Amid all of the fallout around the Solyndra bankruptcy, and the subsequent controversy surrounding the infusion of taxpayer cash by the White House, we all need to take a step back and assess how the rest of the “green” world is doing. Time and time again, the popular media only pick up on large-scale failures or administration missteps, when there are entrepreneurs and innovators throughout the country who are making positive steps toward a more sustainable life for all. Some of these brilliant minds are sustainably innovating one light bulb at a time, while others are small business owners striving to create revolutionary sustainable technologies that can leave their neighborhood and reach around the world.
On the consumer front, and in the isles of our retail establishments, energy companies are increasingly administering rebate programs that directly benefit consumers while contributing to their own energy reduction goals. Just the other day I received an email from my power provider titled “Rebates and incentives for energy efficient products and services!” Of course I was interested, so I opened the email. Inside the email was a coupon for $1 off my next CFL purchase, a $150 rebate offer on an Energy Star ® refrigerator, a $100 rebate offer on an Energy Star ® washer, and information about energy efficient retrofits, including contact information for contractors. At the local level – in our homes, in our schools, and in our offices – a quick and easy way to lower a carbon footprint is to utilize efficient lighting and appliances, and now there are multiple incentives for using products that save energy dollars and benefit the environment.
What may be even more interesting is when small businesses have big sustainability ideas. I am lucky enough to be working with an engineering firm who has designed a steel cable that is 2X as strong as the existing materials being used to build windmill towers. What exactly does this mean? First, this small engineering firm’s cable technology and wind tower design make it possible to increase the height of the tower to around 450 feet, versus the 270 feet tower being used currently. By going higher and increasing wind sheer, it results in about a 33% increase in energy output per windmill turbine. And, almost as impressively, they are able to do so at a cost savings of 25% over traditional materials and design.
This small business recognized that sustainability technology is expensive in the market place causing a huge barrier to entry, and they did something about it. An investment in this company of less than $2 million dollars would help clear the majority of hurdles to hit the market, but sadly, they don’t have a friend in the White House with the “green project” checkbook. Despite all of the campaign talk about concentrating on Main Street, it is very discouraging to see small business owners, and local innovators, passed over due to political interest. Money hungry self-proclaimed “environmental” companies are not only making the rest of the industry look terrible, but they are stealing the investments that could really make a real impact if properly administered. Despite all the hurdles, this small engineering firm is working with local universities, investors, and local government officials to get their technology in the wind industry to market – now there’s a great story I would love to hear a president boast about!
These are just two examples of sustainability at work on the ground level and in our communities. It isn’t until we realize that there are things we can personally do to help, and start supporting local innovators who are working for the greater good, that we will be able to move toward a truly sustainable society. Sustainability considers the environment, the society, and the economy. Those who are interested only in political gain and profits should not apply. When it comes to making a big difference, I think its time to start thinking smaller, and looking to the innovators in our communities, schools, and churches as leaders of a “green” revolution.
Christopher A. Craig, MBA, MA
