Without a doubt, the United States of America, and indeed the entire world, is confronted with two major challenges: economic and environmental. While the economy has begun to rebound from the 2008/09 financial crisis, the environment has continued to suffer losses despite the promising gains achieved in recent years (Shabecoff, 103).
Proposal to Address Climate Change and Achieve a Green Economy
With the media depicting the new administration as dismissive of climate change matters, I would suppress the notion that there is even one official in the government who believes climate change is a hoax. That is why in this proposal I will seek to address the top administration of the government to live up to the reality and realize that the solution to the economic and ecological challenge we face is embracing the green economy.The Importance of Education for a Green Economy
I believe that education is the most critical component that can help in bringing change in a community (Pearce, 12). And there is no better way of making America a green economy than through education and better communication to the public. To achieve this milestone, I propose that the White House launches an initiative to make all educational institutions green in a period of 10 years. This looks like a lofty proposal, but I believe we must realize that it will take the effort of all people working together as a unit to achieve the national goals. We must start somewhere and it is my conviction that educational institutions will shape many more sectors in a short period of time (Elliott, 39). Indeed, a top-down solution will only survive if the base citizenry is illiterate, just the same way a bottom-up and solutions based on the community will require appropriate resources and informed guidance to connect with their customers.The Symbiotic Relationship between the Environment and the Economy
There is a general regard for environmental issues with an even bigger concern for the economic well-being in the short term among the public. This emphasis has been retrogressive to the environmental development more than any other single element (Strife, 185). It should, however, be noted that neither of the two aspects can be sustained in the long term when the other is weakened. The two operate on a symbiotic type of relationship: The economy will be sustained if the environment is healthy and a healthy environment is heavily reliant on a vibrant economy. In my opinion, education should help the public understand the real connections between the environment, the energy sources, and the economy, all of which are critical in the concept of a green economy.Investing in Education for a Green Economy
Starting right from primary school all the way to tertiary institutions, investing in education for a green economy is an investment in human capital which, in my opinion, is the best long-term solution for economic and ecological sustainability (Pearce, 31). Such investment will be a show of commitment to the millions of Americans that we are committed to global competitiveness and initiatives to make the world a greener economy. My proposal notes that legislations that authorize investments in higher education, build healthy and performing schools have been passed by the congress. However, a number of resources and funding going into the initiatives has been quite minimal.New Investments and Initiatives for a Greener Economy
On the view of the above, new investments have to be made to enable a better transition of our country to a greener economy. These ventures should aim to reposition our colleges and universities as true institutions of research, workforce training, and education centers for green economy studies, bolstering STEM and environmental studies in the K-12 education and providing more opportunities for the audiences that are underserved to be involved in environmental education programs (Strife, 188). Besides, the resources should be used to launch significant public education programs to ensure the consumer is informed. When all members of a society understand what a green economy is, a stronger economy will be realized and subsequently global competitiveness while decreasing harmful emissions and the environmental impact. The investments will further help unleash the potential of creativity in our institutions and prepare the future workers for green careers and jobs.White House Education for a Greener Economy Program
This proposal seeks to make have the White House taking the lead role in ensuring that all educational institutions achieve the green status in 10 years' time. The green status inference here refers to both the education and infrastructure. The best way of achieving this would be the setting up of a White House Education for a Greener Economy Program. The purpose of this initiative is to equip the public and the entire workforce with the fundamental skills and knowledge concerning a green economy through adjusting the efforts being made at the primary school level, higher education, re-education for the professionals as well as the consumers and public education (Hwang, Gang, and Tan 339). In this program, there will be a number of enablers that will work to complement the entire process.Restructuring Federal Government Programs
The initiative shall have the prerequisite powers to direct all federal government science and resources agencies to restructure their programs in such a manner that they support the green institution initiative. Is pursuing this goal, an appropriate training program should be developed and rolled out to ensure that all personnel gets familiar with the opportunities, challenges, needs, and the required responses as the various agencies transition to a green economy (Strife, 183). They shall also be required to identify and support particular needs to attain effective professional training and the building of capacity.Conferences on Education for a Green Economy
Before rolling out the program, a series of conferences coordinated by the White House focusing on the role that education should play in transitioning to a green economy will set the tone and theme of the initiative. The conferences should be able to draw professional speakers and sponsorship from various agencies with the themes being on how education can develop healthy communities, sustainable economy through being environmentally conscious. The discussions should also focus on how to engage the youth in participating in greening their societies as well as exposing the children to nature to improve the relationship of the future leaders with the environmental issues. Some of the conferences will be aired through public media outlets and should emphasize the importance of multi-sector collaboration and how the potential barriers can be eliminated.The Cooperative Institute and Supporting Educational Networks
The education for a green economy program shall also support other national agencies that deal with climate through the establishment of a Cooperative Institute that will be interagency-funded. The institute shall be responsible for connecting educational institutions by keeping up-to-date educational materials and supporting various networks. It shall also seek to increase the literacy levels on climate issues by supporting the work being done by the existing organizations like the US Green Building Conference, 4H Garden Clubs among others. In collaboration with other agencies, the institute shall develop wide-ranging professional development initiatives to refresh the educators on the current best trends and patterns to be adopted in their teaching. Another key responsibility of this organization shall be to direct all research and establish any misconceptions and develop strategies to deal with them while improving literacy.Funding and Partnerships for the Initiative
While most of the funding should be realized through economic stimulus spending, the ideal situation would be a dedicated stream of revenue, especially during the inception to ensure that the initiative rolls out. In this respect, the management of the program should look to work with Congress to find the best way that a constant flow of cash into the initiative is achieved. Some of the solutions should be engaging businesses, especially those in manufacturing that are responsible for producing higher quantities of emissions, to sponsor the program as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR). In addition, various foundations should also be approached to help support the cause.Conclusion
Education, in my opinion, presents the best option for ensuring that people in various stages of life are informed of the significance of adopting a green economy. Economic vibrancy of the economy should not be given preference ahead of ecological progression as the two depend on each other for sustainability. By executing the propositions discussed above, I believe that the country will be making massive steps in the right direction in ensuring that the public, right from the K-12 education all through higher education and professional fields, acquire the desired literacy levels about climate change. I believe that education holds the key to transitioning to a green economy.Work Cited
Elliott, Jennifer. An introduction to sustainable development. Routledge, 2012.
Hwang, Bon‐Gang, and Jac See Tan. “Green building project management: obstacles and solutions for sustainable development.” Sustainable development 20.5 (2012): 335-349.
Pearce, David. Blueprint 2: greening the world economy. Routledge, 2013.
Shabecoff, Philip. A fierce green fire: The American environmental movement. Island Press, 2012.
Strife, Susan. “Reflecting on environmental education: where is our place in the green movement?.” The Journal of Environmental Education 41.3 (2010): 179-191.
Whitmarsh, Lorraine, and Saffron O’Neill. “Green identity, green living? The role of pro-environmental self-identity in determining consistency across diverse pro-environmental behaviours.” Journal of Environmental Psychology 30.3 (2010): 305-314.
