Many people are criticizing President Barack Obama for the failed Solyndra debacle. However, if you look across Party lines, you’ll see that one of his main competitors in this year’s U.S. presidential race, Mitt Romney, has had similar failures of his own – green technology investments that also have gone belly-up but aren’t quite getting the same amount of press.
Solyndra and Beacon Power are not the only government-supported green technology companies that have been unsuccessful recently. Just a few months after both businesses filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Fisker Automotive – a manufacturer of exotic electric vehicles – looks like its “accelerator” is stuck, and its future remains up in the air.
Today’s escalating gas prices make up the kindling that is fueling a major political blaze that have Republicans and Democrats in a heated match-up: U.S. President Barack Obama is using the gas prices to push the need for a greater mix of energy sources, while his Republican opponents are expected to push drilling – an idea Obama believes is condescending to the American people.
We all think about the new opportunities that green technology affords the United States – new jobs created in areas such as solar power, the wind turbine manufacturing industry and biodiesel fuel. But have you really thought about the industries that actually will take a hit as green technology becomes more rampant – much like the newspaper industry took a hit with the advent of the Internet?
Many celebrities have their own social causes: Think Christina Aguilera and how she was the global spokesperson for 2011 World Hunger Relief, or think Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie, who highlights global issues such as hygiene, sanitation and water. But what about the ones who are zeroing in on the ozone layer, focusing on real green technology issues that also affect the world?
You probably know that civil engineers are the ones who are responsible for the safety of your roads. You also likely are aware that electrical engineers are the experts who oversee the development of electrical equipment, such as lighting in buildings, to ensure their safety when you use it. But who is in charge of making sure that the water you drink and the air you breathe won’t kill you?
From outdoor heating lamps to solar collectors, many companies in January introduced environmentally friendly products in Chicago – the home of U.S. Green Technology – during one of the largest global expositions in the heating and refrigerating industry. What does this mean? It means that pretty much every industry you can think of is taking green technology seriously: It’s becoming a staple of modern living.
