Your Aug. 9 editorial “Time to act on global warming” is a thoughtful and reasonable call for a strategic rethinking of our approach to a potential problem of enormous proportion. Individuals and businesses acting separately and selfishly will not address the problem, but people and corporations need to find new ways to work together to achieve these common goals.
They might take some lessons from the non-profit sector, where several Chicago groups are finding ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without busting their bottom line. The Chicago Rehab Network is aiding its non-profit members in making bulk purchases of energy-efficient refrigerators from Maytag. Neighborhood Housing Services is working with the state energy office to super insulate its new homes and rehab projects. Bethel New Life, on the West Side, has operated the Affordable Energy Home Center with the City of Chicago to demonstrate energy conservation methods in construction and an alternative heating system.
And outside the non-profit sector, South Shore Bank has developed an energy audit and loan program for its customers who own multifamily buildings to learn what actions will be cost-effective and borrow the money needed to achieve the energy savings.
It may be that the cost-conscious, low-income sector will show other parts of the economy how to attain our common environmental goals while practicing good business.
