Clinton: Going green helps all ideologies
Former President Bill Clinton, in Boston to address an environmental conference, gave a wideranging speech last night that touched on global warming and energy-efficient buildings — with references to the nation’s political divisions.
Clinton appeared at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, a gathering of energy and environmentally conscious builders at the Boston Convention & Expo Center. He praised the work of the U.S. Green Building Council, which is building an orphanage in Haiti that will be named for Clinton.
“It’s great to be here in a crowd of people that, no matter what your political party is, believe that cooperation is better than conflict. That decisions and actions should be made, and actions should be taken based on evidence. That there is such a thing as evidence,” he said to applause. He told the crowd that he and his family face unfounded accusations constantly on social media, so it was good to see photos of a “real center” that will house “real children” being built in his name.
Toward the end of his remarks he said environmentally conscious building methods will help most of the people who oppose them on political grounds.
“The great thing about what you do is that it’s inherently empowering. Across every single line that would otherwise divide America,” he said. “There’s not a country church in a rural county in America that wouldn’t be better off if it didn’t have a lower power bill . ... I could go on and on and on. You should feel privileged and grateful that you are present at the creation of a whole new economy. Even if people shake their fist at you, you should open your hand to them.”