16 Ideas for the Planet

Look at the crisis as an opportunity
I think the debate about the climate crisis in this country has been framed the wrong way. We've been talking about it from the perspective of the cost to society, rather than the point of view of the opportunity for profit. People are missing that this is a $4 trillion market for energy, and that's before we factor in the supply-demand imbalances that will occur as China and India ramp up their energy use. There is both a climate crisis and an impending energy crisis, and as Stanford economist Paul Romer has said, a crisis is a terrible thing to waste. Energy is just the capacity to do work, and work is what creates economic output. I'm not against conservation, but the idea that we can conserve our way out of this problem will not hold. If we want to tell the generation that comes after us that they'll be better off than we are, they will need to consume more energy and not less. And the country that figures out how to make that happen will be the leading economic power in the 21st century. That's the message that we ought to be getting out to the country, not that New York will be underwater. Bloom Energy makes fuel-cell systems for on-site power generation: you produce electricity when and where you need it, from natural gas or ethanol or other renewable fuel sources, and it's reliable, clean and more efficient than the "grid."

RICHARD CIZIK
Vice President for Government Affairs, National Association of Evangelicals

God told us to protect his earth
The protection of the environment is a Biblically rooted epic task straight from God. The status quo [of how we are treating the earth] is simply unacceptable. The idea that we can continue as a nation without exhibiting leadership to the rest of the world in this crisis is simply anathema. We have to be at the forefront of providing energy-efficient green solutions across the board, from autos to heating and air conditioning. We have to show leadership if India and China are to follow. Yet we're at the back of the line; that's not American. I'm a Ronald Reagan sunny conservative, and I know for a fact that evangelicals are can-do, solution-oriented entrepreneurs. Instead of looking at global warming as Jerry Falwell has called it, "Satan's diversion," we should see it as a note from God that says, "I said to be a steward, my children. Sin has consequence, and if you pollute this earth there will be a price to pay. But it's not too late, and with my help you can restore Eden." Environmentalism is the civil-rights issue of the 21st century, and one doesn't have to look too far back to see that evangelicals sat on their hands when it came to civil rights for blacks. I refuse to sit on my hands and allow the evangelical heritage to be sullied again, because the very reputation of the evangelical witness is at stake. It's crucial that we not make the mistake of our fathers.

DEIRDRE IMUS
President and Founder, Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology At Hackensack University Medical Center, N.J.

Small changes quickly add up
We are only as healthy as our planet. And, unfortunately, it's obvious that we're not doing a good job in keeping our planet healthy for our children. It's clear to me and to many experts in the field that environmental toxins play a role in some childhood cancers and other illnesses. But people get overwhelmed. They believe the problem is just too big. When people saw "An Inconvenient Truth," they were saying, "How can I save the glaciers? How can I save the polar bears?" All you have to do is make simple changes. Most of us use the same cleaning products our mothers used. Many of the products that we use to keep our homes clean contain toxins, harsh chemicals that are bad for our health and bad for our environment. Why not switch to a nontoxic alternative? There are a lot of great nontoxic household cleansers and detergents on the market. People can even make their own. And you don't have to toss everything out all at once, just change one product at a time. I think that's the secret to not becoming overwhelmed. You have to realize that small changes can add up. All you have to do is make the first one.

ANDY RUBEN
Vice President for Sustainability, Wal-Mart