Around the world billions of dollars are being invested in “green” energy technologies, but how many of these technologies are really green? If your concept of “green” has a few presidents on them, then quite a bit of these projects are very green. Investment and government checks are being written faster than they ever were back in height the dot com craze. Does that mean this bubble will too eventually pop?

If we simply spend the same amount on education of green living habits we could reduce our carbon footprint and dependency on harmful energy by over 40%! The concepts are simple yet our consumption habits are not. We would have to radically change our living environments to make any significant impact on our environment such as turning off the TV, the video games, taking cold quick showers, no heat or air-conditioning, turning off the lights when you leave a room, really recycle, buy local, ride a bike to work and sell the car, plant a garden, install 30 solar panels, etc… Some might be practical in moderation, but most are completely unrealistic in our culture.

Companies cashing the billion dollar stimulus checks, promoting products & concepts that most likely won’t make it to market until 2020 if at all, would like you to believe we can create a green planet by building acres of wind and solar farms, tapping thermal energy from the planet, harvesting wind in the stratosphere or even free-unlimited energy from a parallel universe. But when the bubble pops these concepts will be what they really are – quick ways to make money for a few individuals. 1998 Business plans are being dusted off, re-written and being submitted for a quick buck. Not a lot of new anything has been put into them. Simply change the name with something “green” in the title, add a byline “saving the planet”, and the next millionaire is made.

What accountability has been placed on these companies? Did we learn much from the dot com crash? We’re pounding hard on GM, banks and other companies that requested stimulus dollars but have we put any similar expectations on “green” funded technologies? The buzz word green is truly green, but not the green they are promoting.

No corporation is going to sell you “green”. Green is a personal responsibility, not so much for the planet because I’m quite sure it will outlive us, as the next stage in our evolution. Green is tied directly to the quality of our social & environmental growth as a society. Ending wars, starvation, and providing every human with basic freedoms, education, and a quality of life is as simple as “green” gets.