A Billion Dollars Buys A LOT of Lightbulbs
Sustainable NJ and BPU Are Literally The Same
I can’t seem to even take a local bike ride without running into trouble.
I set off this gorgeous morning for a ride, but stopped by Gilder Park to see if I could watch a few innings of a youth or AAU baseball game.
There was nothing happening at the baseball field, but I saw banners and people gathering at Carslake Community Center at what looked like a cool event, so I drove over to scope it out.
I saw two guys at a table with “Sustainable NJ” and a “BPU” banners. Uh Oh.
I asked who was with BPU – they both chimed in, “I am”.
I asked who was with Sustainable NJ – they both chimed in, “I am”.
When I asked them whether it was appropriate for “Sustainable NJ” (a private non-profit) and “BPU” (an independent government regulatory agency) to be presented to the public as the same entity, neither had a clue about what I was concerned about.
Upon further inquiry, in turns out that both of them were private sector contractors under contract with the BPU.
Never mind about providing cover, Sustainable NJ has literally merged with BPU- they were presented as one and the same.
The “Sustainable Men” were at Carslake demonstrating, selling, and/or giving away compact florescent light bulbs at the “Energy Saving Lighting Fair” sponsored by the Bordentown Environmental Commission – after hearing this, I didn’t inquire about the details.
Instead, I asked them if their efforts might be better directed to educating people – not about compact fluorescent light bulbs – but about the fact that Governor Christie diverted $1 billion in Clean Energy Funds.
I asked them:
- From an energy ROI and an economic ROI perspective, wouldn’t the $1 billion the Governor stole be put to better use than buying light bulbs? (How many homes could be energy efficient solar with $1 billion?)
- If so, wouldn’t their efforts be more effective in organizing protests on the State House steps to criticize the Governor and demand that the legislature restore the $1 billion the Governor stole?
Crickets – neither of them even tried to reply to either of those questions.
Which is why, as I’ve written, that Sustainable NJ is a fraud – they provide cover for the Governor’s agenda and mislead and divert well meaning citizens away from far more effective responses.
We must act as citizens and organize politically for collective government responses, not act as individual consumers in the marketplace.