The Green Gameplan: How can we move forward?

Here are some ideas I thought of and shared in class:

 1.    An Enviro-fund. Create a national fund for green energy development, which works like company shares. Members of the public would be able to purchase quantities of it and reap returns in the long term. This would provide the capital for R&D and initial equipment. It is preferable to have these created and managed by private organizations – such that there is a bottomline that would ensure a sustained effort towards real growth and development. Since the green industry is clearly a potential area for growth, and if the country’s policy is clear that it will increasingly rely on it, such an Enviro-fund can be marketed as a low-risk, high-return long-term investment. I feel that this may be an innovative way of pooling together the funds of the public to raise necessary capital to move green technology forward. Not only will it raise fund – the fact that people have a stake in it will also shift their mindsets to be more pro-green energy, which is crucial for such a green revolution.

2.    An alternative way to raise awareness and shift mindsets. Other than the traditional way of educating the public about the goodness of green tech, perhaps business idea competitions focusing on innovative ways of applying green technology could be organized. Not only will this be a cheap way of garnering new ideas (solving the problem of the innovation deficit in the energy industry), it will also get the younger generation to think about what they can do to effect change. Instead of spoon-feeding information, such competitions would nudge students to find the answers for themselves, and such experiential learning would leave a more lasting impression on students. (Similar to how the education industry is increasingly moving towards such an approach.) Creating their own ideas would also create a sense of ownership. Therefore, other than ensuring the technical and financial aspects are sound, it is also important to ensure that society’s hearts and minds are ready for such change – especially that of the young generation, which would eventually become the movers and shakers of the next stage of the world’s development.