noble gesture), I feel that it is my duty to help.

The Obama Camp is offering a "free" organic T-shirt to all contributors of $30 or more. There are several pages on his site to make a donation, but only this page offers the organic shirt. Click here for the Obama T-Shirt contribution page.

So if you are a supporter of the Earth or Obama, or you think you may be a supporter, or if you just like organic T-shirts, take one down for the cause. Read more!

Gore Invests $35mm in the Environment - Should You?

You don't need $35 million to invest wisely.

It was recently reported that Al Gore's reported net worth is over $100 million. Back in 2000, his net worth was somewhere in the neighborhood of $800,000 to $1.9 million, according to his tax filings. Boy, he did well for himself, huh! But how?

Mr. Gore has been involved in many lucrative projects over the past 7 years, and his ties to Google and Apple are most likely primarily responsible. As the self proclaimed founder of the Internet, Mr. Gore has always been involved in technology, and his friends in Silicon Valley have kept him close during the boom years, resulting in his abundant fortune.

Now, Mr. Gore is investing $35 million with EBay billionaire and friend Jeff Skoll at his new venture, Capricorn Investment Group, which is said to invest in makers of environmentally friendly products by allocating to private partnerships such as hedge funds.

Just an opinion here, but I think he is onto something! Can we follow his investment trends and benefit? Do you believe, like Gore, that eco products and renewable energy and technology are the future? If so, check out mutual funds that are well diversified yet invest in those same technologies. I found one called the New Alternatives Fund that is all about investing in renewable energy sources, organics, recycling and more. Ask your investment advisor if these types of investments are right for you. http://newalternativesfund.com

We all know that past performance is no indicator of future results, but if Gore is in it, based on his past investment prowess, it's worth a gander.



***This is not meant to be a solicitation of any kind. Please see your investment advisor to determine if this type of investing is suitable for you.*** Read more!

GM's Exec Announces "Global Warming is a Crock of S*&%"

Last month, General Motors announced their worst quarter in the companies entire history. By a thread, they cling to the #1 spot as top automaker. Am I smoking crack, or why haven't they produced a fleet of hybrids or some smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles so they can turn a profit? Is it because the Vice Chairman Bob Lutz was heard saying that global warming is "a total crock of s---?" Now there's an intelligent leader! This type of stupidity is reminiscent of the leaders of the sub prime mortgage industry, who continuously insisted on making unsound, ridiculous loans even when there was clear and present danger in the marketplace. Clearly, manufacturing more efficient vehicles has been working fantastically for Toyota, the#2 automaker, in terms of increased sales revenues AND benefits for the environment as well as consumers. Why is GM so reluctant to do the obvious? And why does their website proclaim that " they are leading the way to innovative energy solutions"? Not! A follower at best, and a very sluggish one at that.

Only 11 years after Toyota introduced the Prius, GM's Saturn division came out with a small hybrid line of vehicles this year, which is better than nothing. They get something like 22 city/25 highway which is not particularly good. Another item to ponder is quality and the safety. Historically, it hasn't been great for either.

And what's with the 6,000 lb 2008 Chevy Tahoe hybrid? GM's website says this vehicle gets "up to 20 MPG." Why "up to?" When you order it without 4 wheel drive, which no one does? Making a car that size as a hybrid is incredibly foolish. Wake up Detroit! One of the 3 R's is reduce, which means smaller.

Read more!

Why is the Press Not Asking About the Environment?

I wish I had a good answer. I guess they have more interest in asking about non-issues like "Was Bill Clinton the first black President?" Ok I kinda enjoyed that one. But seriously, climate change is on the forefront of people's minds. All the polls agree, yet the press continuously stays away from it.

If you have been watching any of the debates, you will have noticed this trend. According to the Alliance for Climate Change, A League of Conservation Voters study found that ABC's George Stephanopoulos asked presidential candidates more than 767 questions -- only 5 of which were related to global warming. CNN's Wolf Blitzer asked more than 402 questions -- only 5 were about global warming. Sadly, other political commentators and reporters have shown a similar disregard for this key issue.

The climate crisis needs to be addressed, and the right leadership in Washington will be the first step in solving the issue. If you want to hear more from the candidates about the environment, please sign the petition from the Alliance for Climate Change, found below. Please cut and paste it in your browser. Thanks for your help.

http://www.climateprotect.org/presspetition Read more!

FDA Claims Cloned Animals Safe to Eat

Is it just me, or does the title to this article seem disturbing to you? A little bizarre? Unappetizing?

The photo is of Dolly, a stuffed replica of the first cloned animal in the world. Yummy! (Ick.)

As a self proclaimed "greenie", I have been delving into facts about the food we eat, and the more I learn, the more I become repulsed, especially by raw meat. Let alone cloned meat!

Can you imagine going to Morton's of Chicago, the famous steak house, and they bring over the presentation cart, and they offer you the Clone Rib eye?

On January 16Th, the papers reported that the FDA declared cloned animals and their progeny safe to eat, and now they can make their way to a supermarket near you.

I don't have any scientific evidence to support that drinking milk from a cloned cow or eating it will harm us in any way. But it seems to me that whenever the human race tries to take short cuts from natural evolution, things go awry. Didn't Europe ban genetically engineered crops? OK so cloned veggies are bad but live animals? No problem!

The question is now, will they even label it? How will we know what we are eating?

It seems to me that corporate America is so incredibly greedy that they would feed us anything for a buck. If you go to the market and pick up one of the most highly recognized food brands, you can see that the ingredients in the products are totally artificial and very bad for you, but they are used simply because they are cheap and us fat Americans will eat anything that tastes good.

What are the implications to our health and to our environment? The health piece is up for debate, and environmentally, doesn't cloning mean more cows and sheep and pigs, faster and faster? We know that cow poop produces enough methane to help climate change occur nicely, so why more? How many more do we need? Has demand increased dramatically or something?

But is cloning immoral too? If God didn't create it, who cares! We can make it ourselves? How do we know this won't lead to some freak doctor cloning babies for infertile couples next? We don't. Welcome to our world.

I highly recommend taking an particular interest in all the ingredients in the products you put in your mouth, and especially your kid's mouths. Cloning to me is not natural so don't do it. Read more!