Green Gone Easy

Going green is a movement that has gained popularity over the years. The major complaints against living green is the inconvenience and the cost. One must find the time to separate the recyclables, find the money to buy natural and organics, reduce fuel consumption, etc.

Some of these changes are an inconvenience and I get that. However, some changes are too easy and make too much sense not to participate. Phillips has developed a new LED light bulb to replace the incandescent 60W light bulb. Granted, this LED bulb will be more expensive than an incandescent 60W bulb. This new bulb emits the same amount of light, yet uses less than 10W. They also will last longer than a standard bulb..... 25 times longer (25,000 hours). If all standard bulbs in the US were changed to these LED bulbs, it would save enough electricity to light 17.4 million households.

These bulbs are not out yet but they are on the way. Go green, save the planet, save electricity, and save some time.

Does It Come with a Warranty?

I was thinking today about different ideas pertaining to health care. What if we thought of health care more like the warranty on your TV instead of our current system?

Everyone born in the US comes with a government sponsored lifetime limited warranty. 100% full coverage up until age 16. After 16, there are some stipulations. Much like a TV warranty, you are fully covered for manufacturer defect. You are also covered for accidental breakages. However, you are not covered under situations of user negligence. This would include any complications directly related to weight, tobacco usage, drug usage, alcohol, etc. For the overweight, no coverage for diabetes, cholesterol, hypertension, etc. For smokers, emphysema, various cancers, heart disease, etc. You get the idea.

If you make responsible decisions and make healthy choices, you are rewarded with free or cheap health care. If you make unhealthy choices, you are rewarded with high health care costs. Your Choice.

Free the Entrepreneurs

Despite the economic recession, the United States is know for its wealth and prosperity. This wealth was built on centuries of the entrepreneurial spirit. These entrepreneurs took on risk for the purpose of bettering their lives and expressing their ideas. Henry Ford, Bill Gates, and John D. Rockefellar are just a few of America's great entrepreneurs.

Today, their are many people who have similar aspirations. For many who are stuck in corporate monotony, there are dreams of breaking free and unleashing their ideas on the world. However, there is a looming obstacle in the way known as the American healthcare system. The fear of leaving the comfort of corporate benefits for obscenely high premiums for a family of four is understandable. Adding healthcare cost to a mortgage, car payments, bills, etc. is more than enough to persuade even the most talented people into curtailing their desire for freedom.

Family is everything. Many would be entrepreneurs simply cannot risk the well being of their family, despite their confidence in their ideas. The current healthcare system not only hurts individuals, but stifles innovation and progression. Our system needs reform, for the health of our people and the liberation of their ideas.

The Irony of the Stop Smoking Movement

The arguments against smoking are many. I am a major proponent of smoking cessation for the environmental factor as well as the mere annoyance factor. Smoking pollutes the air with countless chemicals, not to mention the billions of cigarettes that find their way onto the ground. Second hand smoke is just bothersome and perilous.

Another argument against smoking is the cost on the healthcare system due to smoking. As compared to non-smokers, the cost of healthcare for smokers is higher at every age range. This difference in cost is as high as 40% for 65-74 year olds.

So if everyone quits smoking then healthcare cost should decrease? Well, yes..... at first.

The irony comes in because the cost of healthcare will decrease shortly after everyone quits smoking. However, after 10-15 years, the cost of healthcare will actually increase. Why?...... because the average non-smoker lives 6-7 years longer than a smoker. That's approximately 48 million people who would live 6-7 years longer. Imagine those health care costs.

Urgency.... A Time for Change

Real urgency brings about positive change. Cut out anything that slows you down. Skim the fat. Don't hide problems or crisis. Take the crisis as an opportunity to impart change. Don't be complacent, be ambitious.

At a time when it seems that many employees are expendable, make yourself irreplaceable. Be urgent. Step out of the comfort zone and set yourself apart from your coworkers. Think progressively, work more efficiently, and pay attention to detail.

Be urgent, but don't stress out. Anxiety and stress are tell-tale signs of fake urgency. Occupying your mind with stress and anxiety takes time away from valuable ideas and productive thought. Be urgently level-headed.

Another sign of fake urgency is being extremely busy. Fake urgency is performing a myriad of busywork that adds up to a full day of work but achieves no change. Real urgency has a goal, is focused, and results in change.

Obama has made a call for urgency, to make a change, and improve a nation. Unfortunately for us, most politicians must be too BUSY to hear the call.

John Kotter, a Harvard business professor, has written a book on urgency, A Sense of Urgency. This book is an in-depth account on urgency and how to use it effectively within a organization. Many of the points I have made can be found in more detail in his book.

America is Lazy and Therefore Fat

If you have any doubt as to how lazy American are, just go to any Wal-Mart or supermarket. Count the number of shopping carts that are left out to aimlessly wander the parking lot, occupy prime parking spots, and ding innocent cars.

How much effort does it really take to return a shopping cart? Most supermarkets have cart corrals spread throughout the parking lot for your convenience. The following calculations are being done to demonstrate how lazy Americans are.

Lets say that the average person has to walk 25 steps each way to return the cart.
- That is a total of 50 steps.
- The average person takes 2000 steps in 1 mile.
- In 1 mile the average person burns approximately 110 calories.
- To burn 1 calorie you have to take about 18 steps
= To return the shopping cart you just burned about 3 calories. Now I understand why people find it too exhausting to return a shopping cart. If you return 17 more shopping carts you'll finally burn off that 1 Oreo you had for lunch.

Now some people will say that they don't have enough time to return the cart. Understandable, right?

Lets say that it takes you were walking 3 mph for the 50 steps it will take you to return the cart.
- 3 mph is a 20 minute mile.
- The average person takes 2000 steps in 1 mile.
- That is 100 steps per minute.
- You took 50 steps.
= To return the shopping cart it took you 30 seconds.

- The average person in the USA watches approximately 4.5 hours of TV a day.
- There are 16 minutes of commercials per hour of American TV.
= The average person in the USA watches 72 minutes of commercials per day.

That means you could return 144 shopping carts during the time you spend watching TV commercials per day.

So please spare the 3 calories and the 30 seconds to return your shopping cart. The supermarket employees will appreciate it.