GO GREEN: Hype, Hoax or Hope?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the worldManagement Applications.
population is expanding at a mind-boggling rate. TheIn a speech to the National Academy of Sciences,
world reached 1 billion people in 1800; 2 billion by 1922;President Obama outlined a bold commitment to basic
and over 6 billion by 2000. It is estimated that theand applied research, innovation and education. 
population will swell to over 9 billion by 2050. ThatPresident Obama outlined RE-ENERGYSE.
means that if the world’s natural resources wereRE-ENERGYSE (REgaining our ENERGY Science and
evenly distributed, people in 2050 will only have 25%Engineering Edge), will be jointly funded by the
of the resources per capita that people had in 1950.Department of Energy and the National Science
Why Go GreenFoundation.
The word green comes from the Old English wordRE-ENERGYSE (REgaining our ENERGY Science and
grene, or, in its older form, groeni. This adjective isEngineering Edge), would fund new undergraduate
closely related to the Old English verb growanand graduate energy curriculum and research
(“to grow”) and goes back into Westernopportunities to prepare up to 8,500 highly educated
Germanic and Scandinavian languages.young scientists and engineers to enter clean energy
Culturally, green has broad meanings. In somefields by 2015 alone. Technical training and K12 funding
cultures, green symbolizes hope and growth.  Thewould support hundreds of programs nationwide to
most common associations are found in its ties totrain thousands more technically skilled clean energy
nature. Green is also associated with regeneration,workers. ENERGYSE will support:
fertility and rebirth for its connections to nature.- An education and outreach campaign that uses
Recent political groups have taken on the color asmovies, radio, cyber-learning, television, classroom
symbol of environmental protection and social justice,curriculum, social networks, and local science
and consider themselves part of the Greenmuseums to capture the imagination of young
Movement, some naming themselves Green Parties.people, and teach them about the role that science
This has led to similar campaigns in advertising, asand technology can play in addressing our energy
companies have sold green, orchallenge
environmentally-friendly, products.- Energy research opportunities for undergraduates
In times past, GREEN was a movement of- Educational opportunities for women and
environmental-sensitive and eco-friendly products andunderrepresented minorities who seek careers in the
services. Green organizations like ThreeHugger,clean energy sector
ThinkGreen, WorldWatch, PlanetGreen, GreenOrg,- Partnerships between industry and two-year and
and GreenSpace commission was to create a culturefour-year colleges to strengthen education for
of environmental responsibility through recycling,technicians in the clean energy sector, focusing on
energy-saving, water and gas consumption reductioncurriculum development, teacher training, and career
initiatives to name a few.pathways from high schools to community colleges
Presently, the GO GREEN scope has broadened. - Interdisciplinary energy graduate programs at the
GREEN is developing low-frequency emissionmaster’s and Ph.D. level that integrate science,
processing circuits, water and energy consumption toengineering, entrepreneurship, and public policy
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)- Individual fellowships to graduate students and
and Sustainable, Renewable, and Recyclablepostdoctoral researchers involved in the frontiers of
Technologies.  In fact, GREEN has spawned a newclean energy research
generation of Green Jobs, Green Workers, GreenIn close, Green is not merely about
Education, and Green Economy.  In order for theenvironmental-sensitive and eco-friendly products and
American people to maintain ourselves players in theservices.
21st century global economy, our Nation mustGREEN, however, is a New Era and a New
innovate, says the Obama Administration.  To thisGeneration of fiscal prudence, integrity, and
end, GREEN initiatives will create careers in Science,accountability, sustainable products and technologies,
Technology, Engineering, Mathematics industries andcost-saving and reduction, organizational productivity
energy efficiency and renewable energy industriesand efficiency, sustainable buildings, construction, and
such as Wind Turbine, Solar Photovoltaic,schools, human consumption and conservatism, and
Environmental Technology, Green Building, Sustainablerecyclable technologies.
Construction, Sustainability and Ecological Literacy,In short, GREEN is about creating a sustainable
HVAC Upgrades, Indoor Air Quality, Lighting Retrofits,America that can continue to thrive, flourish, and
Building Automation Upgrades, and Energycompete in the 21st century global economy.