Governor Kulongoski of Oregon, my home state, has stated a vision of combating global warming with both a state economy and general Oregon lifestyle that is cleaner and greener than the rest of the nation.
“Climate change is the most important environmental and economic issue of our time,” Governor Kulongoski said (the added emphasis is mine). Why can’t more politicians grasp this essential connection, that it’s the emerging green economy, with thousands of new green jobs, that can take us into the future?
Besides more energy conservation and renewable energy production, he wants to set a goal to reduce the number of miles driven in cars. (Every gallon of gas a car burns releases 20 pounds of carbon emissions into the atmosphere). He’s actually already made headway on this goal this past summer with his Governor’s Commuter Challenge, which saw state employees in the Capitol reduce their carbon emissions by 593,000 pounds through increasing their use of public transit, bicycling and carpooling. (I know this because I led the Challenge.) The participants saved more than $125,000 in gas money — dollars that got to largely nourish local Oregon economies rather than oil interests overseas.
That’s just one example of how economic and environmental solutions can go hand in hand. I am a little less sold on electric cars being the key to the nation’s transportation future. But at any rate, he is my kind of governor.
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