Arnie’s keeping busy and back in the headlines after receiving the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) award for Renewable Energy Leader Of The Decade.
Mr. Schwarzenegger has lost none of his dedication to solar power and renewable energy since his time as California Governor ended in 2010.
“I feel as passionate about this as I did about fitness,” Schwarzenegger commented at ACORE’s 10th Anniversary Dinner. “When I was bodybuilding, I didn’t just want to win awards. I wanted to spread the message of health and fitness around the world. I was on a fitness crusade. Now, this is my crusade. I won’t give up. I won’t rest.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger has many renewable energy and climate achievements to his credit. Among them is his 2006 signing of a bill for the USA’s first cap on greenhouse gas emissions.
The California Solar Initiative (CSI) was also a product of then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Million Solar Roofs” vision for the state, which has a goal of 1,940 MW of solar capacity by the end of 2016 – a goal it is likely to meet. The state is the USA’s biggest market for rooftop solar panels and 20% of the country’s solar manufacturing is based in California.
At the ACORE event, Mr.Schwarzenegger also addressed criticism of solar subsidies and the issue of fossil fuel support compared to that of renewables; pointing out the United States has always heavily invested in fostering energy industries.
“From the land grants for timber and coal in the 1800s, to the tax expenditures for oil and gas in the early 20th century, to the federal investment in developing nuclear energy, support for energy innovation has always been a critical part of the American strategy. The tragedy is that somehow we lost our way. We lost our vision.”
Schwarzenegger has vowed to continue pushing the renewable energy cause and to “make sure that our voices drown out the naysayers”.
ACORE is a non-profit organisation focused on building a secure and prosperous America with clean, renewable energy.
