I was never a big fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger. He always seemed like an irredeemable bore (or is that boar?). He can’t act and has very little charisma as far as I can see. He is an opportunist that married into the Kennedy family and then used this to leverage his way into the job of Govenor of California. Wonders never cease it seems.
Recently, I have changed my opinion of Mr. Schwarzenegger. This has come about because i did some studying about Claifornia’s green laws. These cover a wide variety of topics. The most startlingly and conterntious is the law that forces automakers to make ‘maximum feasibler reductions’ in carbon emissions for all new cars in the state. The auto industry has bitterly complained saying it will cost jobs, but it seems that only California seems to be serious about curbing carbon emissions.
Hand in hand with this law is laws governing new buildings. They must use compact fluorescent light bulbs or LED lights instead of standard fluorescent light bulbs. All landlords must replace broken thermostats with new programmable thermostats that will reduce waste. Insulation must be of the highest standards. Homes must be designed with water conservation in mind. Many public gardens have scrapped their lawns and gone for cactus gardens. It is a long list of ordinances. The main point is that California has become the greenest state in the Union. And this is all under the leadership of a Republican governor.
I think this is a massive step in the right direction. Many states seek to emulate the economic success of California. Perhaps they will also realize the wisdom of passing green laws. They don’t cause job cuts. In many cases they save the state many millions of dollars. Take programmable thermostats for example. I recently installed a Honeywell RTH7600D thermostat in my parents home. Already my folks tell me they have seen a significant cut in their utility bills. The thermostat is going to pay for itself in a matter of months. It is in things such as this that new legislation can really help. I’m now toying with the idea of becoming a lawyer specializing in environmental issues.
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