Repower America: The Power of ‘We’

As awareness of environmental issues grows, more and more people are beginning to take steps to shrink their carbon footprints. Many of these changes, from energy efficiency to local eating and transportation, involve adjustments to our personal habits; however, if we are going to be successful in the long run, our infrastructure is going to have to change as well. The federal government, as well as private industry, will need to move towards clean energy solutions in order to prevent the environmental damage that is predicted at our current levels of consumption.

Enter Repower America, part of Al Gore’s “We” campaign to solve the climate crisis. The focus of Repower America is to shift 100 percent of U.S. energy consumption to clean sources in the next 10 years. The plan is bold, but it has the support of prominent scientists and energy experts. Between the green energy industry, government support and incentives and individual action, a green energy future is within reach.

What Industry is Doing

The clean energy industry is fast approaching the critical mass required to really take off. With the Obama administration committed to supporting green energy development, it is a good bet that you will see continued development in wind, solar and geothermal technologies. According to Repower’s site:

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  Advanced technologies, like solar-concentrating cells, will improve our use of renewable energy sources. Photo: Defenseindustrydaily.com

  From Delaware to South Dakota to Texas, wind farms all over are coming online over the next few years that will provide enough electricity to power millions of homes across the country.

• U.S. and international companies, particularly in the sunny Southwestern deserts, are increasingly harnessing that great, big, free source of energy: the sun.
• Nearly 100 geothermal projects, which convert heat to electricity, are currently underway in the U.S. Even better, improvements in extraction technologies mean that we are just getting warmed up in this area of generation.

What the Government is Doing

• You may have heard of the stimulus plan that recently passed in Congress. Somewhere between $20-60 billion of the nearly $800 billion initiative is set aside for renewable energy projects and development.
• Congress is likely to propose a series of tax incentives for clean energy this spring, which will likely include cap and trade provisions that tax emissions from fossil fuel plants and subsidize wind solar and geothermal projects.

What You Can Do

• Nearly 30 percent of the projected cuts in carbon emissions will come from increased efficiency, and this is where individuals can make a big difference. Steps like converting to energy-efficient appliances and bulbs at home, driving efficient cars, using mass transit and encouraging energy-saving practices at the office add up when multiplied by the millions of Americans who make the shift.
• Join the more than two million people who have pledged their commitment to Repowering America by signing a pledge.
• Use Repower America’s state-by-state guide to get the latest on clean energy developments in your area and the jobs being created by the new green economy.