Green governement should lead the way

There's a lot of talk about going green, green incentives, green initiatives, etc. But so much of it seems to be lip service. I propose that our government - federal, state and local -- should be leading the way and setting the example of exactly how we can cut the cord of oil dependence.

My manifesto?

1) All government agencies should be paperless. Forms, applications, documents, registrations? All electronic. 100% by year end. No hard copies stored.

2) The switchover to green energy should start immediately in all government buildings. What a great use for stimulus money! Allow companies that sell solar power and wind power equipment to bid on green retrofitting of all government buildings by year's end. No lengthy process. Just choose a company and go.

3) All school lunches should immediately be switched to vegetarian ingredients. Crops use far less resources than animals, and school lunches account for a large and controllable segment of meat purchases and consumption. Healthier for the kids, too, which will reduce medical care needs. Follow this with all vegetarian in government agency and legistlative dining rooms. Oh, and don't forget the White House and all Governors' Mansions.

4) Telecommuting immediately available for all jobs that do not require face-to-face interaction or the use of machinery or equipment not available at home. That would free up a lot of space in government buildings, which could be converted in green research labs, homeless or transitional housing, or sold off to pay down debts and reduce ongoing facility costs.

5) Convert or replace all government vehicles with hybrids, hydrogen cell, solar or other clean (or cleaner) fuel sources. Again, great use for Stimulus $$$. Think of all the jobs created for this switch over! Making cars, building fueling stations, etc.

Five steps. Just five. Oh, but what a revolution those five would be!

The government gets into green business advice

A government website can help you on the road to building or expanding your green business. The business.gov site has a green side many eco-friendly business owners may not know about.

Look for practical, to the point advice including:

* Energy efficiency guidelines, suggestions and resources
* Environmental management and liability Management
* Grants, loans and incentives to fund your green business
* Government contracting opportunities
* Green commuting options including telecommuting and shared remote sites
* Green marketing rules, including what companies can and cannot legally say about their green products
* Green product development ideas
* Pollution prevention and recycling
* Case studies from real green companies -- learn from those who have been there

While some of the information is common sense, there are a lot of valuable tips and links on the site, some of which could save your company from making some costly mistakes.