California's 2010 Embrace of Green Tech

In killing Proposition 23, residents choose to pay more for energy, use less

A A A Comments (0) By Patrick Range McDonald Thursday, Nov 4 2010

Hanscom says green technology still brings with it unknowns and potential problems. She's concerned about harnessing natural resources such as tides and biomass for use as energy sources. "There are a lot of things we don’t know about these technologies," she says. "You have to look at the impacts for anything we do on this Earth."

Clean-air activist Lyou also says there's "absolutely" a danger of supposedly clean-tech companies misrepresenting their products and emission-reduction outcomes, a marketing tactic known as "greenwashing." "You realize they’re not exactly backing up the environmental claims they’re making," Lyou says.

PHOTO BY Patrick Range McDonald

High school students from Wilmington protest Prop. 23.

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Nevertheless, he's upbeat, saying new industries could help California get out of its "economic doldrums."

Some environmentalists don’t see the need for caution.

Sierra Club spokesman David Graham-Caso, when asked about the concern that clean technologies could introduce new environmental problems, insists that's "not on my radar" and such outcomes would be "surprising." Only when pressed does Graham-Caso add, "There needs to be careful oversight, just like for any other industry, so the citizens and the environment are protected."

But Hanscom, who has devoted her life to protecting animal species and wetlands, says, "There are a lot of people on the bandwagon, but there's always a question if these things are really green."

Contact Patrick Range McDonald at pmcdonald@laweekly.com.