Green Country of the Month

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 141

Green Country of the Month 

Have you ever been around someone that was so overtly negative that it made you cringe just to be in the same room with them? It’s that person you see in the break area at work and you turn around and go back to your desk. You see them walking down the hall and you try not to make eye contact. If they start a conversation you are quick to come up with excuses to get back to what you were doing. We have all been there. 

So why is it we are so glued to the news media when 90% of all news reports are negative? Why are we so enamored with social media when so much of it is negative?

Well, today I am here to bring you good news and it is in the form of the Green Country of the Month. 

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is episode 141 which is called Green Country of the Month.

At some point in time we have all experienced co-workers, family members, employers or maybe even strangers that are so overtly negative that it is difficult to be around them. Sooner or later you start to avoid them because it puts you in a bad mood. But then we go home, turn on the television or surf the web and 90% of the news we see is bad. Yet we continue to watch it. Why is that? 

Well the problem isn’t that there are so many bad things happening around the world but that our brains are actually wired to pay more attention to unpleasant news. Psychologists call this the “negativity bias.” It is in fact one of the first things we develop as children. 

And while this bias may have actually helped our ancestors pay more attention to potentially life-threatening events, in our modern culture it is getting in the way of our happiness and well-being. We are constantly bombarded with bad news from around the world that we all start to think the entire world is just one big, bad, dangerous place. And on top of that we constantly hear about the effects of climate change, adverse weather events, and one disaster after another. Sooner or later we start to feel as if the world really is falling apart around us and that there is no safe place. 

Years ago one of my co-workers came up with a really funny nickname for me because I just seemed to be in a good mood all the time. I am happy to say that 20 years after working with that person, I am still in a good mood most of the time. It just seems to be a part of my personality. 

So I started wondering if I bring that out in the podcast. I did a quick scan over my podcast episodes and decided that 20 episodes out of 140 were completely focused on how bad we are as humans. So if the podcast is a reflection of my personality then I guess I am negative 14% of the time and positive 86% of the time. That’s not too bad. 

But today I am going to focus on some good news. This is because regularly consuming good news increased trust and hope in mankind, it makes us happier and optimistic and it actually has positive health benefits. 

So today, at least according to my most resent research, I am here to tell you that the world is not falling apart. It is actually getting better. 

It truly pleases me when I start doing some research and I find people and governments that are making headway on our environmental issues. And that is the focus of this episode. I want to give a good report and that report is focused on the green country of the month. 

I am always amazed when my home country, which is the United States, touts itself as being one of the most progressive countries in the world. But the reality is that we truly lag behind the rest of the world in so many ways, especially when it comes to green initiatives, renewable energy, and reduction of our CO2 emissions. 

Frequently I take the time to research what other countries are doing in that respect. And frequently I find that European countries in general are far more progressive than many other folks around the world. That is why I was so fascinated with this concept of the green country of the month. This is simply a recognition for  Europeans countries that are making a substantial contribution for the climate, nature, and the environment. Green country of the month is published by Euronews Green and they can be found at euronews.com 

It is interesting to note that many countries across Europe are making fantastic focused efforts at averting the worst effects of climate change. But the friendly race has also developed into a healthy rivalry. But a victory won by one country is still a victory for all of us. And taking a hard look at what other countries are accomplishing also puts pressure on politicians in other nations to do even more. 

The interesting part about Europe is that each country has its own unique natural resources. For example, Iceland has an over abundance of geothermal energy. Other countries have the advantage of wind and solar. 

Austria certainly deserves a standing ovation. As of 2021, 71% of their electricity is generated from renewables. Because the country has mountains, numerous rivers, and high rainfall hydropower makes up a substantial portion of the renewable energy market. But Austria has also built more solar panels in the last three years than they have over the last 20 years. And according to the Federal Ministry of Climate action their goal is to produce 100% of their electricity from renewables by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2040. 

Other initiatives taken by Austria have been to implement carbon taxes which increase incrementally through 2026. It is essentially an “upstream” tax on production and importation of products such as petrol, diesel, heating oil, coal and natural gas. However, the government also implemented what is called a “Klimabonus” , which encourages climate friendly behavior. This Klimabonus more than makes up for the carbon taxes. In the end it is the people and the environment that wins because such policies promote sustainable behavior. 

Austria has also been a pioneer in their public transportation sector. Austria implemented what is called a “Klimaticket”, which is a yearly public transportation ticket that is valid throughout the country. Austrians have already demonstrated a change in their mobility habits because they are shifting more and more to public transportation. 

Austria also has many other things in the works. Consequently, it is not amazing that this little nation 

won European green country of the month.  

But I also want to mention the country of Denmark. Last year Denmark had the highest share of renewables in their electricity mix when compared to 78 different countries.

Denmark has also committed to reducing their emissions by 70% by the year 2030. Most other European countries have only committed to a 55% reduction.  Denmark also plans to double their offshore wind area which would increase capacity almost fivefold. This would provide green electricity equivalent to 10 million homes. 

But Denmark also stands out in another unique area. It is one of the few countries that have passed the United Nations target to give 0.7 percent of gross national income in foreign aid to help poor countries battle climate change. And Denmark is also helping India to cleanse the polluted Ganges river through a water purification project. 

Now, what about what is going on at home here in the US. The latest data I reviewed said that despite the enormous resources that the US possesses, we still rank 25th in the world as far as the amount of green energy produced per person. But despite that poor report card, the US is actually making significant progress. We have finally reached the point where renewables account for 25% of our electricity production. 

But maybe what we should do in the US to foster a friendly competition by having an award called the green state of the month. 

Already eleven states have committed to 100% renewable energy. 

For example: 

The Minnesota governor signed a clean energy bill that requires the state’s utility providers to get 100% of their electricity from carbon-free sources by 2040. 

Rhode Island has made the commitment to 100% renewable energy by 2033. 

New York and Connecticut have plans in place to assure 100% renewables by 2040. California, Hawaii, New Mexico and Washington have set their goal at the year 2045. 

And of course all of this would not be possible without advocacy and support from the common citizen. 

What is starting to emerge is the first clear roadmap to a clean energy future. I think many people, as well as numerous governments are starting to realize that we can power ourselves with 100% renewable energy. 

Perhaps by looking at these states we can all learn some lessons for a future powered by 100% clean energy.

We already know that the US can power the entire country with 100% renewables several times over. This is simply because of our tremendous national resources. Despite the fact that we are lagging way behind, we can at least say the we are producing three times more renewable electricity than we did in 2012. We also know that the adoption of renewable energy continues to exceed the expectations of most experts. What is also amazing is that solar, wind, and other sources are now providing 75% of new energy production. 

However, we still have a long way to go. But there are ways to speed along our transition. States should be encouraging the adoption of solar instead of cutting incentives to home owners similar to what the state of California is doing. Home owners should  be fairly compensated for their contribution to grid power due to the production of excess electricity for their home renewable systems. 

Additionally state governments should reduce the amount of red tape that developers have to wade through in order to implement renewable energy projects. And one other very important factor related to all the red tape is that state and local governments, as well as renewable energy developers need to pay close attention to all locally based social and economic issues that arise due to the opposition of renewable energy projects. This is because local opposition to renewable projects results in the cancellation of nearly 50% of those projects over a 10 year period. 

The good news here is that we know a 100% clean energy future is possible. We just have to use all of our knowledge, technology, and national financial assets to make it happen. However, there is going to be resistance from big business and even the government and we also need to pay close attention to all the underlying social and economy aspects of such development. 

But despite all the opposition in our country to the development of renewables in our country I wonder if having ease and convenience worth risking the future of our planet or if it is time to embrace the change.  I believe changes are coming whether you like it or not. I just chose to run my life off of renewables before someone tells me I don’t have a choice. 

So the next time you get discouraged about the condition of the world, think about this podcast episode. A sustainable future is within our reach. Even today, we have the knowledge and technology to make it happen. And despite all the bad news we hear everyday there are thousands if not millions of people working in the background to make the world a better place and to make certain we have a sustainable future. 

So the next time to have to deal with someone that is so overtly negative that it makes you cringe, look them right in the eye and say and say something positive. Remind them that the world is not coming to an end. A renewable energy future is just the beginning. 

Additional Reading

16 Eye-Opening Negative News Statistics You Need to Know 

Negativity Bias: Why We Love Bad News