The old joke goes: “If ‘pro’ is the opposite of ‘con’, then what’s the opposite of progress? Answer: Congress! “

That might be true often enough, but for Arizona 5th district Congressman Harry Mitchell that’s not the case. His district, which includes the Phoenix area, is leading by example. They’ve built a new, 20 mile light rail system in the past year, and here in the Valley of the Sun, a solar paradise, Congressman Mitchell is promoting solar energy. He asserts that cities can lead by example, showing what can be done in energy conserving transportation, moving to renewable energy from wasteful fossil fuels, and through recycling and waste to resources programs that brings new products out of old.

Melissa McGinnis did a brief interview with the Congressman at GreenBuild in Phoenix AZ last week. He has supported clean energy proposals, including tax breaks for solar and higher mileage standards for cars and trucks.

We’d like to ask the Congressman, and all of his colleagues, a few questions ourselves. Can we count on your vote, Congressman, for product and packaging take back legislation like Europe has to eliminate waste and recapture materials? Can we look forward to more investment in renewable energy sources to solve our clean energy, waste CO2, and security issues? And how about a vote for a carbon tax or a cap and trade program to reduce CO2 and mitigate climate change? Phoenix is hot enough in the summer, right?

We wouldn’t want a Congressman’s breath to go to waste, as is so often the case. Let’s work together with all of our representatives to turn Congressman’s Mitchell’s words into resources!