We enter the future the instant we leave the past. Our future depends upon making Tennessee, for the first time, a primary, global renewable energy leader. This goal furthers our ability to fix healthcare and education while becoming a leading, energy-independent, more prosperous state for all Tennesseans.

Presently, we spend our money against ourselves. Tennessee’s energy policy penalizes us four times over by sending our money to other states to purchase our energy, by getting sued for the resulting emissions, by remaining hooked upon “cheap energy” that inhibits our economic progress, and by risking our personal health to the build up of toxins, especially in our deep water reserves. Obviously, an inefficient alignment. In a similar vein, 70% of Tennessee’s healthcare expenditures, a tremendous cost for government and business, occur by self-inflicted disease (obesity, type-2 diabetes, heart disease), mostly related to diet, i.e. food. In our educational system, we lose approximately one-in-three high school students by insisting that all students complete a four-year college immediately after high-school, despite evidence to the contrary. The road of life is not that simplistic or elite.

We have less time to act than we might imagine. Radio took 38 years to reach 50 million listeners. TV grabbed 50 million viewers in 13 years; internet, 4 years; iPod, 3. Facebook booked 100 million members in 9 months and would now rank as the 4th largest country in the world. Facebook’s fastest growing demographic is women, ages 55 to 65. One-in-six higher-ed students receive their education online and are better prepared by the U.S. Dept. of Education’s opinion. 80% of companies use Linked-In as the primary tool in finding new employees.

The economic turn in the midst of gathering speed is driven by five forces. First is the retirement of the baby-boom generation, which had fewer children than our parents, converting us from a nation of consumers, on the whole, toward a nation of savers. There will be 22 million large-lot surplus houses by 2025 that are already built, according to the Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech.  Second, we have moved from a world of infinite resources to finite resources with no more away in throwing away. Gap, Hewlett-Packard, Timberland, Wal-Mart, GE and Coke get it. Six out of 10 consumers bought organic this year – and they get it. It appears we have a majority. Third, over 700 local governments like Nashville, Cincinnati, Chattanooga, Chicago and Franklin also get it. Fourth, the same people who started Google and Amazon are now starting Green Economy companies. Fifth, China has decided it should be the world leader in solar.

Consider two competing businesses with the same customers and pricing. One invests in renewable energy, reducing energy expense by 50%, while the other business does nothing. Which of the two can now cut prices and entice new customers? Which generates additional cash flow to invest in research and development? Which employs better-trained workers and invests more in training? Which one expands and creates new jobs? Or, perhaps, we are discussing two states.

The economy has changed, and for Tennessee to compete against other states and with other countries all over the globe, we must take this opportunity to establish Tennessee as a PRIMARY renewable energy leader. This means being a leader in the green economy, in solar energy, the solar institute and solar farms, in geothermal and bio-mass, in energy-efficient housing, in our math and science programs and ensuring these are practical to the new economy, and finally, in our technical schools and community colleges all over the state, which are truly the answer to the regenerative needs of each of our communities across the state.

Tennessee should be the state that other states and countries send their money to by becoming energy independent and leading the second and third generation of solar power.

We should reduce healthcare costs through early detection, disease management and diet. Most preventable diseases are diet-induced, so we should win twice by simultaneously reducing healthcare expenditures and bolstering our locally-grown food sources, particularly sustainable practices via consumer tax breaks. Every dollar of local farm revenue turns into 4 more dollars when Tennesseans buy locally-grown, directly benefitting 500,000 Tennesseans so employed.

We should double associate degrees over 5 years and double bachelor degrees in 10 years. We should continue partnering education and jobs, emulating Hemlock Corp-Austin-Peay and Volkswagen-Chattanooga Tech.  Within each of these partnerships, we should establish business incubation units with start-up investment capital, as already successful in some Tennessee colleges and in other states as well.

For low-hanging fruit, we should expand on-line education, thereby reaching more people, producing better results. And, we can add over $2 billion to the state economy simply by encouraging a dramatic conversion from incandescent to energy efficient lighting.

Let’s think big. Tennessee is a tourism state. With 184,000 tourism-related jobs and being surrounded by states that either have or are implementing high-speed rail, Tennessee should invest accordingly. High-speed rail will benefit urban and rural communities across the state every year with low environmental impact and annually recurring revenues and jobs. If we aim to increase tourism, we need a bottle bill, which has proven to add jobs and generate tens of millions of dollars in other states. And, with only 300 jobs in mountaintop removal, let’s cease this ungodly breach with an unequivocal prohibition. We’ll need those workers in tourism anyway!

Energy is at the root of everything we do socially and in our jobs. The less we spend on energy and the cleaner it is, the more prosperous and job producing our state will be and the better we can educate and address healthcare while drastically improving our state budget. The inflection point of change occurs at the moment of investment. So let’s get going and not miss this opportunity.