As Earth Day makes merry on its 40th birthday, we can all celebrate this: Environmentalism is young again, and it means business.

I was a teenager when environmentalism became hip. We can thank my generation for giving meaning to terms like "ecology" and "tree-hugger."

That generation shouted, to CEOs and senators, that the planet mattered. And we sincerely meant it.

We still mean it, but now we're the CEOs and senators, landlords and tenants, judges and consumers. As ties replaced tie-dye, idealism yielded to pragmatism, but we still know our priorities.

We know sustainable energy, done right, is good for our business and our economy.

We are also parents, a daily reminder that we're no longer the inheritors of the planet.

I founded Energy Priorities Magazine on the 34th Earth Day, in 2004. I write and speak about sustainable business from the perspective of a CEO whose children are starting families.

As the magazine enters its seventh year, America is growing up, too. I'm pleased to say that the U.S. is closer to climate legislation than it has ever been.

Businesses must be able to internalize our externalities, without competitive disadvantage. We cannot do that without a price on pollutants, including carbon dioxide.

I watch with some trepidation as our president courts the conventional power industries with a bouquet of subsidies and a box of gourmet drilling permits. I would rather he'd go steady with someone bright and sensible -- the endless supply of clean power from the big nuclear reactor just eight minutes from here, our sun.

Year six saw progress for Energy Priorities. Our "Building Priorities Briefing" podcast series has evolved into a half-hour program distributed by NPR. If your local public radio station doesn't carry it, please e-mail a request to them, or to us. We would like to connect more people with the excellent information in that program.

Speaking of connecting, our "Thought Leaders" energy professionals networking group added its 2,500th member. Subscribers of Energy Priorities are entitled to join free and connect with peers worldwide.

There is a common principle within this magazine and my consulting work: People matter. Everything I create, from radio interviews to marketing white papers, highlights the human element.

The reason is simple. There is a "silver bullet" for our sustainable energy future. It's not an idea, a technology, a kilowatt, a dollar or euro -- it's the people who bring those things together to make a difference. That includes you.

Thanks for reading and listening. Don't keep us a secret. Take a moment now to share this link with a colleague or acquaintance:

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