Green Is the New Red, White & Blue

Thomas Friedman: Green Is the New Red, White & Blue Posted by jenna_mcknight at 5/13/2011 10:42 AM CDT While this week’s AIA convention feels quieter than recent years, the annual event -- now in its 144th year -- got off to a strong start Thursday morning, with thousands of attendees filling the main ballroom at the New Orleans convention center for the opening keynote address. The two-hour session, led by AIA President Clark Manus, included brief presentations by Robert Ivy, the institute’s new CEO (and former editor in chief of Architectural Record), and Steve McDowell of BNIM, the 2011 Firm of the Year. But the star of the show was Thomas Friedman, the New York Times foreign affairs columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner (he’s won three of them!).  Photo courtesy Wikipedia For his rousing presentation, Friedman pulled material from his recently updated book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution, and How It Can Renew America, first published in fall 2008.  The book’s central tents are that America 1) needs to stop being such an irresponsible pig; and 2) needs to lead the charge in developing sustainable energy sources that will mitigate global climate change. If it doesn’t do these two things, the U.S., once a powerhouse of innovation, will be left in the dust. Friedman said he was inspired to write the book due to a “deep concern that our country had lost its groove.” He noted that Americans have been taking the same harmful approach to managing the economy and the environment: under-price risks, privatize gains, and socialize losses. In time, this approach will be catastrophic. To continue our comfortable way of life well into the future, we need to revive the system of sustainable values that were in place decades ago. “If we don’t return to those values, we are going to be more ‘unfree’ than if the Soviets had won the Cold War,” Friedman said. He added: “When you’re dealing with the markets and Mother Nature, you’re dealing with the two most powerful, emotionless forces on the planet. ... One of these days, they will really show us what they’ve got.” Given the exploding global population and impending energy shortage, another course of action for the U.S. should be the creation of “abundant, cheap, clean, and reliable electrons.” “This is going to be the next big global industry,” he said, noting that the U.S. should step up and take the reigns. “Green is the new red, white, and blue.” He added that the green movement currently afoot in the U.S. is no revolution. “Have you been to a revolution where nobody got hurt?” he said. “We’re having a green party.” The profusion of lists on how to easily and cheaply “save the planet” indicate how uncommitted we are to the green revolution. True change will require sacrifices – and strong, tough-love leadership and policies. Friedman likes to tell people: “Change your leaders, not your light bulbs.