While you and I may fret over the current difficult economic times, the planet is loving it.  With reduced economic activity in the developed world comes reduced consumption, reduced energy use and overall lower environmental destruction.  For those of us that are advocates of green business, it is also an opportunity, albeit cloaked in wolves clothing. 

It is clear that business as usual has failed us.  The business of undisciplined greed has resulted in a bubble economy… and the bubbles keep popping.  The next big trend has been said to be cleantech and green business.  However, this is not a trend likely to become a bursting bubble.  While the Internet bubble was filled with the hot air of “new economics” and the housing bubble was driven by fraudulent economics, it is hard to imagine an economy based on real savings and bedrock basics such as energy generation turning into a bubble.  Certainly there will be winners and losers in the cleantech and green business game and some stocks will become overheated, but there are no long term losers in cleaner air, cleaner water, and lower energy bills.  Furthermore, a green domestic economy means we keep our energy dollars in America.

So why does the recession help the green economy?  Although many factors have contributed, I credit the California Energy Crisis of 2000 for  giving a big boost to the green building movement.  It took $4 gas to get people interested in smaller cars and public transit.  These trends do not end when the crisis goes away because people begin to see the benefits of the changes they were forced to make.  Now, a recession will make people look hard at conservation.  After All, if you have less coming in, you need to conserve what you already have.  Turning businesses’ focus to saving is good when your message is savings.  Changing our message from green = good to green = savings doesn’t bother us at all.  We don’t care why we save the environment, as long as it happens.  We have always believed that green business is good business but maybe now more people will take note. 

The recession is also good for green business in other tangible ways.  First, along with the $700 billion bailout came an extension and expansion to the renewable energy tax credit.  I have already seen that pay off in a big way for local solar installers.  Second, the new administration will focus future economic stimulus on long-term investments in our economy.  That means energy independence, fuel efficient vehicles and green jobs.  When our energy dollars stay in the country, it not only means more for us, it also means less spending on securing our sources of foreign fossil fuels.

So while I definitely prefer a boom to a bust, as long as we all come out of this intact, I am certain we will be living in a greener world because of it.  And since this journey is about the quality of life for us and our future generations, and not the quantity of wealth we accumulate, we can appreciate the environmental payoff of a down economy while hoping for the economic payoff to come back soon.