Knott, Zahm, Breen-Phillips, Cavanaugh

Thomas Friedman said that in the face of globalization, many Americans must find a way to individually do the work of twenty foreigners. Our group agreed on what enables us to do this: passion. Members believe that the freedom of and access to education combined with freedom of career choice instills passion, which motivates Americans to explore and push boundaries. This passion and interest is what created the success of Silicon Valley and has the potential to spark a green revolution. To start a green revolution, our group believes that America must focus on accessibility. The majority of people will not buy green products unless they are economically beneficial. For this to happen, the government must do something to make green energy less expensive. If the demand increases, more businesses will shift their focus to green energy, and the competition will drive down the price so that eventually government intervention is not needed. While all of this could happen, our group feared that the terrible partisan gridlock of government might prevent such progress. There seems to be no sense of urgency and no collective fear of the political, economic, and environmental consequences that will result from a lack of action.