Since 2009, Lubie Love, the blog, has been a place to learn about alternatives specifically as it relates to energy consumption and vehicles. Simply put – there is no excuse for any individual or company to miss the opportunity to positively consume today – should they have an income. This was not the case prior to 2009.
Positive consumption is the outcome of buying a good that reduces or eliminates negative effects or “externalities” for both the individual and the environment.
The auto industry, with leaders like Alan Mulally, Elon Musk, Akio Toyoda, Norbert Reithofer and Carlos Ghosn, have met consumer demand for alternative vehicles. Each major automaker has options to allow for positive consumption. Consumers have to respond by continuing to buy the vehicles.
Of course the choice does not end there. Each delivery that you receive for e-commerce can and should be made with a fuel efficient vehicle. Whether a plane, train or truck, companies have alternatives that positively enhance their profits today.
In 2010, GASLAND – The Movie, by Josh Fox, focused the counter debate on energy exploration and the luring incentives that land owners had to consider from natural gas. Today companies like Encana, EOG, Chesapeake and Clean Energy Fuels Corp (CLNE) have used technology to expand America’s energy independence by developing natural gas. They have also put individuals to work who otherwise may not have a job. And for this the companies might be able to claim that they are “positively” consuming – as they are buyers of skilled labor.
At both ends of the spectrum Consumers guide the equation. We have a obligation to buy what we like. And as such we, as consumers, have to do so according to our financial interests. It is not ideal to restrict either the opportunities that consumers can have nor jeopardize our health because of failed government policy. Fracking can be done correctly. Yet Fracking has to be monitored to ensure that consumers and the environment are preserving our future opportunities with the land that we live and work.
As they say: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
As it relates to Earth Day – If there are no longer fish, what did modern men and women learn?
The key to the energy debate is how advanced do consumers want to be to obtain their goals. Unlike 2009, modern technology allows consumers to connect with other friends and family virtually. When the time does come to meet in person, taking a vehicle – train, car, bike or plane is your choice. Fortunately, America allows each one of us to pick our own journey – which can proactively stimulate our economy.