California is known for two types of green — and this time around, it’s getting noticed for new green energy initiatives.

In 2006, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger passed Assembly Bill 32, which had many parts to it, the most important of which is the cap-and-trade system that sets a limit for how much greenhouse gas a business can put into the atmosphere.

A limited number of emissions “allowances” are sold at auction to various companies. Once purchased, these companies can either use all of the carbon footprint they purchased or sell the excess, all in hope that these companies keep their emissions standards and trade as clean as the energy they use.

Basically, manufacturers need to become more energy efficient, and if they don’t, they must buy allowances from those with extra or go out of business.

This may sound harsh, but it’s going to improve the quality of the environment in the long run. It’s important to have a test dummy in a country that needs this initiative.

Plus, for two years, 90 percent of the allowances will be given out for free as a buffer to this transition into more energy-efficient factories.

Revenues from the allowances will be used for clean energy development in California, which makes perfect sense. It’s about time at least one state in this country jumps on the cap-and-trade system bandwagon, following 30 European countries.

With President Obama in office for a second term, this couldn’t have been implemented at a better time – when proposals for green energy won’t be bothered.

Not only that, but a proposition that will benefit the state even more, Proposition 39, appeared on the Nov. 6 ballot.

Essentially, this proposition will close a tax loophole to bring in millions, some of which will be allocated to funding projects that create energy-efficient and clean jobs in the state.

The California Solar Initiative has been in place since 2007, encouraging businesses and residents to adopt solar power and giving them cash rebates based on the amount of power produced.

Louisiana, on the other hand, is a sad comparison to California when it comes to green energy. The Home Energy Loan Program gives loans to qualifying residents to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, but that’s about it.

What if this kind of cap-and-trade law applied to more than just big business? It wouldn’t be too difficult to figure out a way to apply this to almost every entity in the country, business or residential.

The Cash Allowance Rebate System, also known as “Cash for Clunkers,” in 2009 was a huge first step nationwide to get gas-guzzling cars off the streets.

What could be better than getting a rebate for your piece-of-junk truck to put toward a new, more energy-efficient car?

The time has come for our nation to sit down and think about our future quality of living. Sure, we can focus on the future of businesses all we want, but let’s weed out the ones that aren’t willing to adapt to our planet’s growing need for cleaner energy.

It’s good to know that huge companies like Walmart are already focusing on newer, cleaner forms of energy. So what’s stopping us from improving our homes when our state will loan us money to do so?

According to a 2012 Gallup Poll, citizens of California are much happier than those of Louisiana.

It could be that they aren’t stressing about their electricity bill during the steamy months — or maybe because they smoke more pot than we do.

Whatever the reason, California set a great precedent for us to follow, and the rest of the country needs to take a hint.