June 7,2010

In the face of the catastrophe in the Gulf, it is hard to see any good that can come out of this disaster. Pristine coastlines and beaches are experiencing damage that might take decades to remediate. The sorrowful sights of oily-feathered pelicans and dead dolphins and the loss of human life are nightmarish images that will burn lasting impressions in our collective memory. Yet, this disaster may be the first nail in the coffin of a global economy based on fossil fuel. Communities around the world are being redesigned to be energy efficient. Technology will be designed to limit the physical transportation of goods and services. People will choose to live where once only ghettos survived. It means that the next round of economic expansion will benefit those entrepreneurs who will meet the needs of a changing public consciousness based on the preservation of the natural world and not its exploitation at any cost. This new world of opportunity is where creative minority entrepreneurs will make their mark. Companies stuck in the old world of dependency on fossil fuel will last for many years, but their days are numbered. The shift has begun and each of us will have to decide if we are part of the old or the new.