California Net Tangible Benefit: Fill & Download for Free

I am amazed at the lack of perspective in some of these answers. There seems to be an all or nothing attitude in America that says nothing can be done so why bother. It's mind boggling. Equating it to back yard blacksmithing seems especially specious. Here's a great Popular Mechanics article about building a forge in your garage.The Backyard Blacksmith - Popular MechanicsBut I digress..So much space is wasted in this country. NASA estimates that there are 128,000 square kilometers of lawn in this country, making the most widely irrigated crop. Feature Articles. That means we grow more lawn than corn, which is saying a lot because we have spent 80+ Billion Dollars on corn subsidies since 1995. United States Corn Subsidies || EWG Farm Subsidy Database. Lawn is water hog; if all lawns were well watered it would require 200 gallons of fresh (read: drinkable) per person per day to keep up all the lawn surface in this country. Could we put all that acreage to better use? I think any use would be better than lawn.Grass aside, there seems to be an all-or-nothing mentality concerning producing your own food. Obviously we can't expect everyone to produce enough food to feed their entire families, but you can grow food in the most modest of spaces. Balconies, rooftops, and window boxes can all produce food in tight urban areas, with nothing to say of indoor gardening. Mushrooms can be grown in a plastic tub in your closet, micro scale greenhouses can be put almost anywhere and can supplement with leafy greens. The possibilities are endless and there is a huge industry growing up around urban food production. The top down approach to agriculture has gotten us huge gains in the last century alone and allowed the world population to explode, but certainly distributive approaches to the problems we are facing are a better way forward. Encouraging people to become involved in the food system breaks the power of large monopolies and allows things to return to more manageable human scale.Moreover, there are so many less tangible benefits to encouraging gardening at home. Plants have so many social and psychological benefits that are hard to quantify, but have been studied extensively. Page on tamu.edu. When people start to garden at home they learn the value of it and might be more compelled to participate in and advocate for more community agriculture projects, which have been correlated to reductions in crime rates, improved mental health outcomes and even better traffic safety.I really can't imagine any net negative effects of encouraging people to become more involved with the food they eat. It is the role of the government to incentivize behaviors that benefit the common wealth. You might argue that the US government is currently extremely successful at doing the exact opposite, but I am a shameless idealist and I see encouraging gardening as a cheap and simple place to start.

I really hate questions like this. First and foremost, at least on the national level there is not a significant difference between the political parties (lets exclude the loons on the extreme sides of both parties). Ancient Romans would really have a hard time telling them apart.Edit: In respect to Duncan's comments, I acknowledge that conservatives favor private solutions and liberal favor government. But keep in mind that Scandinavian countries are actually more pro-business capitalist than the US in many ways.And where would moderates or libertarians move to? Though I self-identify moderate conservative, I hold a few liberal views.Moreover, in what I envision would happen, I’d be happy living in either country.Keep in mind in Democratland California would still look like California. And In Republicanland Kansas would still look like Kansas.Its funny how from liberal writers will compare California to Kansas as opposed to using Texas.People point to California’s economy but forget the tech industry arose from the defense and electronics industries of the 50’s and 60’s cold war spending. Liberalism grew because of the earlier success. They also forget it was location and climate that caused the west coast to grow, and the growth was already established when Ronald Reagan was governor (and California also voted for him during his epic landslide in 1984).Heck, this state as late as the 1990’s voted against gay marriage.As successful as California is, places like San Francisco are among the worst for income inequality (and we are not talking billionaires, just the shear number of tech workers making low-six figure incomes). It is also getting pretty famous for people defecating on the street, so you have that.They also overplay the value of religion, “Republicianland would not look like “Jesusland” with a functional theocracy. It would look like North Carolina or Pennsylvania.It would probably have merit-based immigration.It might have lower taxes, but it would also spend the money directly on thing that create tangible benefits. Conservative don't mind spending money on police, roads or the military, but often money is diverted to “social programs”To me that would be the greatest weakness. Not a hollowed out military or potholes everywhere, just a weak social safety net. If anyone build a wall it would not be this side of the border.Just remember that Europe's Nordic countries are social liberal and are successful, places like Japan, Korea and Singapore are fairly conservative and are also considered successful. Even India is socially conservative.Remember the entire country was that conservative socially just a few decades ago. The biggest difference between parties back then was democrats favored labor.And in one of my answers, I found that in the top 10 list of states that subsidize higher education, many of the states were considered conservative. Not one of the liberal New England States made the top ten list, yet North Carolina & Georgia has.If the US made college free for everyone, wouldn't college just become like high school at that point? Essentially the degrees being given to everyone would just devalue them.So in my view you really would not see that much real difference between them. One side would have single-payer health insurance, and the other would copy Canada’s immigration laws. One side would promote renewable energy and the other Nuclear power.In conclusion, most of the answers just reflect the bias of the writer, and also note they are the loudest mouths that we hear.Now I’ll shut my big mouth.Edit: I’m gong to disable comments, as I wrote this in response to another Quoran that I respect, but rather than argue with him, I decide to write my own stupid answer. Some will try to even add charts and graphs to support their response, but of course all will be culled from sources that support the answer (and I expect nothing less…)I normally stick with engineering, and after the first of the year i was planning to scale back anyway. I normally like to engage, but this was more of a vent.

The continued depletion of natural resources has led corporations that have large energy requirements to become more environmentally aware than ever. This is because not only do green initiatives save on costs, reuse resources and meet compliance requirements, but they also help to create brand recognition among customers.Making a positive impact and helping protect the environment for everyone is certainly its own reward. There are many other reasons to consider going green. Environment-friendly companies save money, have greater productivity, enjoy competitive advantages and set a positive example through their actions.Also another reason to go green is consumers are increasingly demanding natural products and social responsibility from vendors and suppliers through sustainability and green practices.Going green in business also offers a number of more practical and tangible benefits.reduced waste and improved efficiencyAccording to the Environmental Protection Agency, some businesses can save up to 30 percent on utility costs alone simply by implementing a few free or low-cost measurestax breaks, government subsidies, savings from eco-friendly practices, and increased popularity and demand through your standing as a green company.The Small Business Administration (SBA) offers financing solutions to business organizations that support green solutions in new construction, retrofitting existing structures and the advancement of green technologies. etc.Companies with great Environmental initiatives areFord Motor Company - The company uses sustainable fabrics in its vehicles while 80% of both its Focus and Escape vehicles are recyclable.Disney- Disney is determined to please companies that have made it a giant by using zero net direct greenhouse gas emission policies within all its facilities.Fisher investment - The company has initiated the Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative that is aimed at contributing towards the preservation of California's native Redwoods through cutting down on emissions and gasses that threaten their existence.Hewlett-Packard (HP)- Hewlett-Packard is one of the first companies to have reported its greenhouse gas emissions, after which they have initiated plans that are aimed at reducing emissions and cutting back on toxic substances used in manufacturing its products like cartridges.Johnson & Johnson - It has initiatives that reduce waste in the course of manufacturing and distribution through use of sustainable products and packaging methods where possible.Nike - Its line of sustainable products is made using environmentally preferred materials like recycled polyester.e-bay Eco initiatives - This company has made it possible for people to exchange or reuse goods instead of throwing them away; thus not only increasing the lifespan of these products but also keeping them off landfills.Starbucks Store Go Green - The company not only purchases Fair Trade Certified and Certified organic coffee but also focuses on achieving LEED ( Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certifications for its new outlets.Google - The company demonstrates its commitment to going green through initiatives like powering its facilities with renewable energy sources, hosting farmers' markets as well as sustainable cooking seminars and bringing goats to trim grass.To know more about Sustainability you can visit Earth5R Institute of Social and Environmental Sustainability (EISES) they offers certificate courses in Global Sustainability and Climate Change.The program blends online and offline learning (within 3 km of your location) with the ongoing projects. Students receive one-to-one learning and experience which offers great flexibility.There are two different types of course, one for professional and one for students.