Texas Real Estate Business
August 2007
Green Means Go
Industry expert urges companies to go green now or pay green later.
Christian Blattenberger
Everything’s bigger in Texas – including its carbon footprint, which is a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted through the combustion of fossil fuels. Texas is the biggest producer of greenhouse gases in the country, accounting for 40 percent of total U.S. emissions – more than 670 metric tons.
Two-thirds of Texas’ carbon footprint is a result of burning high-carbon coal to create “dirty” cheap electricity. While Texans’ current energy procurement tactics are creating a big fat problem for the Earth’s future, Texas businesses can be a big part of the solution by going green now and avoiding costly mark-ups down the road due to increased demand.
Green energy usually refers to electricity derived from renewable energy sources. It’s well known that power from energy sources such as wind or solar is environmentally better than traditional sources like coal, oil or nuclear. What’s not well known is how easy it is for businesses to go green today.