A recent global survey released by SustainAbility and Globescan (see www.sustainability.com) reported what is becoming increasingly apparent: businesses, not governments, are the leaders in sustainability. “Social entrepreneurs are the only ones effectively advancing the sustainability agenda” according to the report. Clean energy is a major sustainability initiative that is being advanced by the private sector. However, due to recent budget battles and cuts in Washington, the $8 billion that President Obama is seeking for clean energy programs is in danger. While not completely quantifiable, this is actually a governmental expense that will pay for itself in the form of efficient and cheaper energy sources, granted the funding is diligently administered on the merit of projects in the beginning.

The major benefit of clean energy is that it is sustainable: it is not dangerous, and it keeps on producing giving. As a country we are not reliant on others for this energy. With skyrocketing oil prices, and the dangers of nuclear energy becoming relevant again, it is becoming more and more obvious that the battle over alternative energy sources is more than just rhetoric. Businesses are taking the lead in sustainability, and President Obama has acknowledged this by seeking to better our countries infrastructure through them. By not striving to become more efficient and self-reliant, we are hurting ourselves economically, and we are also opening up the window to additional security threats associated with reliance on others for the fuels that run our country.