Sustainable Business Tip: Embrace Clean Energy
Posted by Kelly Smith on Thu, Jun 10, 2010
Forty-five days after the deadly explosion at BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig, oil continues to gush into the Gulf of Mexico. Attempts to stop the flow of the oil continue to fail. Coastal economies and ecologies are at great risk, and people working to clean up the oil spill are getting sick. Despite BP's continued apologies and assurances that the end is in sight, some experts are now saying that the oil will continue to flow for many more months, perhaps even until December.
This is unacceptable. Many failures led to this disaster in the first place, and it is so frustrating for us all to sit around watching the lack of a successful response in the wake of this tragedy. However, quibbling about regulatory agencies or emergency plans does not solve the underlying problem. Our excessive reliance on fossil fuels will continue to cause problems until we can wean ourselves from this unhealthy energy source.
President Obama promised on Wednesday that "The next generation will not be held hostage to energy sources from the last century." Indeed, clean, green energy is the power of the future. So why did the Minerals Management Service grant a new drilling permit for offshore Louisiana later in the day on Wednesday?
In the wake of mining disasters and oil spills and effects of global climate change, now is absolutely the time for all of us to get serious about renewable energy. All businesses and organizations that are serious about the environment need to take immediate action to conserve energy and invest in our clean energy future.
Yes, this includes oil companies, and it includes BP. We hear the apologies, but being sorry means acting sorry, too. I'd like to see BP match their oil spill cleanup expenditures with investment in green energy technology and purchases of green electricity. I'd like too see BP live up to their advertising slogan, Beyond Petroleum.