Green Plans, Revised Ed: Blueprint for a Sustainable Earth

Afterword to the Third Edition

Having observed the progress in the Green Plan countries for nearly twenty years, and having reported my findings in three editions of this book, it is clear to me that the approach works. I believe history will look back and see the success of the European Union and the Green Plan countries as an important transition point in this era of worldwide change. History will also show that an unexpected benefit of this merger of economy and the environment—which had to be linked together in order for genuine sustainability to succeed— will be that the merger has given life to the concept of sustainability . This new perspective has serious implications for the United States. Since World War II we have been able to impose upon the world our view that economic prosperity is the dominant issue. Our habit of ignoring the environment has blinded us to the emerging power of sustainability. But the world has been evolving, and in our belief that we could keep the old way going, we have failed to keep pace. When the Green Plan nations, particularly the eu nations, began to see the need to balance environment and economic development, we resisted; refusing, for example, to join the rest of the world in signing the Kyoto Treaty. In the United States, the fossil fuel industry still enjoys a huge influence in the current political scene— so much so that when the president selected an ambassador to the European Union, he selected a former coal industry spokesperson and lobbyist to promote the president’s position.1 Nevertheless, despite our objections, the eu countries are moving ahead with sustainable policies. Germany, for example, has created a policy of total solar energy for the future. The government will pay for part of all appliances, and every house Afterword to the Third Edition 180 | afterword to the third edition and building is considered a power site. Further, Germany has stated that coal and nuclear energy are poisons; their solar program is underway and will replace them as a resource. While we now lag behind the rest of the world, the United States will scramble, I believe, in the near future. A demonstration of our beginning to move is that a growing number of United States corporations—General Electric, PG&E, Bank of America, Hewlett Packard, Patagonia and others—are seeing the benefits of comprehensive management and are becoming Green—and comfortable with eu standards. I have every reason to believe that the United States will wake up, join, and ultimately become a leader in this new sustainable world. We have what we need to go forward; we do not need to reinvent the wheel. The path toward restoring and maintaining a healthful quality of life is in place and the rest of the world waits, hoping we will take it. Of course, the reality is that the world is complex. The forces opposing change, especially the fossil fuel interests, are powerful and will attempt to maintain their way of domination. One thing I can predict with confidence is that change will steer us in some unexpected directions. So much has happened in the last decade that this book could have been several thousand pages long. However, important information is now constantly being updated and made available on Internet Web sites. I suggest, as a way of beginning, that readers visit our Web site at the Resource Renewal Institute at http:/www.rri.org. From there you will be directed to “Green Plans in Action” and other Green Plan sites as well. Web sites of the Green Plan Countries are as follows. European Union: European Commission—Environment http://ec.europa.eu/environment/index_en.htm The Netherlands: The Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning, and the Environment (vrom) http://international.vrom.nl/pagina.html?id=5450 afterword to the third edition | 181 New Zealand: New Zealand Ministry for the Environment http://www.mfe.govt.nz Singapore: Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (mewr) http://www.mewr.gov.sg ...