The Big Ideas Project

Tax pesticides for the damage they do. Use the funds to pay for any needed clean up or inspection, also perhaps to support organic foods. Organic foods are only expensive because they're small scale. When prices equalize consumers can choose for health rather than cost, and organic production should increase rapidly. Soon prices will be better than now and the environment will be healing.

Submitted by Tim in Environment Jan. 4, 2015, 1:48 p.m.

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#322

703 votes

Realistic and practical changes to promote conservation and shift towards renewable energy. Provide tiered tax benefits to businesses and consumers who derive 10, 25, 50, and 75% of their energy from renewable sources. Rework current tax benefits to energy companies to tier benefits by how much of their energy production is from clean sources, and the expansion of existing or bringing online of renewable energy sources.

Submitted by BadAdamD in Environment Jan. 8, 2015, 4:29 p.m.

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#322

703 votes

Make agriculture subsidies dependent on practicing environmentally responsible agroecology practices. Shift a significant percentage of subsidies towards local food systems, small-scale farms, community gardens, and encouraging permaculture.

Submitted by Zach N. in Environment Dec. 11, 2014, 10:46 a.m.

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#325

702 votes

Make Solar Water heaters free for Seniors, the Disabled, and the Poor. They are cheap to build and easy to install, that alone will cut the power cost for these folks by nearly 1/3rd. The savings to the gas and electricity demands would be huge. This would also create thousands and thousands of jobs and would teach great skills to the now unskilled.

Submitted by GlennB in Environment Dec. 10, 2014, 3:16 p.m.

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#328

696 votes

Get back to glass. Why does everything we consume have to be wrapped and packaged and contained in PLASTIC? Plastic is petroleum. Glass is sand. Glass can be made in the good old USA. IF it worked for our grandparents, why not us? Not even to mention it is enormously recyclable!

Submitted by Feef Mooney in Environment Dec. 10, 2014, 4:41 p.m.

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#333

686 votes

As a massive infrastructure project set a goal so that within 20 years the water entering the Gulf of Mexico will be pollution free. This will reverse the "dead zone" existing at the mouth of the Mississippi bringing back the fishing industry in the Gulf.

Submitted by 20 in 20 in Environment Dec. 10, 2014, 4:30 p.m.

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#354

638 votes

Corporations should be penalized for exporting existing jobs and An increased import tariff for products that once made in this country that would equal the cost of the product to be doubled the cost if made in this country. Corporate funds hidden in off shore banks should be triple taxed. This is, after all stolen tax dollars.

Submitted by John B. from TX in Environment Jan. 4, 2015, 6:58 p.m.

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#360

632 votes

Stop subsidizing fossil fuels to the tune of $600 billion per year, and invest $300 billion per year in global cooling engineering.

Submitted by Chyle in Environment Dec. 12, 2014, 8:01 a.m.

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#364

614 votes

Start listening to your Scientist! You would trust a heart doctor if you had cardiac issues, but the U.S ignores its ecologist/biologist on ecosystems and health professionals/researcher on Fracking chemicals, FDA on supplements, etc. Allow Scientists to present original research!

Submitted by Brandon - Forensic Biologist/Ecologist in Environment Dec. 10, 2014, 10:51 a.m.

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#373

595 votes

Encourage a move to solar and wind in both new residential and business construction, as well as retrofitting, by giving tax incentives, property tax incentives (so all owners benefit), and offering materials and equipment at lower cost to program participants.

Submitted by Bruce in Environment Dec. 10, 2014, 7:49 p.m.

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#376

593 votes

Ban off-shore drilling and seize assets of energy companies to pay for ocean cleanup and estuary redevelopment.

Submitted by Susan G. from NY in Environment Dec. 8, 2014, 4:42 p.m.

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#382

588 votes

Renewable Energy: support distributed generation throughout the rural electric system (where space is available) and create a series of microgrids that combine into the total nation-wide electric grid, but can disaggregate and perform independently when necessary (i.e. in intense storms or terrorist attacks). This will, also, clean up the air, make desperately needed water available to farmers & urban areas, and hold rising electric costs in check!

Submitted by Jan P. from CO in Environment Dec. 9, 2014, 3:22 p.m.

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#384

585 votes

Transition to sustainable agriculture. Large monoculture agriculture is depleting our soil. Transfer research money to sustainable, organic agriculture. We subsidize corn which encourages the destruction of the soil. The main uses of all this corn are 1. high fructose corn syrup (tied to obesity) 2. Feed for polluting CAFO's (cows can't digest corn properly & these operations feed 80% of the antibiotics used leading to antibiotic resistant bacteria) 3. Ethanol (no net energy gain)

Submitted by bigb in Environment Jan. 15, 2015, 12:30 p.m.

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#390

575 votes

National renewable electricity standard.

Submitted by Luke W. from DC in Environment Nov. 6, 2014, 10:57 a.m.

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#391

574 votes

Extend the Solar, Wind and Hydro Grants past 2016.

Submitted by Networkgal in Environment Dec. 10, 2014, 4:55 p.m.

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#401

565 votes

Not my idea, and a no-brainer: But the FDR CCC-style "green corps," helping environment and employment together.

Submitted by Gillian P. from MO in Environment Nov. 16, 2014, 5:33 p.m.

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#405

548 votes

Repeal laws that allows "Life" to be patented. Life belongs to no one. Sustainability of life on our planet is a stewardship belonging to all of us and not just to a few with patent attorneys. This will prevent the food supply being controlled by big corporation.

Submitted by RumpledRich in Environment Jan. 7, 2015, 3:42 p.m.

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#428

513 votes

In order to develop and transition into clean alternative energy sources and thus protect the environment and put the brakes on global warming, all fossil fuel corporations should be required by law to invest a miniumum of 50% of their profits in developing safe green energy projects (solar and wind), for which they will receive generous tax breaks. However, they should not receive any tax breaks for generating more fossil fuels.

Submitted by Dona B. from CO in Environment Dec. 9, 2014, 8:54 p.m.

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#430

510 votes

Protection of animals from abuse, from research, from trafficking, from "canned" hunts, from extinction, from cruelty from anyone.

Submitted by naacmail in Environment Jan. 12, 2015, 4:33 p.m.

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#433

505 votes

Laws to clamp down on polluters

Submitted by suz in Environment Dec. 30, 2014, 12:15 a.m.

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#443

489 votes

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