Positivity, on the subject of climate change

Blog Action Day is an annual event every October 15th that unites the world’s bloggers in writing about the same issue on the same day, with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. Nearly 10,000 people from 150 countries are participating in Blog Action Day 2009 and focusing on the theme of Climate Change. I have many friends and colleagues around the planet, and although I wish we could all agree on what’s important, I’ve come to realize the impossibility of that goal. Still, I do hope that everyone can agree that the current focus in our country on “Green Jobs” represents a lot of phenomenal opportunities that everyone has a chance to participate in.

From my new home town in Boone, North Carolina, the Energy Center at Appalachian State University is providing valuable research and guidance to educators, policymakers and businesses associated with energy technologies and conservation. Earlier this year, the Energy Center published its third volume of the North Carolina Economic Developer’s Guide to the Renewable Energy Industries. Positioning the green economy as today’s growth economy, the guide’s forward explains how the state’s unemployment has soared above 15% in some counties, but also points out that over 2,200 new jobs have been announced within the green energy sector, and rallies readers around this mandate:

Green energy technologies such as renewable energy and energy efficiency are crucial growth opportunities for economic recovery.

The guide can be downloaded at the Energy Center’s site at http://energy.appstate.edu, which is also an amazing resource for learning about other important local, national and international initiatives underway.

The organizers of Blog Action Day 2009 have also posted their own amazing resource, a list of actionable ideas that makes it as easy as possible to participate in important activities addressing climate change. With all of us working together, I’m excited to think about all the lives and the natural resources we can positively impact.

Finally, each day, I encourage you to please visit http://www.thehungersite.com and its related sites supporting Breast Cancer, Child Health, Literacy, Rainforests and Animal Rescues. There, our simple clicks can make huge differences.

The Washington State Department of Ecology views green building as a key player in addressing a number of our states priority environmental issues: mitigating climate change, reducing toxics in our environment, reducing waste (both solid and hazardous), managing storm-water run-off and more. In an effort to describe the opportunities that exist this fast growing market the Construction Center of Excellence and WIRED partnered with Department of Ecology and the Department of General Administration on a film project: Green Building: Jobs of the Future. The film brings together local and national leaders in green building, climate change, manufacturing, and work-force development to make the case for green buildings capacity to create jobs and boost the economy while not further imposing on our environment. In these challenging times, opportunities abound! Video transcript is available here.