Jay Inslee headlines kickoff party for Apollo's Fire at Seattle University

Last night Jason and I had the honor of representing the Northwest Progressive Institute at a launch event for Apollo's Fire: Igniting America's Clean Energy Economy, a new book coauthored by our very own Representative Jay Inslee and Bracken Hendricks, a respected Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress. The book is a guided tour through many of the new technologies that hold the promise of solving the climate crisis and other environmental challenges.

It is filled with the optimistic, can-do spirit that John F. Kennedy brought to the space race in 1961 when he said:

I believe this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth.

Those 29 words, Inslee said during his twenty or so minute talk last night, made a huge difference in the Cold War-era space race. As Jay observed:

Think of what a courageous statement that was at the time. He [JFK] understood something about the American character...that's the spirit we seek to kindle with this book.

The intellectual fuel is ready for this fire to burn.

He added:

If the White House won't do its job on global warming, Congress will.

JFK's sticky idea - a very daunting challenge - became a reality just a few years later with the Apollo 11 landing and Neil Armstrong's first steps onto the moon's surface. In Apollo's Fire, Inslee and Hendricks talk about the need for a new Apollo project: a strategic initiative embraced by the progressive community and implemented by the federal government, that will bring America to the forefront of the environmental revolution.

The advantages of abandoning fossil fuels and adopting clean, renewable energy sources are significant. The Apollo project is not just about energy - it cuts across every major issue our country faces today.

• America benefits economically from an investment in renewable energy with the creation of millions of jobs.
• America becomes a healthier nation becuase there are fewer pollutants in our air and water. That means less sickness and disease.
• A cleaner America means more sustainable ecosystems, greater biodiversity, and better protection of endangered species.
• America's national security is strengthened because our country will no longer be reliant upon the Middle East for our energy.
• America can become a world leader in helping developing nations invest in the same green technologies so the climate crisis can be averted.

Apollo's Fire is not a book that dwells in gloomy predictions of doom or disaster. It is a book that profiles the work of the many innovators and pioneers who are already working on the solutions that will be at the heart of the environmental revolution.

During his talk, Inslee also touched on three individuals who are each helping to create different green energy alternatives: one who is working on plug-in cars, one who is involved with the development of a new crop that can be used in ethanol, and one who is developing a new type of solar energy - thermal mirrors.

I haven't had a chance to read the whole thing yet, but we'll be publishing a review soon. In the meantime, if you want to grab a copy, head over to Amazon or Powell's - it is available now and makes a wonderful addition to your bookshelf. At Powell's you can order a presigned edition if you'd like.

For our Portland metro area readers, there's an event coming up at Powell's this Sunday, October 14th, at 7:30 PM, at Powell's City of Books (1005 W Burnside, Portland, OR 97209). For our Seattle metro area readers, mark your calendars for Sunday, November 4th, when there will be a panel discussion about Apollo's Fire at Town Hall Seattle, cosponsored by Elliott Bay Books and Seattle University. That event starts at 2 PM and will take place in the Great Hall.

Tickets will be $5 at the door.