In the British Parliament, Labour has agreed to a backbench Bill that could turn every household and business into a small-scale power plant, using miniature solar, wind and biomass-driven generators.

Green MSP Shiona Baird is bringing forward a similar Bill in the Scottish Parliament and is hopeful that MSPs of all parties will now support her move. The Greens hope the Scottish Parliament could go one step further and make it compulsory to install microgeneration machines on all new buildings.

Ms Baird calims;

Climate change and meeting our energy needs are critical to our economy and communities. A second Commons Bill, which would have made it compulsory to install micropower on all new buildings and made it easier to get planning permission for micropower devices, was talked out by the Tories, but these measures are still in my Bill and the Scottish Parliament will be able to pass them.

This is an excellent example of decentralized, community based economics. U.S. Greens should jump on this proposal and make it their own.