Silicon Valley Goes Green

green keyboardSilicon Valley is moving towards a green future. While many other companies are reluctant to even mention global warming, many tech companies are embracing a path towards a green future.

From here

In Silicon Valley, though, climate change is pretty much taken as a given. It’s part of the tech industry’s shift in recent years toward the green end of the spectrum. This year, Silicon Valley delegates — in a combination of good will and self-interest — will be fanning out across the country to preach on the issue to the unconverted.

Just last week, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a regional business booster association founded in 1977 by David Packard, of H-P fame, announced a 12-point campaign called Clean and Green that takes traditional regional planning issues, such as ride-sharing and mass transit, and frames them in the context of global warming. The same group made headlines earlier last year by breaking with other California business groups to endorse the legislation being pushed by nouveau-environmentalist Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to limit greenhouse gases, among other steps.

Carl Guardino, the tech group’s CEO, says the position on global warming has the support of all 210 member companies, which includes virtually all of the area’s major technology players. Mr. Guardino says his group will be spending this year challenging business groups around the U.S. to follow the example set by his association, such as to greatly increase car pooling at local companies.

“These are engineers and they are really good at looking at science,” says Mr. Guardino. “And the science with climate change is undeniable.”

The horrific specter of global warming may ironically be a business opportunity for these companies. Business players that position themselves to fully take advantage of changing consumer preferences are going to make the most money. Nothing brings home the true meaning of global warming like a Hurricane, flood, tornado, drought, or other weather disaster.

If companies were to come out with products that would help reduce global warming gas emissions (solar panels/wind turbines/recycled products/energy efficient products/etc.) for a reasonable price, they would find a large and willing consumer base. Companies that understand that the only future, is a green future, can save the planet and make a lot of cash doing it.