alternative fuels
Dark clouds of crisis have a shiny silver lining called alternative energy
There are strong signs of a rebound for the alternative energy sector, but how soon will green jobs start impacting the U.S. job market? Though the U.S is surrounded by economic, security, and climate crisis – can green technologies really save us from ourselves?
Some say alternative energy could spark the next “industrial revolution”. It’s time to roll up our sleeves and get dirty. Click here for a must-read article from Manufacturing.net that just may provide some fuel for thought!
I’ll trade you a cup of water for my new Prius?
At The Churchill Club of Silicon Valley’s Annual Top Ten Tech Trends Debate in May, five prominent venture capitalists argued about which trends are going to gain traction in the coming year. Joe Schoendorf, partner at Accel Partners, and past vice president of marketing for Apple, had the crowd nodding as he advanced the prediction that water technology will replace global warming as an international priority.
Schoendorf explained that the world is running out of usable water and that this is a higher immediate threat than global warming.
Energy production consumes large volumes of water…coal, nuclear and biomass gasification all require water. According to a report on theoildrum.com a 50 million gal/yr plant will use 600,000 gallons of water a day – much of it used to dissipate the heat of the process. Gasoline refining processes use about 3 – 4.5 gallons of water for every gallon of gas.
Do you have a plan?
Revisit History and Improve its Outcome
History does seem to repeat itself, though there’s no assurance the outcome will be the same.
U.S. President-elect Obama has pledged to boost the economy with the single largest new investment in U.S. infrastructure since the 1950s when President Eisenhower created the interstate highway system. Obama believes it’s critically important for the nation to rebuild its highways, bridges, roads, ports, air and train systems. Expectations include big spending on electrical grids, public transportation, dams and alternative fuels. The cost analysts estimate a range of $700 billion to $1 trillion and the creation of 2.5 million jobs. If this plan goes through, a long-suffering U.S. manufacturing industry may stand to benefit.
For well over a century, the United States manufacturing industry has been a global leader. In recent years, the “brain drain” of talent, labor and material outsourcing to other countries has greatly damaged a pivotal and prosperous U.S. workforce.
If our country truly follows the path Obama has proposed, this may be America’s second chance to reinvigorate what was once the core of its burgeoning economy. It may however require a fundamental shift in corporate practices for our country to reap the full benefits.
Perhaps, today’s business leaders can literally follow Obama’s plan by not only creating jobs for workers but specifically bringing back to our country the strategic positions that have been outsourced in recent years. Companies can dip into the current unemployment pool and have their choice of highly qualified people with hard-earned engineering and technology degrees. Their knowledge and skill is most important to us as we plan and implement infrastructure improvements.
Groundbreaking news or not, maybe this is an opportunity, long overdue, to rebuild a loyalty to company, industry, and country, all of which has been tarnished in recent times.
What do you think the outcome will be?
