A green light amid the gloom of the recession

"This is the future," says Oakland County Commissioner Jim Nash, a longtime proponent of green development strategies.

The way he sees it, amid all the negative trends that have combined to create economic disaster, another convergence also under way offers hope. Describing what he calls "a sort of perfect storm, but in a good way," Nash and others point to four factors:

No. 1: widespread realization that continued dependence on Middle Eastern oil poses a clear economic and national security threat to the United States. No. 2: the financial imperative to reduce energy costs at all levels. No. 3: acceptance that climate change must be addressed by reducing use of carbon-based fuels. All three points demand a change in the way this nation deals with its energy issues.

Add to this mix No. 4: a new president who has made investment in green technology and energy efficiency a top priority -- with a promised investment of $150 billion over the next 10 years -- and there's no doubt change is coming, Nash says.