Page 4 - Green Builder January 2017 Issue

EDITOR’S NOTE By Matt Power
Editor-in-Chief
The Inside Scoop

The 71 Percent Solution
If you think America is destined for a return to blackened skies and
foul waters, you haven’t read the fine print. Progress is here to stay.

TBY MATT POWER of the country did not necessarily agree with
HIS MORNING, A NEW SURVEY the premise that global warming is a vast
(http://bit.ly/2hkMCYn) of U.S. conspiracy, or that the coal industry should
attitudes arrived on my desktop be revitalized.
from the ReportLinker.com search
engine. The survey found that Now, I’m not endorsing the other candidate,
more than three-fourths of U.S. citizens agree either. She had connections to fracking and big
that human activity is the main cause of climate banks that would have deeply compromised
change. Just as importantly, more than two- her ability to do the system-changing work
thirds are worried about air pollution and water that’s needed.
pollution. Many other environmental issues also
concern them. Let’s focus on the present. A minority group
with strong anti-regulatory leanings will be
But how is this possible, given the latest running the Federal Government. Will they
election’s outcome? It’s really very simple. set back progress on some issues? Probably.
About 42 percent of eligible citizens did not But many of their views are far more extreme
vote in the most recent national election. Of than where the 71 percent want to go. Rhetoric
the 58 percent who did, just under half chose the candidate who is one thing. Policy is another. It’s doubtful
believes that climate change is a hoax. In other words, 71 percent that any American would welcome back air pollution and water
pollution—or the disappearance of half of Florida to rising sea levels.
CREDIT: REPORTLINKER The economic future of this country lies in green technology. It’s
simply our best hope to maintain any semblance of our current way
of life. A massive transformation is already underway.
Here’s an example: employment in solar power doubled over the past
five years. According to CNN, the solar industry workforce is “bigger
than that of oil and gas construction, and nearly three times the size of
the entire coal mining workforce.” At the same time, technologies such
as wi-fi controls, Big Data, electric vehicles, whole-house batteries and
heat pumps offer us the imminent promise of a cleaner, leaner lifestyle.
Almost all of this technology converges in the modern home. It’s
become so easy to achieve net-zero energy use in new construction
now that there’s almost no excuse not to hit that target. Mini splits,
solar and smart controls are a perfect trifecta. These systems also
make homes better able to buffer the uncertainties of troubled times.
As builders, architects and manufacturers, now is the time to stay
on course and continue to reduce your impact on the planet through
greener, cleaner technology. You don’t need big government to re-
define whether we should do what’s right for future generations. By
designing homes and products to be less expensive to operate and
less reliant on fossil fuels, you’ll be acting in the interests of the 71
percent—as well as that of every other American. GB

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