The Basis of Sustainable Community Energy Policy

Renewable energy policy and sustainable community issues place an enormous strain on society and its institutions. For good or ill, the fossil energy economy created a sense of independence. But times are changing. There is an increasing awareness that energy supply is somehow connected to nearly all aspects of modern life: diplomacy; international conflict; health care issues; environmental quality; international development; food supplies; and sustainable living conditions in general.

None of this is new, but the confluence of events along with a growing awareness of “peak oil;” general conventional energy depletion and transportation to markets; and value shifts have focused the public’s attention on the issue.

The problem is of growing evidence and importance — it is one of our “wicked” problems — complex, difficult to define in terms of scope and impact, and complicated in terms of solution…a solution that may very well be tailored to local need.

Public opinion polls indicate that Boomers and generations since have been raised to feel efficacious and when a problem is defined as being of communal interest, young people want to participate in solution identification and implementation. Generations X and Y, the generations most likely to be impacted by the decline of fossil energy and the growing importance of alternative (often renewable energy), are more likely to demand direct access to decision-making and policy implementation.

Renewable Energy Access