Going Green

The business of going green is starting to bloom. We are watching everything from sustainable clothing to eco-friendly cleaning products emerging on the market. But on one island nation, going green will not just be a voluntary exercise. It will be the law of the land.

Travelers to Liuqiu, a small tropical island off the coast of southern Taiwan, can anticipate clean air year round, thanks to a new law that will phase out and then ban all gas powered scooters, cars and buses.

County officials are planning to spend between $9.3 million and $15.5 million on the going-green project. County officials say electric scooters will be made available to the 300,000 tourists who visit every year. They have purchased 400 scooters, and are offering subsidies for residents to start buying them.

This program will make Liuqui the first Asian island to veer away from gasoline. And if successful, officials hope to expand it to nearby Pingtung County. That location is often smoggy due to pollution from its traditional industries of fish farming and tourism.

Most people say California is the hub of green businesses. But can you imagine if the state decided to totally ban cars to cut down on pollution? Any politician who attempts it might need to move out-of-state. Maybe even to Liuqiu.

(Brian Banmiller is a national Business Correspondent for CBS News Radio, free lance writer and public speaker. The former television business news anchor in San Francisco can be reached at brian@banmilleronbusiness.com .)