The green movement and political conservatism

Over and over I run through this in my mind, and still I come to the same conclusion. The green movement should be embraced by all who consider themselves conservatives. Think about it. Conservative. Conservation. Say those words a few dozen times and you'll notice that there is at least some small similarity, like maybe somehow they might share a uh..whats that thing called...Oh yeah, a root word! Now I'm not sure about you, but I usually take that to mean the two words are SIMILAR!! Lets go a bit deeper.

Lets start with the energy issues involved. We as Americans currently import roughly a shit-ton (I think it's Metric) of oil annually to power our lives. Of that shit-ton, a whole ass-load of this oil is used to help produce electricity to power our buildings (Buildings account for a large majority of the American energy use). Now, lets just pretend for a moment that every building in the country provided 1/10th of it's power from solar panels on their roofs. If my math is correct, that would add up to a grip of oil that we as Americans wouldn't have to buy from some other country. The other effects of this would be: Job creation from installation and servicing of the solar panels, More cash in each Americans pocket, some security from price fluctuations, and lastly a dramatic increase is self sufficiency. All of these effects stand right in line with conservative values.

Next, lets discuss environmental protections. Often,environmental regulations are considered costly and non-business friendly. While for many companies this is true, there is an entire industries based around building and operating equipment that helps other businesses operate in a cleaner fashion. Imagine the economic impact of shutting these guys down. In the coming years, environmental stewardship will foster large quantities of well paying jobs that will be difficult to outsource. This form of economic stimulation is real, and could help keep our country running for a long time.

Finally, lets discuss the food that we eat. Fresh food is healthier. Period. By growing food locally and organically, we as individual communities empower ourselves with the ability to choose what goes into our food. We create a stronger local economy, and we reduce the amount of fuel needed to ship produce (I read that on average, you're food travels 1500-2000 miles to get to you). This independence is both economic and social, creating a stronger, more capable citizenry. Who could argue that that is not a conservative value?

Conserve. Conservative. Hmmmmm....