Thought Carried Into Action

By Eleanor Haas

Shai Agassi of Better Place gives us meaningful action that can be implemented within the next 15 years to significantly reduce automotive emissions and, incidentally, reduce the cost of operating a car.  His company has started to build prototype battery-change stations for all-electric cars.  The first stations are scheduled to open in 2012 – just three years from now.

Not surprisingly, the initial Better Place stations are not intended for Detroit’s vehicles.  Renault-Nissan will be the pioneer auto-builder. Israel, Denmark, Japan, Australia and Canada were the first countries whose governments signed agreements with Better Place to build switching stations.  The good news is that the US will not be completely left out.  Hawaii and a nine-city alliance in the San Francisco area have signed agreements as well.

Will President Obama’s victory at the polls trigger a revolution – literally a complete turn around?  Are we ready, willing and able to change how we live, how we do business and how we think by adopting socially and environmentally responsible values?  That’s my vision.  And I keep finding more and more people with similar thoughts  If revolution is but thought carried into action – Emma Goldman’s words – we just need enough people to envision who we might be if we but accept the golden rule.