Business Green

To whom it may concern,

One of this administration's pillars of the economic recovery is energy independence. The stimulus package and the proposed budget seek to develop a new green economy based on efficiency and renewable energy production. There is funding for research and development, tax incentives for private development, and significant public investment. While I praise the government for finally leading buy example on these issues, many private firms are only starting to think "green" in order to streamline profitability. In Japan, this long-term concept was adopted nearly a decade ago when the Toyota Corporation, now the number one automaker in the world, began eliminating every form of "muda" (waste) in their company from the top executives all the way down to the factory floors. While being an environmentally conscious corporation has customer appeal, how will the government ensure that this is a lasting trend in America? And how will this shift in federal policy incentivize the retooling of private industry in this new energy efficient future?

GUNNAR HAND, AICP