The Big Ideas Project

Shoot all the cattle in North America. Introduce Bison and Wolves. Insert chips into Bison to establish ownership by ranchers. Rip out all the barbed wire and return America to open range. Produce protein without hormones, antibiotics. Watch the continent flourish, re-charge aquifers.

Submitted by JM in Environment Dec. 30, 2014, 1 p.m.

Tweet Share

#2191

26 votes

Start a contest for people who do not use plastic containers, etc. Make it worthwhile (money, donations from companies). Make people think about the subject.

Submitted by Patricia St August in Environment Jan. 4, 2015, 8:42 p.m. 1

Tweet Share

#2191

26 votes

The low-hanging fruit in energy conservation is the power we use to move around 2-ton protective cages. Driverless cars will crash 90% less, and so they will not need the cages. Cars will be able to weigh half or less of what they weigh now. That means half the carbon. Support this new technology with federal research dollars! Lighter cars also mean more electric cars, because they can have longer ranges.

Submitted by David K. from IL in Environment Jan. 8, 2015, 5:46 p.m.

Tweet Share

#2256

20 votes

Build Keystone Pipeline but insist that it be tested with fresh water from Canada. If it leaks cancel the oil imports and buy water to fill our aquifers. No oil ever will come through that pipeline but we get a few jobs out of the process.

Submitted by Tom R in Environment Dec. 26, 2014, 1:50 p.m.

Tweet Share

#2265

19 votes

Peg the value of a global currency inversely to the number of fish in the sea.

Submitted by Aria Littlhous in Environment Jan. 4, 2015, 1:17 p.m.

Tweet Share

#2299

16 votes

Climate change is not going away. We need to adapt to it. Coastal area living could use a line of amphibian cars. This would be a unique product. Detroit can manufacture these and export them to All the continents.

Submitted by Susan P. from NC in Environment Jan. 8, 2015, 8:46 a.m.

Tweet Share

#2299

16 votes

Campaign for stem cell research to create supplies of substitutes for scarce animal parts such as elephant ivory, rhino horns, sturgeon roe, etc. reduce the incentive for slaughtering such endangered species.

Submitted by Alison T. from PA in Environment Jan. 9, 2015, 10:58 a.m. 1

Tweet Share

#2312

15 votes

get constitutional law involved so Congress realizes that the EPA WOTUS rule in unconstitutional. Only Congress can make laws which they did by "The Clean Water Act'. EPA cannot usurp congressional powers to pass laws. Read the consitiution

Submitted by Constitutuion in Environment Jan. 5, 2015, 11:56 a.m.

Tweet Share

#2322

14 votes

Require all companies that use tracking to obtain gas and oil to covert their wastewater into clean water that can be used for irrigation. This reduces the need to force wastewater into the aquifers and benefits agriculture.

Submitted by Rachel N. from OR in Environment Jan. 13, 2015, 9:35 p.m.

Tweet Share

#2339

13 votes

Hire scientists, engineers & laborers to build reservoirs around the melting ice caps to catch the melting water before it falls in the ocean & pipe that water to heavily populated drought areas, like California. Oil companies can find & pipe oil anywhere on earth. It can be done with water.

Submitted by Theresa D. from CA in Environment Jan. 9, 2015, 11:10 a.m.

Tweet Share

#2355

12 votes

We should promote the concept of "Community Emergency Response Team" for to deal with the future disasters. CERT members can assist others in their neighborhood or workplace following an event (hazard) when professional res ponders are not immediately available to help.

Submitted by Jamshed in Environment Jan. 14, 2015, 2:57 p.m.

Tweet Share

#2387

10 votes

End Cannabis Prohibition. Medicinal ,Culinary, and Industrial uses of cannabis can greatly reduce many detrimental impacts to our environment and provide better sources for food, shelter, energy, clothing, medicine and even be used as a battery component to save and store energy.

Submitted by BtheBiggerPerson in Environment Jan. 15, 2015, 12:20 p.m.

Tweet Share

#2387

10 votes

Enact a fee on GHG emissions starting at $15 a ton of CO2 or CO2 equivalent steadily by $10 a year until we achieve 90-100% reduction from current levels. Rebate all the fees back to American households on an equitable basis. According to economists this will assure that the bottom two-thirds of Americans will come out equal or ahead of the increased costs. This plan will increase jobs and grow the economy while saving our biosphere.

Submitted by James W. from CA in Environment Jan. 11, 2015, 10:38 p.m.

Tweet Share

#2387

10 votes

Create a green building mandate for any significant building going on in the future. Whether it's using solar/wind power, using green material wherever possible, have the architecture of the future in this country adhere to strong environmental standards. Confer with architecture and environmental committees to see how all significant building projects can be as environmentally conscious as possible.

Submitted by PJM in Environment Jan. 15, 2015, 5:26 p.m.

Tweet Share

#2405

9 votes

Perhaps the biggest threat facing the country is climate change, yet we spend >$700 billion/yr on the military & little money fighting climate change. A 1 MW wind turbines to power ~250 homes costs ~$1.5 million. We could produce enough power for all US homes for ~$790 billion. I propose that we should assign $100 billion/yr from the military budget for ten years and dedicate it to fund wind, solar power and other alternative energy sources.

Submitted by Apinak in Environment Jan. 16, 2015, 1:09 a.m.

Tweet Share

#2425

8 votes

Focus development of energy policy on renewal energy forms. This should increase employment; encourage education; and improve health since many carcinogens will be removed from the environment.

Submitted by Pat in Environment Jan. 15, 2015, 9:25 p.m.

Tweet Share

#2425

8 votes

Legislate 1 woman/ 1 child (human cap and trade). We must bring down human population to a sustainable 1.5 billion rather than the current 7.5 billion and rising. Over-population is the root cause of climate change, resource depletion, species extinction, and global conflict. Every environmental problem we now suffer is a symptom of this root cause.

Submitted by pleary in Environment Jan. 15, 2015, 7:46 p.m.

Tweet Share

#2425

8 votes

Stop the fracking

Submitted by bruce d. from FL in Environment Jan. 16, 2015, 8:32 a.m.

Tweet Share

#2444

7 votes

Refine national trade policy to penalize off-shoring to get around environmental regs, Don't let foreign corporations own/exploit U.S. natural resources.Takings laws shouldn't be allowed to stop communities from deciding their own development fate.

Submitted by meg in Environment Jan. 15, 2015, 5:58 p.m.

Tweet Share

#2460

6 votes

Instead of continuing to accrue huge mountains of landfill garbage disposal surrounding urban areas, mulch it into biodegradable refuse and transport it by rail to the west, and spread it out over the land to replenish and replace the missing topsoil that has disappeared and regenerate farmable land masses where the topsoil has been severely depleted by over farming or by windstorms.

Submitted by Will W. from IL in Environment Jan. 15, 2015, 7:43 p.m.

Tweet Share

#2460

6 votes

Who’s voting?

Thanks for voting on your favorite ideas!