Forum calls for Missouri to be a Leader in the Transition to a Clean Energy Economy

(The following is a press release from Clean Energy Missouri. Along with the League of Women’s Voters, Ozarks New Energy and Missouri Votes Conservation, C.E.M. hosted a panel discussion on March 30, 2010.)

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On Tuesday, the Clean Energy Missouri Campaign brought together a diverse group of local leaders to discuss the benefits of transitioning to a clean energy economy. The Forum speakers included two local small business owners, an environmental economics professor, the President of Missouri’s League of Women Voters, and a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the U.S. army. In discussing the unique speaker lineup, Clean Energy Missouri organizer Blair Bowie stated, “It is important to highlight the voices of community leaders who care deeply about clean energy and climate issues, but are not your typical messengers on the importance of comprehensive federal legislation.”

The Forum began with each of the speakers presenting their personal perspective on clean energy and why they believe our leaders in Congress must act now to pass a comprehensive clean energy plan that will strengthen our economy, strengthen our national security, and, ultimately, strengthen our community. The panelists emphasized the local and global economic benefits of transitioning to a clean energy economy.

Matt O’Reilly, owner of Dynamic Earth and the creator of the LEED-certified Green Circle Shopping Center, spoke about his vision for widespread implementation of green, efficient building practices. “Through the development of Green Circle, we were able to take that our environmental values and turn them into a viable and successful business model. Sustainable business practices are profitable business practices.”

Similarly, Terrell Gallaway, associate professor of Economics at Missouri State University, highlighted the opportunities for job creation in the clean energy sector. “Investment in a clean energy economy will create thousands of jobs here in Missouri and nearly two million more nationally. However correct carbon pricing is imperative: we must remove current subsidizes for the exploration, extraction, refining and transportation of fossil fuels that make these options so cheap in comparison to renewables.”

Zeke Fairbank, owner of the Alternative Energy Company, emphasized the potential costs of inaction. “As a former Naval Officer, and a business leader who has lived and traveled globally for many years, I am sad to see politicians and industries continue to advocate short-sighted positions for the sake of votes, on issues which will have lasting consequences. If we do not transition our country to clean energy, our world will become more septic, our health and standards of living will decline, and we will run out of the non-renewable fossil fuel resources on which our standard of living currently depends.”

Lois Detrick, President of the Missouri League of Women Voters, added that her experience as a “Sister on the Planet” with OxFam America has allowed her to meet women from around the U.S. and the world who are already feeling the effects of a degraded standard of living due to our fossil fuel dependence and its relationship to global climate change. “Women, and particularly women in the developing world, are disproportionately affected by climate change. They see the changes on a daily basis: less reliable water and food sources, changing patterns of disease, and more extreme weather incidences.”

Additionally, Jack Hembree, a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army and local representative for Operation Free, emphasized the importance of passing clean energy legislation to increase our national security. “As long as America depends heavily on foreign oil to fuel our economy, particularly from the Middle East, we won’t have the freedom to make our security decisions unilaterally. The 1.2 billion dollars that we send overseas everyday is funding both sides of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

As the event concluded, Clean Energy Missouri Organizer Carina Barnett-Loro urged the audience to move from thought to action. “Senator McCaskill has supported clean energy projects in the past, but right now, she is feeling a lot of pressure from the opposition,” Ms. Barnett-Loro stated. “Today, more than ever, we need to make sure Senator McCaskill hears overwhelmingly from her constituents that we want her to be a champion for clean energy.” With this appeal, audience members moved to the lobby to write personal letters to Senator McCaskill in support of a comprehensive clean energy plan this spring.