Creating the Green Economy

The constant economic news makes it sound like everything is coming to a screeching halt when it comes to the engine of business. On the contrary, the coming green economy will turn out to be far larger than we ever expected.

On the face of it we are now seeing a scaling back of the kind of wasteful and over consumptive economy based on the availability of ever-growing supplies of cheap energy. Despite the recent plunge in oil prices, over the next years and decades to come we will see dramatic increases in these costs.

So the question before us is how do we create an economy which does not require Americans to purchase ever growing quantities of unnecessary and wasteful items. The answer is to support and enhance those industries which are designed to recycle materials and extend the life of the things we use. It will require and shift from a "throwaway" society to a "sustainable" society.

For example, we can increase the reuse of many items. Businesses and industries that repair and help us to reuse items. We need to reclaim the lost art of fixing things. Many items just require a bit of effort to make them usable once again.

We need to rebuild, refurbish, refinish and renovate our homes, offices, public buildings, machines, tools and furniture in ways that increase their lifespan, reduce their energy use and improve their efficiencies

Trade and bartering systems can be encouraged to allow us to resell items we have finished with, but are still valuable to others

We need to create a domestic recycling industry. We must not be dependent on countries such as China to buy our used paper, glass,aluminum and cardboard. We need to support the development of these industries right here in the United States.

As part of our move to grow as much of our own food locally, we must support the creation of local sources of organic compost while diverting all that material from our already over burdened landfills.

Taken together, these industries have the potential to create millions of home grown jobs while reducing our consumption of raw materials all at the same time.

Take the No-Waste Challenge

For most people the proposition of a "waste-free" week sounds pretty impossible. No waste, how do I do that? You'd actually be shocked at how a few little steps can drastically reduce your waste. Why not take the challenge and see how much you can reduce your waste.

Here's how you can have a waste free week:

• Cut the convenience foods. While convenience foods might be, well, convenient, they also come with a ton of packaging. Those prepackaged mash potatoes come in a plastic carton. That box of Chinese takeout comes with loads of Styrofoam trash, plastic forks, and paper napkins. Takeout boxes and convenience foods can fill up your trash can super fast. Instead, take your canvas bag to the farmers' market or grocery store and fill it will tons of wholesome foods like fruits, vegetables, fresh bread, and grains.

• Compost all your used food matter like veggie, fruits, eggshells and some meats. This week, skip on the foods that you can't compost. You can drastically reduce your waste by turning your waste into nourishing soil.

• Curb the consumption. Only buy what you need and don't buy excess. What you do buy should be as locally and sustainably produced as possible.

Good luck and let us know how it goes in the comments.