Guns Versus Green? Some In Military Eye Sustainability As New Mission
By Scott Kriner, Green Metal Consulting
During WWII the world was faced with shortages of food and supplies. Many countries were challenged with supporting the military machine while keeping bread and butter on their citizen’s dinner tables. In today’s era, there are still challenges facing many nations in this world. But did anyone notice that there is now a discussion of guns versus going green?
An interview featured recently in the GreenSource publication featured very interesting comments from two special strategic assistants to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Their paper, titled “A National Strategic Narrative” is a framework for a major shift in policy. The preface of the article states: “We want to become the strongest competitor and most influential player in a deeply interconnected global system, which requires that we invest less in defense and more in sustainable prosperity and the tools of effective global engagement”. It is important to point out that the paper does not represent the official policy of the US government or military branches.
It does, however, raise the question about how important sustainability is to the strength and future of the United States. The authors feel that we need to make sustainability a national strategic issue for the 21st century. In fact, one author states that “Now is the time to pause and question the path we are on as a civilization, recognizing the complexity and interdependence of what we call the ‘strategic ecology’.”
The premise of their vision of a strategic policy of sustainability is to restore our prosperity and security by exploring ways to improve how we manage, plan and use our energy, agriculture and water resources. From that type of effort, the authors believe we will be a stronger and more secure nation.
The Department of Energy has already coined the phrase SunShot to describe the effort behind making photovoltaic energy more available to the masses. This is analogous to the MoonShot term that President Kennedy used for the project of putting a man on the moon. Now that the Shuttle era has come to an end, maybe the authors of A National Strategic Narrative are correct in that we need some form of a national strategic initiative to rally around.
But wait, help is on the way. To protect our surroundings and keep us safe as we embark on this mission of national sustainability strategy, we have a super hero at our side. Yes, Captain Planet is here to help. Captain Planet embodies the five rings of Earth, Fire, Water, Wind and Heart. His enemy is the polluter and his mission is to make the planet cleaner.
Before you run out to the local comic book store looking for the escapades of Captain Planet, just wait for the movie. Yes, the Angry Filmworks production company, in cooperation with the Cartoon Network, is working to create a series of films featuring Captain Planet. Their followers will be known as the Planeteers. Even MTV has picked up on this news. This is no joke.
In a way this is similar to the television commercial that was first aired during the 2010 SuperBowl showing the “green police” patrolling the streets of America looking for excessive waste and non-sustainable items being used – including inefficient automobiles, incandescent light bulbs, and plastic bags.
So does anyone believe that the first environmentally responsible super hero will fight for sustainable building construction design and metal construction ? Who will be the evil villains working to destroy the environment of the planet? We can all remember how the Japanese army could never completely destroy Godzilla in the series of films and television programs. Could that be the destiny of Captain Planet – never to completely rid the world of all polluters? We’ll have to wait for the movie.
My vote is to see Captain Planet’s headquarters depicted in the movies as a net plus energy Passive House type building featuring sustainable metal components on all of the building envelope surfaces, integrated with futuristic energy generating technologies and collecting rainwater for potable and non-potable uses. Perhaps in today’s society we need a movie and super hero to rally behind in order to help create a national strategic initiative on sustainability.
Scott Kriner is the president and founder of Green Metal Consulting Inc. He is a LEED Accredited Professional who began his career in the metal construction industry in 1981. His company is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, the California Association of Building Energy Consultants and the Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET). Scott can be reached by email at skriner1@verizon.net or by phone at (610) 966-2430. You can also visit him on the web at www.greenmetalconsulting.com.
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