Imagine America

Today's the one year anniversary of the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. There will be finger pointing and updates and sadness. There should also be imagination.

Imagine if we did not have to live like this. If we had other ways to run our cars and our economy.

Be inspired on this unfortunate day to support clean energy.

Don't listen to the ominous sounds from those who make money off the burning of fossil fuels including the politicians who stuff their wallets with big oil or big coal's dirty money. They directly benefit from no progress, no imagination. They love the status quo.

Focus our patriotism on helping America establish a renewable energy economy, one that includes jobs and our legacy of innovation. 

Clean Energy is a $188 billion industry. Solar, wind, and biofuels alone are expected to grow to $349.2 billion in the next decade and that just scratches the surface.

Support a federal policy on clean energy, a price on carbon, feed-in tariffs, longer-term Department of Energy renewable grants, and transparency around fossil fuel's true costs (monetary, health, security).

Don't settle for third. China attracted $34.6 billion in clean energy investments in 2009, more than any other country. The US came in third with only $18.6 billion. China also created one million jobs in its clean energy sector in 2010.

Don't settle for dirty air, either. Burning fossil fuels generates $120 billion in health costs per year, mainly due to premature deaths from pollution.

There will be growing pains, it will not happen overnight, but instead of feeling helpless and sad, imagine a clean energy economy. We can do it. We need to do it.