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Joe Nyangon

TEDCRED 50+
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Why has "green consumption" of sustainable products (e.g. Whole Foods, Toyota Prius) not permeated electricity consumption?

While many consumers have embraced sustainable products (eg. Whole Foods, Toyota Prius), that ethos has not yet permeated electricity consumption. Why do you think this is the case? Will it always be like this? Will renewable energy consumption be driven only by government mandates? Why? Or do you think this will change? If the marketplace were fair and rational, there would be no need for subsidies and mandates for the renewables and a proper carbon tax would suffice—as is starting to happen in Europe through cap-and-trade system. What will drive the change to clean energy consumption?

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Topics: Clean energy Green Accounting TEDinClass United States Whole Foods alternative energy creativity energy consumption nuclear energy profitable sustainability
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  • Scott W 20+

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    Apr 10 2012: It's not like there's no green development in other industries they just don't garner much if any attention. LEDs and OLEDs for example drastically cut energy consumption drastically over conventional forms of lighting yet if I go into a hardware store they're not even available yet.

    There's also a problem of lack of incentive to update. HVAC-R for example is one of the largest industries when it comes to consumption of electricity and knowing this has made remarkable improvements in the equipment it uses. However it's exceedingly difficult to get customers and businesses to upgrade their equipment except in new construction. It's simply too expensive up-front to replace the equipment unless there is no alternative. That's without even getting into the issue that most old structures were not designed around the idea of conservation or in the case of really old homes even the idea of air conditioning, resulting in extra inefficiencies.
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      Thomas Miller

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      Apr 11 2012: I agree. In most cases, with the folks I talk to on a daily basis, they would love to go green but simply cannot afford the upgrades needed to make that happen.

    • Christopher Kuebler

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      Apr 11 2012: Most people are too consumed worrying about the "Housewives of .... " and what Kim Kardashian is doing to concern themselves with these issues

      • Scott W 20+

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        Apr 11 2012: Funny you should mention that I have an image saved specifically about that, it's difficult at times to care what happens to a planet filled with people like that.

      • Ann Dennison

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        Apr 12 2012: "Housewives of ...." - we housewives (or some of us) are the very ones who are worried about living within the "planetary budget" - we do it at home every week, we don't understand why our governments don't do it (financially), and we are the people raising the next generation. We WANT to have green alternatives that help us, help the planet, and help future generations!

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