Clean Incentive.

In case the threat of global warming, and struggle for foreign oil, weren't incentive enough, the X PRIZE Foundation is offering a new reason for inventors to come up with a new "Super Efficient" automobile. The Foundation is offering a prize, which is yet to be determined, to the makers of the first consumer ready 100mpg car. The actual prize has not been announced, but it is said to be a large sum of money. The global benefits of a car such as this is beyond measure. I hope this prize inspires some rich person to hire some scientists, and create the car that saves the world. It is unfortunate that money is considered by many people to be a greater incentive for change than death and devastation.

Hemp Can Save The Planet!

Hemp is a naturally growing plant that is often confused with marijuana. Although the two plants are related, and look similar, Hemp contains less than 1% of THC - the chemical intoxicant in marijuana - and therefore is useless as a drug. In other words, hemp does not get you high.

Hemp is a useful, and renewable, natural resource. It serves as an economically effective alternative to lumber and cotton, and has been utilized by humanity for hundreds of years. One hemp plant yields more fibrous material than a cotton plant, and grows to maturity in one year, as opposed to lumber, which takes at least 25 years to reach maturity.

Hemp can also be converted into clean burning biodiesel, and could reduce air pollution as an alternative energy source.

Hemp cultivation is legal in many countries throughout the world, including Mexico and Canada, but is illegal to grow here in the USA.

Make Arbor Day Mandatory!

I think there should be a Federal law that requires every U.S. citizen to plant at least one tree a year. This law shouldn't be uncompromisingly enforced, but it should be in the books. This law would help the quality of our air, as well as improve the landscape of every state.

Deforestation, is the systematic annihilation of our National Forests. This ecological problem affects not only local environments and economies, but also causes drastic, and irreversible harm to the global climate.

2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Wangari Maathai, had this to say about deforestation: "We know that trees and intact forests are central to our efforts to slow or stop global warming. Trees, and native forests, also keep soil healthy, stem erosion and protect rivers and streams, which are critical sources of water. it is important for all of us to take note of the changes occurring in our environment and our role in that process. Each of us can do something, change some of our daily patterns, to secure the planet and stem global warming"

My mandatory arbor day law would not harm anybody and it would be one of the most important piece of environmental protection legislation ever passed. Plus, it would increase property values, as well as create an aesthetically pleasing landscape.

Plant a Tree!