American companies have done a great job reducing their energy consumption over the last decade. In most cases, they don't necessarily do so to be good corporate citizens; businesses do it because it saves them money. But individuals have great difficulty implementing changes that are easy for businesses. There's a real disconnect there. Clark recalls doing weatherization contract work in the '70s during the second energy crisis. Today people have energy audits of their home and don't do anything with the knowledge they get. Partly this is because of human nature. We like immediate gratification and find it hard to lay out cash for an energy-smart payoff down the road. Companies are lucky enough to be eligible for tax credits when they reduce their energy consumption. Now one California community wants to offer free solar power to homeowners up front. The idea is that the government will absorb the costly initial expense and homeowners can pay it back over 20 years. Likewise, one Atlanta suburb that's facing drought is considering having the government pay to put water-efficient appliances in homes. Homeowners can then pay the government back down the road. Clark hasn't yet made up his mind about these two proposals. We have a longstanding tradition of subsidizing corporations when they want to become energy efficient, so should we do it for individuals too? The reality is that people won't get it done when left on their own.