If it's good enough for the military, good enough for the rest of us.

The New York Times has this great article on how the military, yes the military (this is not a misprint) is moving toward renewable energy because it increases the security of our troops. Apparently in Afghanistan the number one import is oil based fuels and protecting them is incredibly challenging and places our troops in jeopardy. The beauty of the decision by the military is that it escapes the political rhetoric. This quote says it all:

“There are a lot of profound reasons for doing this, but for us at the core it’s practical,” said Ray Mabus, the Navy secretary and a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, who has said he wants 50 percent of the power for the Navy and Marines to come from renewable energy sources by 2020. That figure includes energy for bases as well as fuel for cars and ships.

The thing I don't understand from all the debate about those who are against increasing efficiency such as raising the average miles per gallon, is that those against these efforts are against the driving force of capitalism. Increased productivity.

It's my hope that this gets a lot of coverage, because those who call people people looking to move away from fossil fuels "tree huggers" are about to get a dose of cognitive dissonance. Let's go back to looking at what's a good thing, increasing our independence and increasing our security. What could be more patriotic?