Green swoosh-type divider line

Bio-Trends for 2011

Green swoosh-type divider line

  • October 18, 2010

 

Eco-Smart



Will Solar White House --> More Eco-Friendly Buildings?

(Biotech, Life Science Trends I See for 2011)

My guess is, probably not. At least not in the way the first lady's kitchen garden on the White House grounds inspired city gardening.

In fact, there's nearly a "heaven and earth" gap between the simple (and inexpensive) act of planting veggie seeds in the ground and the far more complex and costly installation of solar panels on one's roof, even with tax credits. We're still in a recession, after all, and Mrs. Obama's garden reflects the nation's conservation mentality that was in place during another first lady's encouragement to become a "back-door locavore" -- Eleanor Roosevelt's Victory Garden.

Leading by example is good. Very good. Especially in an area where the "greater good" such as the environment requires the cooperation of "the many" and the Tragedy of the Commons is an all-too-common tragedy.

But in this economy, I can't imagine any significant number of US homeowners rushing out to install solar panels on their roofs just because the White House announced plans to do in 2011 at the First annual GreenGov Symposium.

Here's why:

1) It didn't happen when Jimmy Carter or George Bush had solar panels installed in the White House.  Granted, the technology may be better and payback may be quicker, but still…retrofitting an existing building for conserving energy is probably not top of mind in this economy.

2) If someone's got to spend a whole bunch of money that will put a real dent in their savings account and will take 3-5 years to recoup their investment (or possibly longer, depending on where you live), will they do it? Even if it helps reduce greenhouse gases? How many homeowners can barely afford their mortgages as it is, are fearful of losing their jobs, are planning on moving soon and worried about recouping their investment?

3) Local zoning restrictions (although the most restrictive are being amended for single-family dwellings.

4) Building orientation, a steeply-sloped roof, large trees or man-made structures blocking sunlight.

5) Vandalism in some neighborhoods.
I'm not anti-green, as anyone who reads our monthly reports or our blog posts knows. But I think many of the "smart grid" initiatives that provide consumer feedback on energy use will do more for saving energy (especially in an urban environment) than installing solar panels on the roof. We'll explore smart grids and unusual "green" and "off the grid" living structures in another BioTrend 2011.

Filed under: Government/Legislation; Green

Introduction

The Human Condition
.....This is Your Brain on ...
..........Music
..........Food
..........Gardening
.....Aging Population
..........Youthful Aging
.....Human Nature - so What's New?
.....The Past In/Is Our Future

New Human Realities
.....Health Awareness
.....Multi-tasking and "Always-on"
.....Science & Education
.....Complexifying Simplicity
.....Globalization
.....Economic Influences & Consequences
.....New Controversies & Dilemmas
.....Privacy Issues

Actions Speak Louder …
.....The New Philanthropy
.....Cooperation Rising
.....Funding, IPOs, IP

Tech Tools
.....E-books & E-learning
..........Why Print Won't Die
.....Simplifying Complexity
.....The Cloud (Computing)
.....At the Speed of … a Tweet

Eco-Smart
.....Appropriate & Sustainable Tech
.....Ag-Bio - Green Superpower
.....Going Green
..........Home Solar
..........Business
.....Future Transport

Some Bio-Picks (no "movie" pun intended)
.....Biomimicry
.....Disappearing Biodiversity
..........Impact of Monoculture and Locavorism
.....All Kinds of Omics
.....All things Nano

  • blue twitter logo
LinkedIn Logo Facebook logo

 

Bookmark and Share

Login



alta vista babel fish
To traslate this page, click a flag!
flag flag flag flag flag flag flag flag

Advertisements

Eden's Bounty Multi-SanTM
Colorless, odorless, biodegradable instant sanitizer is effective against both gram positive and gram-negative bacteria; kills in 30 seconds. Free of chlorine and quaternary ammonium compounds. EPA registered food contact surface sanitizer. Austin Davis Industries, Inc.
TERRA+ CLEAN Acid-Replacement Surface Cleaner
Safe, totally natural, 100% biodegradable, multi-functional cleaning product providing safety in the workplace for both humans and environmental surfaces - without compromising performance. Can be diluted up to 25:1. Austin Davis Industries, Inc.