I saw a sign today that suggests that we may have finally reached the tipping point. Google, the monster internet company, announced that they are investing hundreds of millions of dollars into creating renewable energy alternatives that are cheaper than CO2 producing coal-fired plants (which currently produce 49% of US electricity). They are looking to solar, wind, and gerothermal technologies. Co-founder Larry Page believes it will be possible to bring these cheap alternatives on line in years, not decades.

Al Gore, who has espoused alternative energy options for decades, recently joined the private venture capital company that put up the funding for Google and other leading technology companies. That suggests to me that they believe the world marketplace is ready to embrace alternatives. Many other players are jumping into the energy techology arena now, too. This is extremely exciting. I’ve been waiting for the tech people to turn their attention to the energy issue. Creativity and competition can produce the efficient…and inexpensive…options we need for mass implemention–all over the world.

Now the race is on. This is another piece of the vision Lester Brown (see my last blog entry) has laid out falling into place. I’ve said this before, but it’s a lot more fun to watch creation take place than to focus on decline. We have a long way to go, but I do believe we are finally overcoming inertia and going.

Technology is only a tool. We have to guide it in the right direction with our hearts and minds. We must reconnect with Spirit and restore our relatedness and harmony at an even faster rate than we develop new technologies, or, as in the past, the technologies will be misapplied. Ultimately, we still must change ourselves to change our world.