How Building “Green” Is Creating New Jobs, Cutting Costs and Increasing Students’ Scores

Yesterday I was part of a US Green Building Council group that went to Austin to encourage our legislators to vote for several “green” bills pending before the House and Senate. While there, I learned several interesting things.

One lady named Angela that I met at a USGBC reception at Austin’s famous Scholz Garden is helping farmers and ranchers get wind turbines. It all started from dating a Dutch guy (he left but the business idea stayed). Angela said that the Midwest is converting rapidly to manufacturing wind turbines – and the plants are spreading south. Even the old Maytag plant in Iowa is now making wind turbines (which means even fewer people will be calling the lonely Maytag repairman). These are the new “green” jobs of our future.

She said that wind farms were going up all over the Midwest and spreading south. They usually build a plant near the wind farm. Then they keep the plant open making parts for other wind turbines so it provides a source of permanent employment in a new “green” industry. Farmers and ranchers have a lot of energy needs to run their operations. She said some existing turbines are too big and others too small for this market. She is seeking turbines that are “just right,” about 44 KW. They don’t yet exist but she thinks they will in two years.

The mood in the Austin legislature is different from when they last met two years ago when energy efficiency bills went nowhere. Now the legislature is almost evenly split between Democrats and Republicans and the feeling is that some kind of energy efficiency bill will be passed with bipartisan support. There is a bill for green schools and another to require future State buildings be built green.

However, there has been some misinformation on the cost of building green and Texas Senators Dan Patrick and Joan Huffman voted against SB16. Most cost estimates for building a LEED building are that it will add less than .1% to 2% to the initial construction costs. The payoff is in the drastically reduced operating costs of a green building – up to 60% less electricity, water usage, etc. That makes LEED buildings more attractive to tenants and investors. The lower operating costs will recover the extra construction costs within a few months –and will continue delivering the owners lower operating costs for decades of the building’s life. LEED buildings also command higher sales prices and rental fees.

Studies show that students score up to 20% higher and have fewer sick days when they are in a LEED building (which allows more light in) and employee productivity is higher in LEED buildings. On average, green schools save $100,000 per year, enough to hire two new teachers, buy 200 new computers or purchase 5,000 new textbooks, according to the report “Greening America’s Schools: Costs & Benefits” by Gregory Kats of Capital E, a national clean energy technology and green building firm.

However, few schools are being built “green” because contractors used by trustees don’t want to change their ways. The only way to change this is to get the public telling their school boards –and legislators-- that they want “green” schools and more energy efficient buildings. Students are the next generation. They need to know about the latest technology and LEED’s uplift on student’s scores.

If you want success in creating new jobs and importing less foreign oil, then encourage your legislators to vote “green.” The bottom line is that green building is making us more energy efficient, cutting costs and creating green jobs to take the place of old manufacturing jobs lost.

Our future depends on it. If you think this is important, pass it on…

Stopping UV cancer - and Tanning Suicide

Yesterday I visited a friend who is at MD Anderson with skin cancer. He's fighting for his life. Cancer cells from a melanoma have migrated into his bones. He was a frequent sailor enjoying boat races in retirement.

At about the same time I got an email from our manufacturer stating that our safety film has been awarded The Skin Cancer Foundation Seal of Recommendation -- just in time for Skin Cancer Awareness month in May. That makes our window film the perfect solution for effective UV protection.

As well as cutting solar heat and providing storm protection, it also screens out 99% of the UV rays that cause skin cancer (and fading of your furnishings).

Many consumers think of sun damage only when they’re in the yard, on a boat or at the beach. We have to change how people think about skin cancer by educating them on how harmful sun exposure is – whether it’s at the beach, in the car, at work, or at home.

The only place our product won't protect you is in a tanning bed--which increases the UV ten times more than the stuff you get from the sun...if used too much tanning beds are a form of (skin cancer) suicide.

I also got calls from people in Bangladesh, Maylasia and Turkey who are interested in our products!

ठेपकिस्तान Threat

For some reason blogger took my English "The Pakistan Threat" and converted it into some kind of (Hindi?) language or gibberish. It's never done that before. It's a strange sign at a strange time.

The Taliban are taking over more and more of Pakistan, the only Islamic country with nuclear missiles. The Pakistani government seems to be losing control.

That could mean the same crazy extremists who backed Al Qaida's run-up to 9/11 could be running a country with transportable nuclear weapons. Iran is a wanna be nuclear power. Pakistan IS a nuclear power. Having people like Osama bin laden controlling it is not a good thing for anybody.

That means people here need to think security, security, security.

Aside from what can be done on an international scale in Pakistan (probably not much when you have a weak President like Zardari--he's no Benazir Bhutto), people here need to be double preparing: for both very real Hurricane threats, and very real blast threats.

Our Armor Glass film does both at the same time, on top of saving energy...

There is now a Twitter site: http://twitter.com/ArmorGlass

Houston's First Green Resource center - Opens tonight

22 April 2009
FOR RELEASE

Armor Glass International, Inc. is a co-sponsor of the green technologies on display at Houston's first-ever Green Resource center. Houston Mayor Bill White is coming tonight and deserves credit for this visionary effort that will educate the public on green technologies.

Come! It's tonight at 5 - 7 pm at 3300 Main, Houston. Be our guest. You can see the latest green technologies to save energy and money.

Armor Glass has demonstration 8 mil hurricane security/energy-saving solar film on display at the GBRC (it shares a window with 3M 2 mil solar-only film).

Sorry for the late notice but we didn't get the approval to install our life/property/energy-saving film until Monday (two days ago).

Bailout for the Little Guy - Save Energy and Get a Tax Credit Too

Special Earth Day edition

People have been complaining that everyone but the regular folks are getting a bailout – while overlooking a valuable new tax break for the ordinary Jane and Joe’s like you and me. It also fits in with Earth Day. It was included in the American Recovery Act of 2009.

It is a 30% tax credit up to $1,500 for the cost of qualifying products installed in 2009 that increase energy efficiency. As you know, a tax credit is better than a deduction because it cuts taxes owed dollar-for-dollar.

Houses lose most of their energy due to roofs and windows. Sun penetrates both. A simple silver spray on an attic can form a radiant barrier and substantially cut attic heat and loss of energy though the roof. According to the Department of Energy, as much as 60% of your house energy is lost through the windows, which are the weakest link and are easily breached by humans or storms. There is a solution.

Solar Security window film does three things: (1) it cuts up to 70% of the solar heat coming through your windows, (2) provides protection from window breach by Hurricane and tornado wind-borne debris, hail, golf balls, burglars, etc. and (3) qualifies for a 30% tax credit up to $1,500 depending on the frames and windows. It also cuts cancer-causing, furnishing fading UV rays by 99%. Radiant barriers are equally important. Each technology cuts the owner’s electricity costs, making it a win-win.

The right window film can cut power bills up to 30%. Anybody with a primary home gets the tax credit. What is there not to like about that?

So don’t listen to the whiners who say the Congress didn’t do anything for the little guy (yes, this bill received zero votes from the GOP Reps, but they still get the tax credit if they buy the products). If your morals requiring passing on the tax credit for ordinary people like us, you can ignore it. And you can continue paying more money to your power company if you so desire.

I do not so desire. The less energy I use the more money I save and put in my pocket and the less oil we have to import or coal we have to burn. The more we all save in energy costs the better off we are.

My only suggestion for improvement is the tax credits apply to ANY film that cuts solar heating over 50% or more and forget about the type of window frame and whether it is a single or double pane. Who cares what kind of window it is as long as the product cuts the solar heat, right? People need solar relief and a cost break. It should also apply to all solar security films since they cut property losses from storms.

I like the security of not having to worry about the tornado and 60-mph winds breaching bare windows, like those that hit us in Seabrook over the weekend, or the next Hurricane IKE or hail storm. Who wants flying glass and rain pouring in?

So Congress DID pass a bill that gives a tax credit to every Joe and Jane Doe who has a primary residence and upgrades its energy efficiency (the bill received ZERO GOP House votes, FYI. If your morals or philosophy opposes this tax credit as a ‘bailout,’ no one will make you take it or cut your energy bills).

But don’t take my word for it. Google the energy efficiency section of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 and check out the tax credit for your own benefit.

Then look for vendors in your area with radiant barriers and solar films and similar green products that will save you money and/or protect you, your property, your children and your pets.

I saw many companies doing just that at the Houston Green Expo this weekend. My company was one of them. We are creating the green jobs of today and tomorrow that will take our economy to a new level and a sustainable future.

We already have a huge backlog of business and will need months to catch up, so this is not about us. It’s about a trend toward green jobs and green tech. Congress is finally helping make it happen.

It feels GREAT to be in a GREEN business that both saves energy and protects people.

The Great Flood

Yesterday went from wild to worse - a great flood.

When I finally got out of the Green Expo to go home, rain had been pouring all day and water had flooded the frontage roads on I-45. I saw rows of stranded cars.

A lady was standing next to the freeway with an umbrella, looking down at the scene. Motorists lined the side of the freeway, just sitting there. Some were stuck in the grass as they tried to cross a 10 - 15 grassy area to get from frontage road to freeway - only to get stuck. It was a huge mess.

the freeway wasn't moving. I thought it was due to a wreck. It was due to people rubber-necking the folks who were stuck on the frontage road. Grrrrrrr. Can't look and drive? Apparently not. After that scene the freeway started moving again.

I got lucky. The warning signs said "Frontage roads flooded." So I stayed on the freeway - and Clear Lake Blvd (my exit) was the first exit that was not under water. Ellington exit was filled with dead cars. A big truck pulling a trailer was throwing up a 10 foot high wake trying to get through it.

Winds near the coast were sideways - spraying water on my condo windows which are protected by both our Armor Glass hurricane film but also by a 10 foot roof over the balcony. Even the roof cover was not enough. Fortunately, I didn't have to worry about a window breach.

Our expo had quite a few people despite the nasty weather. A ton of kids started the day and that was fun.

It will be a nice day today. Thank God. For the weather and the fact that my friend Wanda's cancer surgery on Friday was successful. Things are looking up.

Wild Winds

I left the Green Expo last night at Reliant - and ran right into a wall of water. It DUMPED all the way back to shores of Clear Lake.

This morning Houston forecasts 14 mph winds. Not here - the winds are WILD. Over 30. It makes me realize how important it is to have protection on my windows. The Woodlands got hail last night. That happened in Austin a couple weeks ago, knocking out windows.

The next two days I'll be back at Reliant. Come out and check out the electric cars and energy saving technologies. It's going to be a rain day, perfect for browsing inside.

A Tax Break for Security and Energy Savings

Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (which our Rep. Pete Olson R-Sugar Land voted 'no') you can get a tax credit of 30% of the cost of energy-saving window film up to $1,500 for installations done in 2009 of a primary residence.

Our hurricane film is included. Why put on solar film that provides ZERO security when you can get a tax credit, save energy AND get hurricane/explosion protection for your windows under this law. It applies to installations made in 2009. Hurricane season starts June 1.

Check out the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 - and in the future vote for representatives that make these types of win-win energy-saving incentives possible. It will protect people, cut costs from storms, cut energy use and make us less dependent on foreign oil. What is wrong with that?

Stormy Easter - On Pirates and Trains

Radar shows a huge storm is moving into the Houston area this morning. The system goes all the way north of Oklahoma, so we are the bottom end of millions of people who are about to get socked by high winds, some hail and rain on this Easter Sunday. It's now on top of Austin and San Antonio - which need the rain but not the hail.

The Somalia saga of the captured American Captain is ongoing. It shows how our military is not built to deal with this new age of small actors doing great harm, like pirates in small boats taking over huge ships on a non-stop basis. it's embarrassing to see a row of huge ships anchored off a small county that has had no government for 18 years. Therefor it has no police or coast guard. It is a tribal society in which people are trying to eat. Did you expect them to do nothing?

The best recommendation I saw was this article. Navy Commander James Kraska and Navy Capt. Brian S. Wilson make this common sense recommendation -- provide small fast boats and local police forces in Somalia, saying that it would be more effective in stopping hijackings than a huge destroyer. Someone should put these guys at the top in the Pentagon.

Having smaller, faster ships able to deal with small boats -- and speed along as fast or faster than WWII PT boats -- make more sense than sending an elephant to try to stomp flies. We need to develop fly swatters --local people who know the pirates and tribes and can be provided with the equipment to intercept them from Somalia, instead of having big, expensive navy ships wandering around, too slow to cover the millions of square miles of ocean and unable to deal with a few pirates holding a hostage in a lifeboat. If we don't get smarter, a bigger disaster will happen. These failed states are perfect places for any terrorist to hide, or plot. We ignore it at our peril, just like we ignored Afghanistan until 9/11.

There is another technology we need for our own good right here in America - high speed rail. Japan and Europe have 200+ mph rail systems. Our best Amtrak is limited to 84 mph. Texas is considering high speed rail connecting the big three - Houston, Dallas and San Antonio-Austin. It would create jobs in both construction and future operations, advance our technology and make our transportation more efficient. It would also provide an alternative to flying and driving, especially when the weather is bad or you have a lot of ground to cover.

My suggestion is that we should skip a generation of technology and move straight to Mag Lev - so that we could be traveling over 300 mph without steel touching steel. I have been on high speed steel systems and it requires a perfect track connection to avoid a derailment. A Mag Lev system would be safer. A steel-on-steel track could become warped in the heat or if maintenance lags, potential for a derailment. A Mag Lev system would also have a bigger technology payoff for us than a traditional steel-on-rail system. China already has one at Shanghai. Where is ours?

It's time to update our technology worldwide to provide effective solutions to our security and transportation needs.

Protection from Protesters

This is a photo of a glass door being shattered by protesters at a convention center in Thailand. They had to cancel a major summit as a result. After the protesters broke in, they caused even more damage inside.

The breach would have been avoided if the owners had installed our security window film with frame attachment.

Protesting is a right, but breaking into property is not. But mobs do funny things. Any building's security should include the obvious - a cost effective defense for when someone or something attempts to break through the the weakest link of any building: its windows. Sooner or later, mother nature or people will hurl debris at it.

I am amazed that millions of dollars are lavished on these glass palaces that have spent a fraction of that -- not even one dime -- on protection from someone pushing a shopping cart through a window in anger. Or hurling a brick through it to steal.

So the list grows of the sheer number of applications for our Armor Glass products that would protect both property and people. It would also keep conventioneers from being exposed to 99% of the UV rays that cause serious skin cancers, and would cut energy use. That's a lot of bang for the buck.

The aftermath from the protests in Thailand, Hurricanes, hail storms and the like should be a lesson: PROTECT your windows now (or regret it later)...

Austin Legislature is "Green" this year - Bluebonnets are Out!

Yesterday I was in Austin (1) covering the national hurricane convention and (2) speaking on behalf of our company in favor of the Green School bill HB3149.

Good news. The wildflowers are out and looked great. And there appears to be a lot of momentum in this legislature to pass some green legislation. I was impressed with the subcommittee holding hearings on HB 3149. They had ZERO negative comments and only one neutral. The rest were positive.

Being against green anyway these days is akin to being against God, Mom and Apple Pie. And for good reason. The less energy we use the better off our pocketbooks will be. Bluebonnets are great but saving money on utilities that all of us have to pay is even better.

My comments to the committee were focused on getting a "2-fer" - both energy savings AND security -- from explosions, hurricane-force winds, vandals and even hail. Another problem: Schools are used as emergency shelters but how can you "Shelter in Place" with glass flying all over the place from a wind-borne debris strike?

I discovered that Austin had a big hail storm a few weeks ago that took out windows left and right in the section of town it hit.

We have a considerable backlog of buildings to do already. And more in the pipeline. Hurricane season starts June 1. Few are prepared.

Why a Recession and Job Change Can Be a GOOD Thing

There is such a thing as a silver lining, even in a global recession. Lucky for us, a recession and a job change can be a good thing, if you think about it.

I have a friend whose TV career became an unemployment ticket to nowhere. Recently he announced that he had stated a video service to make videos of loved ones for families – like a grandmother or grandfather talking about their life that their kids and grandkids can replay in the future when that is all they have for a memory. For the first time in years, he sounds excited.

He’s now an entrepreneur in the Midwest, like the guy who returned to his village in Mexico after his U.S. job dried up. Now he’s helping build jobs in Mexico where none had existed before. That will bring new life to Mexico’s economy, which needs to offer jobs that involve more options than working for a cartel.
The experience immigrants gained in the U.S. is now benefiting their home country, if given the chance.

I went through this during the Texas bust of the 80’s –only then it was one state instead of the entire planet. But it worked out. During that long period of unemployment I learned to survive as an entrepreneur and started up the first of several businesses. Those long quiet moments lead to time to write a book –about a potential terrorist attack on the U.S. That was just before Saddam invaded Kuwait in 1991 and the WTC bombing of 1993. Had I not been laid off, I never would have had time to think about it and would not have written about it.

That led to a stint as a TV terrorism analyst on 9/11 and that lead to my getting into a security technology that protects people and their property. That has put me in a situation where my business is growing wildly at a time when most are struggling. The layoff of many years ago led to this zig-zag ladder up to a better situation.

This recession will end up doing the same for others who find old jobs disappearing. Will they really miss working a meat packing line versus building solar panels and wind turbines? Being out of work is an opportunity to get a higher education. Another friend who was laid off was able to get financing to buy the pet store where she once worked. That is a step up, and it took access to capital to make it happen.

People are going to be doing something new in the new economy that emerges from the ashes of over-consumption and a regulatory system that is not based on “anything goes.” Americans need a reset in our values. It’s not all about how much money we make or how much food we eat. It’s about making a living in new ways and doing something to benefit the larger community as well. One of those community services was yesterday’s “Trash Bash” to clean up our beaches near Kemah/Seabrook, etc. It includes Rotary’s “Books for the World” program that takes us outside our obsessive focus on ourselves and includes the world. The Lions have a program to supply eyeglasses to poor people worldwide.

Everyone is getting back to earth on their spending habits. The Wall Street types who forgot that have seen that the public isn’t going to tolerate someone taking millions in bonuses for crashing the ship into an iceberg.
For too long everyone who could over consumed. The silver lining is that this recession will help restore some values and moderation in our habits, along with new job skills and greater appreciation for friends, family and a helpful government whose job is to provide some life boats and repair money to fix the ship’s damaged economic system.

It is a messy process and a hard one, but like Pearl Harbor, we can rebuild a stronger and better society as a result of this experience.

Rainbow over Kemah Bridge

We had a fierce rain about 6 pm - then this rainbow broke out over Kemah Bridge.

Nice end to a busy week.

Homeland Security

I just wrapped a homeland security event in San Antonio. It was incredible.

I learned from one source that our latest F-22 fighter has been compromised by an idiot (a Colonel no less) who apparently had no brain and was posting information about the F22 program on a blog! He was even answering questions like: "How fast a missile will it outrun?" Doh!

It makes the whole program scrap metal - The Chinese and Russians already know how to defeat it. The only option is to make something much better and quit wasting money on a compromised program - all because of one bozo who just had to show how smart he was.

I also discovered our film would protect troops in a way that still has not been addressed even after six years in Iraq. They wear those wrap around dark glasses for a reason. More on that later.

I have to drive several hours to the next meeting today...

Texas Lags in Key Technology

I'm in Corpus Christi, where I just gave a talk on solar security window film as a replacement for shutters.

I am finding that Texas lags Florida in this vital protective technology. Even in Corpus, few of the people that I talked to knew of this technology and its many-faceted benefits, from UV protection 24/7 to Hurricanes and Energy Savings.

I was one of the speakers at their Green show at the Ortiz Convention Center. Very impressive facility. It seems to be something old made better into something new. As I walked in, a ship sailed past the parking lot, so close it seemed you could touch it on the way by. Very relaxed and friendly environment.

On the local morning news, I saw a program how Corpus news thinks McAllen is the city that REALLY has it together- with leadership that has a consensus, a time line, and people responsible. Very interesting to see how other folks view other folks.

Despite Florida having a lot of knowledge about security window film replacing shutters and impact glass, few in Texas that I have talked to have been aware of it before I came along -- and I have now talked to many a Mayor, Judge, etc. I am beginning to feel like the Pied Piper of Security Window Film. It's all about taking knowledge and applying it to protect people.

The thing that keeps coming up, on top of security from storms, is the HEAT coming through windows . So more and more the choice is SOLAR and SECURITY film combined. It makes sense when you live on a hot coast for sure. Cutting 70% of the solar heat means the power bill goes down.

I am doing a Green Show, a Homeland Security Show and a Hurricane Show - that is how cool this technology is --it fits so many categories and at a fraction of the cost of the alternatives who don't do anything like it.

It's dry here in Corpus- it was BROWN the entire way. I saw no wild flowers whatsoever. They need RAIN here.

There here are a "million" families with kids here --lucky me. I hit spring break mayhem.

It seemed half of them were loudly and happily sounding off on their spring break into the early morning hours below my balcony. Fun kid noises. Yep. I stumbled into a spring breakathon. It was ok. Kind of funny really. The biggest pain was the 45 minutes it took to get checked in. All of us stood in a none-moving line as swarms of T Shirts streamed by, proclaiming "We Don't Just Bring It, We Lift it" and other causes that seem like a blur now. You just have to chill out and laugh when it happens.

The aircraft carrier (Lexington?) is berthed nearby. I can see fighters on its deck from our parking garage. I would love to see it but to do it right takes hours, and time is short. It is an incredible sight to see from the nearby hotels.

Tomorrow I am off to San Antonio and Homeland Security. Not only save energy, but save your butt from an explosion. It is our film that is on the Department of Energy in DC.

Hurricane season starts again June 1.

G20 in a G200 World - Stopping Future Global Ponzi schemes

It is time for a global solution to a global problem - the current economic cliffhanger.

The world's richest nations, the so-called G20, are meeting to do a lot of talking but not much doing to fix the mess.

The Bernie Madoffs and the Allen Stanfords can set up and operate Ponzi schemes, using places like Antigua as a haven, because there is no global financial structure. There are no checks-and-balances. Offshore banking, as it exists today, allows tax fraud, drug dealers and Ponzi operators to thrive.

I've been to the Cayman Islands and seen the small brass plates on doors that are supposed to represent a legitimate offshore company, but that's all of the company you'll see. It is nothing more than a small brass plate. If you pay the corporation fees the offshore corporation is the key to an offshore bank account. U.S. companies have been using it as a tax dodge without even moving their headquarters. How patriotic is that?

All offshore accounts really do is cheat the American taxpayer who is paying his or her fair share of taxes. Those setting up offshore accounts aren't paying anything. Instead, they are using these vehicles to hide income (or Ponzi loot) in places like the Caymans or one of the dozens of other havens around the world. They are also convenient for drug dealers to hide their money. They serve no useful purpose in legitimate business since Americans are taxed on their worldwide income (the British only tax income generated in the UK).

There needs to be a world financial system that is connected, instead of the current non-system consisting of no rules. In the old days, the bank robbers escaped the Sheriff by riding over the border into Mexico; now they do it by going to Liechtenstein, Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Caymans, etc.

What someone needs to say is that it is time to grow up and realize that a G20 in a world of nearly 200 countries needs to become a G200 -- in which we have worldwide standard international rules that make it difficult for international criminals and drunk Wall Street hedge fund operators to play games with the stability of our economic system.

It is part of the AIG problem as well - when our own executives are so blind to reality that they pay millions in bonuses to the same people that got us into this mess, and after taxpayers have floated them billions. These people are not irreplaceable. No one is. They created this financial 'black hole' of global scale.

I once heard about a Chinese saying that goes something like: "You have to kill a monkey to scare the chickens." Or in other words, to prevent more bad behavior some heads need to roll at AIG (not to mention GM and others).

Only seeing some real punishment will make others pause from writing themselves checks with taxpayer money, especially when they were the ones helping creating this global train wreck...

Let it Rain

Finally, some rain. After a dry spell even the cold and wet is a welcome relief.

Today I'm helping load more books for shipment to kids in South Africa who don't have any. Americans feeling sorry for themselves need only look around the world to realize how lucky we are, even in a recession.

Yet they are ahead of us in some respects. At an international law seminar I heard a South African attorney describe the banking situation in South Africa. He said that, unlike U.S. and European banks who took big chances on derivatives, etc, banks in South Africa are relatively healthy because they stayed away from hedge funds, etc.

He has a point.

I also attended a GHP event on Singapore, which wants to be a key gateway to Asia. Other than Hong Kong, it is. They have $$$ and high technology and are looking for a way to combine ours with theirs. This is another way America can rebound--by becoming more international. A U.S. technology company that needs capital (and markets) could use their financing--and Asia would also be a market for many technologies, so it could be a two-way street.

That would also be better than the past model of shipping all our raw material to Asia to be returned as cars and computers, which we bought with borrowed money(mostly from China, who is worried about its $1 trillion investment in U.S. bonds).

We need a return to entrepreneurship and a global marketing perspective to really get us back in the global game as a leader.

A recession could have a positive fallout if it makes people realize that. If they don't, then the road down protectionism will be a classic repeat of the increased tariffs of the Hoover years that created the Great Depression.

Sometimes a recession and a layoff makes people think about stuff they never did before because they were too busy to think. Sometimes it provides a career change that ends up enriching your life.

Americans in the past decade got too used to the good times when you didn't have to think about survival. Over-consumption became the norm. At one point, Houston was the fattest city in the U.S. A recession has a way of correcting that problem.

A friend of mine in the Midwest, who was once a TV producer, is now a budding entrepreneur with a video service that gets grandparents and adults to tell their stories--which will be a cherished memory by their children when they are no longer with us. When he couldn't find a job, he created one.

I had to do the same during the Texas recession of the 80's. Millions more will find that creating your own job is better than waiting for one that you never get. In fact, I ended up creating several of them. I didn't become Bernie Madoff (thankfully) but I survived. One of them is growing like wildfire despite the economy. So it has opened new doors that never would be possible if a recession had not thrown me from my Fortune 500 comfort zone over two decades ago.

It won't be easy but it will make us a better country in the end.

Deer and Kangaroos Jumping Through Windows

I just saw a story on BBC news about a couple of deer jumping through a window and running through a store in the UK. Last week I saw a BBC story on a kangaroo that jumped through a homeowner's window - and they had a major wrestling match to get him out.

In both cases it occurred to me that our security window film would have prevented the deer and kangaroo from breaking in, as it would have kept the crazy lady from jumping through the couple's window in Houston at 2 a.m. one night.

And it would keep out 99% of the UV killing grandma's picture and cut energy bills. It keeps reminding me how valuable our technology is to people's security.

Imagine your high-rise office suddenly being sucked into a black maelstrom during a future hurricane, and your computer hits someone on the head. You lose your data. They get injured. You are in serious do-do.

It turns out that the windows were just sucked out of buildings. Our bonding and film connects to the frame so that even if the window is broken by flying debris, it does NOT blow out and there is no breach. The film keeps you safe and dry instead of wet and/or dead. Had people been in those Chase tower offices when the windows blew out during IKE, THEY would have been sucked out along with their desks and files. Imagine being pulled into a free fall on a one-way ticket during the next storm. That is what office folks in high rises face unless and until our film is installed.

We were hired by a county today to do all their buildings.

An engineer with a name-brand oil company made the same decision today. I had never been so grilled on specifications on any deal to date. Well, after seeing all the choices, he picked us. Everything else was more expensive.

We just did a Sugar Land house for an international executive who moved from the Midwest before IKE--and rode it out wondering if his huge windows would fail. When we finished the job, his wife told me something I had never thought about. She was worried about mosquitoes coming through the broken windows after a storm--and she is allergic to them. Her fear is now gone. They can either shelter in place or leave and not worry about broken windows and water damage.

Hurricane season starts June 1. We can't repeal the law of geography. We will be as close to the coast this year as we were last year. For those who still scoff at climate change, read this. Hurricanes are mother nature's way of throwing off heat from the equator to the poles.

As it gets hotter, the storms get bigger or more frequent or both. That means that riding out future CAT 3-5 storms without window-breach protection is suicide. It is not wise, or smart. Plywood is so old century and sucks. Go to Home Depot and pick 1 sheet up. Only 1. HEAVY. Imagine trying to lug it up a ladder in high winds. Take it down and repeat for the next storm that either hits or misses. Dumb. Our tech works 24/7. Put it on and live your life and forget it--until it saves your butt in a future storm or keeps out a burglar.

Security is No. 1. Most people are not prepared. Do it before a Kangaroo jumps through your window...or another Hurricane blows in.

Spring Ahead - Economically and otherwise

From my balcony and the first time all year, I spotted a sunbather lounging at the pool late Friday afternoon -- a sign that spring is near. For months the winds have been fierce, cold, and mostly dry. Today it is warm and calm, and still dry.

On a trip to Austin a week or so ago, I noticed how BROWN the country looked - a potential tinderbox. We are in a weather drought to go along with the financial drought that has swept the country but so far has missed Houston.

At an international law seminar this week, I asked a Department of Commerce official who has been in Houston 15 years whether more American companies were exporting compared to 20 years ago. Then it was only 1 in 10 that could export, did.

His answer: only 11% that could export do. There has been no change in the last 20 years in the percentage of American companies selling products internationally. Every one billion in exports creates at least 25,000 jobs right HERE. This is one area that could help us climb out of the current economic mess. The problem is that the markets are down worldwide, so it won't be a quick fix, but it would be a fix.

It's one of several things that need to be done to "spring ahead" in an economic sense.

The other is energy efficiency and renewable energy development. In the seminar one speaker said that wind and solar installations have DOUBLED in the past few years, yet they contribute only 1.1% of total power production. If we went on an accelerated program of installing wind and solar along with energy efficiency technology, we could cut our dependence on foreign oil while cutting energy waste and the associated costs.

But doubling current renewable sources of energy it is going to be enough to turn 1% into a majority. The speaker said that 50% of our energy comes from coal, so we have to face the fact that "carbon capture" will be required to (1) get energy and (2) not add to the greenhouse gases that will eventually turn Earth into an overcooked Venus unless we start reducing it ASAP. Americans don't have that technology, but the Europeans do.

In the short term, we could gain more savings faster with energy efficiency that oftens pays for itself. One example: Just putting on solar security film would cut up to 70% of solar heat coming through a building's windows. That is 70% less heat to air condition. That cuts energy costs sufficient to pay for the installation over time. At the same time it protects from breach by burglars or hurricane-force winds, cutting future damages dramatically.

Another example is switching to LED and more efficient lights. This act will also pay for itself in a relatively short period of time.

These are the types of product that has worldwide application well beyond our borders. We have received inquires from as far as India and the Middle East. It is an opportunity to create jobs and cut energy waste on a global as well as local scale.

Because our product makes so much sense, we are extremely busy. It has created jobs for Sales reps, installers, etc. while protecting historical buildings, houses and computers.

Bottom Line: We need more people building wind turbines and solar panels (and installing energy-saving technology like solar security window film) and fewer people selling hedge funds and Ponzi schemes.

That is how we rebuild American strength and values.

The Invisible Treasure Every American Has That Could Change the World

Photo: South Africa housing. Photo 2: Zambia School
What if you had a tool that could end world ignorance and reduce the threat of terrorism, would you use it? If you had a valuable treasure lying about in your house, would you throw it in the trash? We do that every day in America.

Nearly every American has a goldmine scattered about their homes that is missing in much of the world. Even with a global recession, job losses and damaged 401K’s, Americans have an opportunity to turn that hidden wealth into an instrument of value and goodwill that costs them little or nothing but could transform the world with rich returns.

I just spent several hours on Saturday helping a Rotary team in a La Porte, Texas warehouse load abandoned school books and other donated books onto pallets that will be shipped to South Africa where many schools have no books at all. Many schools are lucky to have only a tiny chalkboard as the only resource, if that. It all started because of a meeting between a Rotarian in Seabrook and a man from South Africa that had a project that needed books.

Our kids think kids in other countries have what we have. I heard about one kid who commented: “Why are we giving them our junk?” There is a saying that one man’s trash is another's treasure. Our out-of- date books may be considered “junk” to our schools and put in the dump, but they are still a treasure to people who have no books at all. We are throwing out treasure every day that could be put to a good use.

In Pakistan, kids are sent to religious schools only because the parents can’t afford schooling. The religious schools “Madrasses” only teach hate -- not reading, writing, world history and math. These “schools” don’t have books. Imagine if those kids had access to our old books and the different view of the world it would give them. In our packing yesterday I saw books on Lincoln, art, math workbooks, wonderful stuff to a kid with no shoes in the slums of Mumbai or Johannesburg or a thousand other places.

The recipients even use the containers the books are shipped in! They become libraries, clinics or sewing centers. They are needed as secure buildings and training centers.

This project is called “Rotary Books for the World.” Every American can participate, even without spending a dime. You could donate old books, or help send books to Houston for shipment in containers. People from around the world who want books can also help. If you live in another country and know of a warehouse that could be a distribution center or an organization willing to help distribute books on that end, then we have people on both ends working on a common mission. Or you can donate money to the Second Wind Foundation. The website is www.RotaryBooksForTheWorld.org

In the warehouse, we came across a pallet of Spanish books that had been donated by a group in Juarez, Mexico to a school in San Antonio. Those books will be sent to a school in Central America where we have a sister group, in Nicaragua.

This is a program that our kids should also be involved in; so that they can see the reality of how lucky they are in the world -- and how they can help make it a better place by helping other kids get books.

Mark Twain once said: “The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them.” The reality is that people can’t learn to read if they don’t have books to read. We have been throwing ours in the trash instead of allowing them to be the treasure to others that they represent. Even if you don’t have a job, you can still donate books. It won’t cost you a dime but will make the world a richer place.

It will also give the world another face for Americans, who come carrying books. In the end, the books will win over those that guns won’t. A world that can read is better off than one where billions can’t. Donate a book to your local Rotary club -- and some of your time -- to make it a better place.

This report on Saturday's work just came in:
"The group worked from about 8:30 am until 3:00 pm. The pallet count when we finished was 60 which included 7 of the large Gaylords. The days work should fill two containers or be about 80,000 lbs which would provide about $800,000 worth of educational materials if our formula of an average book is 1 lb. and worth $10."