Earth Day 2013: Envisioning the future

Earth Day 2008 is upon us. Shouldn't we all take into account issues like dwindling natural resources, water pollution, and climate change every day? Is one day really enough? 

Earth Day kicked off in 1970. It was established by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson to "thrust the issue of environmental quality and resources conservation into the political dialogue of the Nation."

Thirty-eight years later, it has done just that-and more. The day has gone international, and so too have the environmental issues that we all face. 

Getting the issues on the national agenda is one thing. Encouraging and integrating policy from the solutions already at hand is proving to be another. 

Looking forward, what can we achieve in say, five years... by the time Earth Day 2013 rolls around? 

I asked this question of Lena Hansen, senior consultant with RMI's Energy & Resources Team. She leads the Institute's work on renewable energy and biofuels, and has additional expertise in demand-side management and carbon strategy for corporations, industry, electric utilities, and governments. 

Her answer was quite profound, and practically speaking, more than achievable: 

• By Earth Day 2013, the United States will have passed meaningful carbon legislation. Whether in the form of a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade program, this legislation will renew the U.S.'s reputation as a world leader in environmental responsibility, and will support private sector innovation around efficiency and whole-system design. 

• In conjunction with this carbon legislation, individual states will have begun to adopt energy efficiency and renewable energy policies and programs that are at least as aggressive as those currently on the books in California. 

• Leading utilities will have shifted their forward planning efforts away from coal-fired power and towards an increased reliance on energy efficiency and renewable energy. 

• This transition can be achieved through the development of strategies that address the variability of wind and solar power, and the implementation of business models that allow utilities to profit from the sale of ‘negawatts.' [Negawatts are units of energy saved by using power more efficiently or at a more suitable time, and therefore made available to other applications.] 

• To facilitate this increased reliance on energy efficiency, leading engineering and design schools will have incorporated whole-system design principles into their core curriculums. 

Education, innovation, and policy -- all driving toward a world in which we use energy more efficiently, more thoughtfully. 

Is Earth Day still a protest, or a day that's furthering the calls for action? 

Andrew Demaria is Rocky Mountain Institute's Director of Content.