GREEN BUSINESS VIEWS

As everyone looks to the government to prop up “Cutting Edge” Green industries, there may be a better solution.  One of the first suggestions is to know that the newly created (or funded) Green programs are viable in a scenario that is not artificially promoted by over-hype advocates.  At the end of the cycle of Green business, these promotes must exist in a competitive market.  Solyndra was already in trouble as the Chinese had a more efficient process and a better product under way.  The blind-enthusiasm to put money into any program with Green energy behind it has cost America a half billion dollars, and undoubtedly there are some politicians with fatter wallets and dirty hands.

The fact is the Green business can be found everywhere.  I believe that a Green business may well be a very traditional business that has made a significant change in its building, operation, and its people.  It need not product a Green product to be a Green business.  A vegan does not stop eating.  They simply change their diet.  So while the vegan still consumes food, they changed their behavior.  A Green business can continue to do the business that they did before, but now they are committed to a higher standard.

We can create more Green businesses and develop more Green jobs if we realize that we don’t have to invent them from scratch.  Not, that that isn’t a good idea.  Let’s just not think of a Green business or Green jobs as tied to a Green energy product only.

Also, small and medium size business need access to capital markets and financial resources as well.  Why do the brilliant politicians throw millions at speculative Green energy businesses when the businesses which are the backbone of the country are constantly worried about new regulations, new taxes, and tight money markets?  If we want Green businesses and Green jobs, why not incentivize the millions of regular businesses to Go Green?

The start costs of Greening an existing business is already paid.  The chances of success are far greater than start ups.  The results will be more widespread.  The concepts of promoting Green has become extraneous because the best efforts go to the worst candidates.  In the spirit of “Invest in America,” we should look to the existing businesses in this country and help them get better.

Yes, we should leave room for the innovative and new project, but the business plan needs to be more than high speculation.  Green jobs come from Green businesses.  Why not put our best efforts behind the best bet for success?  No matter how many innovations that are funded, we should not forget the heart of the job-creation machine.

We should promote innovation and new Green ideas, but we must put our strength behind existing businesses that need to be Green and promoting a Green program.

When considering Green Business League, the truth about this program is that the company has taken a bold stance in a difficult market.  A simple Google search of Green programs and certifications will reveal that this sector has been filled with pretenders and money-programs of all sorts.  The fact that one company stood up and required that all certifications be done by a live audit is commendable and worthy of praise.  The rest seem to represent a “Race to the Bottom” as each new contender promotes a cheaper or easier way to get a Green certification.

The truth about the Green Business League is that it trained people to perform these audits and to create a consulting business by virtue of their training.  The training required three days of training, more than fifteen modules of information, an exam and ongoing support for this team of professionals.  In a day when we are calling for more Green jobs, it should be best to encourage such an endeavor.

The Green Business League started as a vision that had a mission to create a credible program of Green business certification.  The goal was also to create a uniform measure for grading and certification of those businesses using a point system that could not be cheated.  Rather than a checklist that was done by self-audit, the system required a third-party audit that verified the results.  This had not been done, but it needed to be done.

What was the alternative?  Sign up on a website and filing in some forms that no one ever checked?  Would the whole program come down to a “Pay to Play” program that was about as credible as your Blockbuster card?  Without a review or audit program, everything else was entirely subjective and qualifications were whatever this group chose to make it.

So, the joy that some may have at trying to harm a credible Green program is shameless and counter-intuitive.  Across America, enthusiastic people have stepped forward to serve their community as Green consultants and assist confused businesses in their environmental program.  These are not careless types that take up space.  They put their heart and soul into their work.  They volunteer on committees and work with area projects to make a serious environmental  impact.  They engage the businesses of their community and develop tailored sustainability plans for those they serve.

Companies that engage one of the many quality Green Consultants of the Green Business League will be well served.  In the end, they will have the support and guidance that serves them well.  The truth about the Green Business League is that it is a worthy program that deserves the support of every community and committed business.

A decade of hopeful promotion for Green jobs and Green industries reveals some ugly facts about how we erect sacred cows that may not be as sacred as we though.  As one who considers himself a pragmatic environmentalist, I have some very bad feelings about the path some have taken to promote the dire straits of the world.  Solyndra seems to be just the tip of the iceberg as two other solar panel companies have recently gone under as well.

Here the unspoken truth, many environmental causes have learned the “Squeaky Wheel” routine.  Of course, Al Gore may be the epitome of the squeaky wheel having argued loud and hard about global warming only to find that his predictions, science, and arguments where more passion than substance.  The way to get noticed and get funding is to create an impending crisis built in hypothesis that no one is supposed to challenge.  The environmental loyalists are like flat worlders, who dare not defy the theory of a flat world no matter how much their science lacks in fact.

Solyndra came into existence because of political expedience and the belief that we were running out of fuel to run the country.  We later found out that there is enough gas and oil in America for the next one hundred years or more.  The graphs and charts were wrong as new reserves were found and more economic systems were brought into place.  And, no one thought to check that the Chinese were beating Solyndra to death in solar panel production.

I feel betrayed by the naive or ideology-driven policies of President Obama and his crew.   I also feel that I have been hoodwinked by money-driven environmental programs that hype the realities in order to get funding and contracts.  This is reminiscent of the secret emails that finally revealed the global warming scientist did not want to let the real facts get out, but skewed the numbers in order to drive governments to adopt aggressive environmental programs that perpetuated their careers.

Bad science, false claims, and outright deceit will ruin the environmental cause, and it seems that none dare say this too loudly.  The truth is scary enough.  I do not think that we need to perpetuate a doomsday approach to every environmental issue.  If the world is millions of years old, then we have managed to make it through more than a few crisis problems.  The Black Death of the Dark Ages wiped out millions.  Wars have done the same.  Even Hitler’s genocide  did not end the Jewish race.

It is well past time to stop the lying no matter how much some cause might conjecture about a holocaust scenario.  I wonder if there isn’t some perverted death wish for those who would rather be right about the damnation of the earth than to work on its salvation.  How many lies are yet to come forth from the doomsday environmental prophets?  How many embarrassments will eventually be revealed before environmental programs are dismissed like the idiocy of the town drunk?

Obama’s Green jobs is likely made of the same ingredients as Jim Jones’ Koolaid.   If we drink from this poison fountain, we will kill ourselves in blind allegiance to a misbegotten cause.  Honesty can not be displaced by expediency, but this has become the standard today.  Lying is justified by self-serving loyalty and an unspoken agreement to support an environmentalist agenda that paves the way for a new control group.

As one who believes in a pragmatic environmental approach, I am upset and appalled at the wholesale acceptance of false and skewed science as the device that brings us to these kinds of embarrassing revelations.  Honesty is not just the right thing to do.  It is the only way that we can find our way to the real tomorrow that we must all face.

At some point, mosquitoes will attempt to ruin your summer fun, but there are a number of ideas that can improve your life.  DEET is the common anti-bug spray, and DEET is effective.  Most people who look at the health impact of DEET will quickly start looking for other solutions.  Get proactive and work on eliminating breeding areas.  Standing water is key here, since most mosquitoes rarely travel more than a quarter mile from their place of birth.

Mosquitoes like tall grass because they can hide there, and they actually get nourishment from water trapped in in very small areas.  Mosquitoes do not live on blood.  They need blood for reproduction.  That is why male mosquitoes do not bite.  Mosquitoes feed on small prey found in the wild.  So, keep weeds mowed, and find a way to drain standing water.

Nonetheless, when mosquitoes do attack, here are some ways to keep them away, naturally.

Yarrow tea or Lemon balm. You can mist this on your body to repel mosquito bites. This is a safe and affective way to protect yourself.

Pure vanilla actually repels mosquitoes. You must use real and not imitation vanilla.  Mosquitoes are not the only bugs that don’t like vanilla, so it’s good to keep around. You can put vanilla on your pulse points to keep away the bugs.

Lavender. Although Lavender smells wonderful to us, bugs hate it. You can use the flower to rub on your skin or use the oil on your pulse points just as you would for perfume. This is proof that you don’t have to smell like a chemical to keep away the bugs.

Garlic. By eating garlic, you will repel mosquitoes (and maybe a few people too). Mosquitoes hate garlic and will not come near it.

Citronella. The most common way to avoid mosquito bites when outdoors is to use a citronella candle. Planting marigolds around your house can also discourage them from hanging around. You can likewise use citronella oil on your skin as a repellent.

Here is a simple way to make your own bug repellant

• 2 teaspoons of any of the following essential oils: basil, cedar wood, citronella, juniper, lemon, myrrh, pine, rose geranium or rosemary (available at health food stores)
• 1 cup 190-proof grain alcohol (available at liquor stores)
• Place ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously. Transfer to a small bottle for storage. To use, rub a small amount on exposed skin, though test first to make sure skin does not react negatively.

Mosquitoes are driven by scent and CO2 that animals and people exhale.  Some suggest that nearby traps will help eliminate bugs of all types.  This is true.  If you confuse the insect or draw it away, your family may get more time outside.

It struck me that indoor air quality is a critical part of any Green home or building.  During a recent trip to examine a new home for my family, we looked into an REO (Real Estate Owned) that was price very attractively.  The house had been one of the infamous foreclosures, and had been vacant for over a year.  Frankly, the house was beautiful and seemed like a real possibility.  But, remember that I am super-concerned about an environmentally-safe home as well.

During the vacancy (maybe before), the house had a mold problem.  The bank had tried to get the problem solved by “Painting Over” the mold with a moldicide paint.  It did a good job of covering the mold, but whoever had taken this job was trying to fool everyone.  There are certain things that must be done to solve a mold problem, and they had forgotten the cardinal rule.  They did not identify and remove the source of the mold.  So, I knew that not only was this house “Toxic” and dangerous to my family, I knew that the mold would come back.  How many other homes have a mold problem?  The truth is sadly impressive.

This brings me to the point.  In all the discussions about Green jobs, there seems to be very few other ideas than solar panel installers.  Well, I have big news for everyone.  Mold remediation can be a Green job!  If you can take a toxic home and make it healthy again, then this is a basic Green concept.  This would be only a little different from the Detoxification services that are out there.  People are being paid to go in and remove or change out the toxic sources in buildings and homes. 

Mold is a toxic as seen on the EPA website.  However, getting rid of mold is not as easy as changing out your cleaning products.  This takes some skill, training, and construction experience.  Does the convergence of these ideas mean that we have discovered one of those elusive Green jobs that no one has discovered?

It occurs to me that there are a lot of construction people out of business.  Construction experience is crucial to mold remediation services.  Add some training to a skilled construction person, and the ability to transition to a new, Green career is pretty obvious.  Of course, every job like this needs a market that allows a person to make a good income.  Well, think about it!  The enormous volume of repossessed and vacant homes are a literal breeding ground for mold.

Anyone who is ready to take their skills to the next level will find that there are thousands of homes that are in need of mold inspection and remediation.  Banks have the money.  We game them billions in the folly of the stimulus package, so why not get some of your money back?  Banks cannot sell these toxic REO’s and there are a lot of people out there with the skills that can be reshaped to address this problem

I recommend the Certified Mold Technician course is the easy way to get the training.  This course is offered online, and the price is modest.  Frankly, this is one of those jobs that isn’t expensive if you already have some tools and skills.  Take the training and present yourself as the much-needed solution to a big, big problem in your community.  You may well have to call up the old crew to keep up with the work.

Tough times does mean that anyone needs to give up.  Sometimes the next opportunity is merely a matter of retooling your skills and finding a new opportunity that will propel you into the next successful phase of your life.  It seems entirely logical that some of the unemployed construction people in this country should be the perfect solution for a serious mold concern for all these vacant homes.