Green is Gold

That's right, green is now gold. What do I mean by this? Simple, the catchphrase "Go Green" has finally caught on and now it has become a "golden" marketing opportunity. Saving the planet from Global Warming...oh wait you can't say that anymore since the planet isn't actually warming..now you have to call it "climate change". Wow, isn't that convenient? Just when we were all starting to get used to the whole global warming thing they go and change it on us. But one thing has not changed regardless of what you call it, it's still a fantastic business opportunity! All you have to do is market something and say that it's "good for the environment" and BAM! instant profit. Never mind the fact that it's going to cause other problems. Take for example the new "long lasting, energy saving light bulbs" that are popping up everywhere. Sure, they save energy in the long run but just don't break one. You see inside these bulbs is a small amount of Mercury. That's right! Mercury. Now there have been some urban legends that claim if you break one you need to call in a Hazardous Materials team to clean up the mess. However, those appear to be false. Although there is a small amount of Mercury in these bulbs it's not enough to cause that kind of damage but it still causes you to dispose of them and handle them in an entirely different way. Like removing anyone from the room for 15-20 minutes and shutting down the ventilation system as well if you do happen to break one. Again, saving energy but at what cost? Well, let's see you can buy the regular incandescent bulbs for about $3.00 for a pack of 4 at most stores. But these babies cost anywhere from $12 to $24 a PIECE!! Saving energy maybe but NOT saving money. But just think of the profits that will be made off of these things.....incredible. The whole global warming/climate change situation has reached a fevered pitch where people have begun to actually talk about prison sentences for those who don't "act in a responsible way toward the planet". One side says there is no doubt that it's happening and that mankind is the cause. While the other says that it's the Sun that it causing the problem and there is nothing that we can do about it. Well, they can't both be right. I for one think we should wait until all of the evidence is in before we start completely changing our way of living. Did you know that for the first time in history we have a wheat shortage in the US? Do you know why? Because farmers are growing more corn so that they can profit from the Ethanol craze that is now sweeping the country as an alternative fuel source. Some farmers are being PAID by the US Government to grow corn for just this purpose. In fact, there are so many farmers growing corn now and so few growing wheat that we have to import our wheat from other countries! The problem is that this has now caused the price of corn to rise and in turn any consumer products made with corn. So in effect, because of the panic over the climate we have now manufactured our own food shortage. Brilliant!! But the money keeps coming in and people keep getting richer. All because we are in a full-blown panic over something that we know very little about and may not be able to do anything about anyway. If I didn't know any better I would almost tend to believe that this is a manufactured crisis that has been set up to re-distribute wealth and to benefit a certain industry over another. Remember Y2K anyone? To this day I can't find one computer savvy professional that believes that anything would have happened if we didn't happen to "fix it before it's too late". Sound familiar? But the "green" movement is in full effect at this moment in time and the "gold" just keeps on pouring in. I wonder, what will the next "fix it or else" problem be on the horizon and whom will that one benefit? Just follow the money....