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Anything having to do with “going green” or green/clean technology is definitely a hot subject these days. Companies taking steps towards improving the environment, lessening their carbon footprint and promoting sustainable/eco-friendly living are what everyone wants to see and hear. It is so big in fact, that per the UN, it is estimated the world’s green economy will be worth close to $3 trillion dollars by the year 2020.

But, what about the next generations? What about our children? Many students are about to step into the working world, but are they prepared to carry forth with everything that is being done in these green economy sectors? What do they know about energy efficiency, recycling, water conservation, fuel additives, agriculture, green transportation, etc?

Yes, maybe their parents teach them some of these valuable environmentally-friendly tips, but what are they learning in school? With unemployment rates where they are today, students need an upper edge that will prepare them to get a good job. With the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act includes $50 billion for green jobs, teachers owe it to their students to help ensure they have the knowledge and skills needed to get those GREEN jobs.

Thankfully, Green Technology is working to bridge that gap. The first “Green Pathways to the Future” Teacher Institute is taking place in Northern California on August 10-11, 2009 and the second in Pasadena, CA on December 10-11, 2009. These events are designed to provide that much needed interaction between educators and green industry/business representatives.

If you work in the green industry, it would be worth it to attend and/or make a presentation at the “Green Pathways to the Future” event. Besides giving valuable green information and resources, you will be helping mold the future of the green industries though our children.

Green industries are the future and we must educate our children so they can help power that future. Therefore, the time to start getting the word out is now. So, if you work in a green business/industry, please see what contribution you can make to educating our educators about how your green business helps the environment. You’ll be thankful you did!

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With so much talk about going green and jump-starting the economy with green jobs, etc. one of the questions that comes to mind (now that we are heading into tax season) is what tax credits are available for people who did take that green step in 2008?

Well, I’ll give you some bad news first…even though President Bush signed into law the “Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008″ on October 3rd, 2008; energy efficient home improvements done in 2008 (such as making your windows, doors, insulation, HVAC, etc more energy-efficient), are NOT eligible for a tax credit.  You will be able to get credit for any improvements made this year (2009), but any improvements you made to increase your home’s energy-efficiency in 2008 are not eligible.

However, Solar Energy credits are available.  The tax credit is 30% of the system, up to $2000.  So any of you who decided to tap into solar energy for your home in 2008, don’t forget to add that to your tax return.  If you purchased and installed a small wind energy system, a tax credit of 30%, up to $500 per each half kilowatt of capacity, with a maximum of $4000 is available.  For the full list, go to EnergyStar.gov.

For those of you who haven’t yet had a chance to green up your home….here are some tax credits that are available in 2009.  Take a good look as these are something you should be aware of so you can take advantage of them in this new year.  2009 is a good year for green improvements and green tax credits.

Home Improvements: Up to $500 in tax credits for improvements to insulation, replacement windows, water heaters, certain high-efficiency heating or cooling equipment and biomass stoves.

Efficient Cars: There is a new Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle tax credit for 2009.  It starts at $2500 and is capped at $7500 – the credit is based on the capacity of the vehicle’s battery system.  NOTE: Only the first 250,000 vehicles sold get the full tax credit so you might want to act sooner rather than later.

Green tax credits are also available to anyone who buys hybrid gas-electric, diesel, battery-electric, alternative fuel and fuel cell vehicles…of course there are requirements on these too, so check here for specifics.  I’m sure there are more, but I wanted to at least get this list out to you so you didn’t forget that going green can have tax benefits too.

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New EPA Administrator, Lisa Jackson, was sworn into office this week and as you can imagine, she has been tasked with a very important job when it comes to the environment.  I personally hope she does a GREAT job!

If you aren’t familiar with the priorities she laid out for herself and the EPA, I wanted to give you them here as I think they are something anyone who is interested in the environment needs to be aware of.  Even if you don’t think about the environment every day or try to take steps to “go green”, take a moment to look at her priorities and then see what you can do.

• “Reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  The President has pledged to make responding to the threat of climate change a high priority of his administration.  He is confident that we can transition to a low-carbon economy while creating jobs and making the investment we need to emerge from the current recession and create a strong foundation for future growth.  I share his vision.  EPA will stand ready to help Congress craft strong, science-based climate legislation that fulfills the vision of the President.  As Congress does its work, we will move ahead to comply with the Supreme Court’s decision recognizing EPA’s obligation to address climate change under the Clean Air Act.
• “Improving air quality.  The nation continues to face serious air pollution challenges, with large areas of the country out of attainment with air-quality standards and many communities facing the threat of toxic air pollution.  Science shows that people’s health is at stake.  We will plug the gaps in our regulatory system as science and the law demand.
• “Managing chemical risks.  More than 30 years after Congress enacted the Toxic Substances Control Act, it is clear that we are not doing an adequate job of assessing and managing the risks of chemicals in consumer products, the workplace and the environment.  It is now time to revise and strengthen EPA’s chemicals management and risk assessment programs.
• “Cleaning up hazardous-waste sites.  EPA will strive to accelerate the pace of cleanup at the hundreds of contaminated sites across the country.  Turning these blighted properties into productive parcels and reducing threats to human health and the environment means jobs and an investment in our land, our communities and our people.
• Protecting America’s water.  EPA will intensify our work to restore and protect the quality of the nation’s streams, rivers, lakes, bays, oceans and aquifers.  The Agency will make robust use of our authority to restore threatened treasures such as the Great Lakes and the Chesapeake Bay, to address our neglected urban rivers, to strengthen drinking-water safety programs, and to reduce pollution from non-point and industrial dischargers.”

Pretty good priorities as far as I’m concerned.  For the full memo, you can go here.

So whatever business you are in, from making emission-free cars to installing solar panels to creating a better biofuel or fuel additive to making organic clothes to growing organic foods, etc….or even if your business has nothing to do with products that preserve and/or improve the environment…take a moment and see how you can contribute towards the EPA’s environmental priorities.  We all should get involved.