Make Clean Energy Cheap

Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger, authors of Break Through: From the Death of Environmentalism to the Politics of Possibility (required reading in our Master of Education program at the Institute for Humane Education) have an opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times today, which argues that, instead of focusing on making dirty energy more expensive (to promote conservation and efficiency), we must focus on making clean energy cheap.

As I wrote in my post about a better bailout, it’s paramount that we invest in positive solutions to our economic challenges. These solutions will not only save our economy but will also fix a host of problems. Positive solutions replace unhealthy systems. As I’ve written before, change happens not only because individuals make healthier, more sustainable choices, but because systems are transformed and people’s situations change so that positive choices become easy, available, and appealing. This is the essential insight that Dr. Philip Zimbardo reveals in his book The Lucifer Effect, and we ignore it at our peril.

Walk your talk to the best of your ability, but fight for systemic change at the same time. Only when we do both -- model our message and work for real change -- will we hope to see the unfolding of a peaceful, healthy world. Let’s heed Nordhaus's and Shellenberger’s words.

~ Zoe

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