Foreign Policy Blogs

The Earth Dream

The Earth Dream

We refer to the American dream.  You know how it goes:  house with a yard (with a blisteringly bright green lawn, swimming in fertilizers and pesticides), two cars in the garage, AC at a touch (freezing your brain, making you sick and drawing more and more power), that big plasma TV on which to watch the ball games, and a barbecue in the backyard to grill your meat.  (Don’t get me started on that.)

I’ve got a slightly better dream.  Better?  Well, yes, if you consider the “externalities” of various ways we go about our business.  My Earth Dream produces very little pollution, is healthier for the people who live it – including making you thinner (guaranteed), makes you happier, and saves you money.

Ford and SunPower are bringing you closer to the Earth Dream.  They’ve just announced a partnership to “Drive Green for Life.”  Ford will sell you a  Focus Electric, one of its fabulous line of hybrids, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and all-electric vehicles (EV), and, at the same time, you can get the solar photovoltaic system to power it from SunPower.  (Thanks to the ubiquitous Katie Fehrenbacher of GigaOm for her story.)

I have seen the future, folks, and this time it really does work.

 

Author

Bill Hewitt

Bill Hewitt has been an environmental activist and professional for nearly 25 years. He was deeply involved in the battle to curtail acid rain, and was also a Sierra Club leader in New York City. He spent 11 years in public affairs for the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, and worked on environmental issues for two NYC mayoral campaigns and a presidential campaign. He is a writer and editor and is the principal of Hewitt Communications. He has an M.S. in international affairs, has taught political science at Pace University, and has graduate and continuing education classes on climate change, sustainability, and energy and the environment at The Center for Global Affairs at NYU. His book, "A Newer World - Politics, Money, Technology, and What’s Really Being Done to Solve the Climate Crisis," will be out from the University Press of New England in December.



Areas of Focus:
the policy, politics, science and economics of environmental protection, sustainability, energy and climate change

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