|
by Dr. Vandy Blue Spikes
vbs@earthscienceagency.com
http://www.earthscienceagency.com/
In contrast to recent scientific reports that show that the surface
of Earth is getting warmer, sea levels are rising, glaciers and ice
sheets are melting, increasing numbers of species are going extinct,
and air and water quality is worsening, the American environmental
industry is driving positive environmental change. After a slow
transition from a regulation-driven to a market-driven industry, the
environmental market is getting a boost from the new "Pro-Green"
attitude that is rapidly spreading across America. This shift in
ideology can be attributed to three factors. First, deregulation has
undermined environmental laws, but state and local governments have
responded by introducing incentive programs that reward
environmental stewardship. Second, recent success stories from the
environmental industry have demonstrated how profitable green can
be. Third, in light of recent scientific reports, we humans can no
longer deny that our activities are degrading our environment.
To better understand how the environmental industry has changed, and
why this is good for the environment, you should first look at the
progression of what many people call the Environmental Revolution.
Ever since the introduction of the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) in 1969, congress has used scientific findings to develop
laws that protect the environment by punishing noncompliant
companies with fines and opening them up to lawsuits. Starting in
1970, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) became the enforcer
of this negative feedback, which fueled the environmental industry
throughout the 70's and 80's. The amazing growth experienced in the
previous two decades by environmental consulting and engineering
companies was slowed in the late 1990's by massive deregulation
efforts. Today, deregulation has reached the point where most of the
country's biggest polluters can avoid paying for their disregard of
public health. However, deregulation has also done something
tremendously valuable for the environmental industry. Deregulation
has forced this mature industry to compete in a free market business
environ rather than relying on the government to put forth
regulatory measures. In other words, the environmental industry has
gone from being a retroactive remediation force, to a proactive
sustainability force that is creating solutions using advances in
science and technology. In addition, states are now seeing the value
of utilizing the products and services of the new environmental
industry. Almost every state now has several renewable energy
incentive programs in place, which range from rebate programs to tax
breaks. Many states also have similar incentive programs for
transportation, recycling, and water resource programs. These
changes in the environmental industry indicate that America is now
more focused on preventing environmental issues, which is good for
the economy and the environment.
So, what does this mean for the average citizen?
It means that companies who provide environmental services and
products will soon be within reach of everyone. Renewable energy
homes will no longer be off-grid and far from the populated areas
that need it most. Recycling efforts will no longer be limited to
environmentally conscious individuals and high-income communities.
Water resources will no longer be depleted and polluted leaving many
Americans without a reliable source of potable water. All of these
environmental issues (and others) are the focus of today's
environmental industry. Those who embrace the environmental
revolution will not only be helping the environment, they will be
helping to pave the way for a new, more profitable economy that will
continue to grow in a sustainable fashion. The Earth Science Agency's (ESA) mission is to facilitate the
environmental revolution. As a professional, technical, and
scientific service provider, ESA connects the best products,
services and knowledge from the environmental industry to businesses
and communities nationwide. ESA engages in diverse projects ranging
from scientific consulting for government-funded research efforts;
professional consulting for manufacturers, retailers, and buyers of
environmental products; and technical consulting for organizations
that need custom software, website, and database development. ESA's
mission is to help environmental businesses grow, to increase the
quality of life for Americans, and protect the environment for a
sustainable future.
 |
Another important project undertaken by ESA is the
development of the Environmental Resource Web (erWEB -
www.erweb.org). erWEB is a
comprehensive web utility that conveys current information about the
Environmental Industry to all sectors of American society. In this
way, erWEB is helping Americans understand and utilize the products
and services of the emerging Environmental Industry. At the heart of
erWEB is an intricate set of relational databases that link all
components of the environmental industry with related news, facts
and statistics, events, market information, and spatial data
(information linked using the North American Industry Classification
System, a.k.a. NAICS). This high degree of interconnectivity makes
erWEB an especially valuable resource for businesses, non-profit
organizations, scientific and technological research centers, and
government agencies that are involved in the environmental industry.
To
learn more about the
Earth Science Agency and
erWEB,
please visit us at
www.earthscienceagency.com and
www.erweb.org.
 |
