The Great Wall is being spun by the media as a negative barrier to exclude illegal immigrants. But what if we look at the problem differently--to see the untapped potential of the Great Wall as an engine for sustainable economic growth and prosperity? A first step in this US/Mexican joint venture would be to embed the Wall with solar panels, distributed storage, CO-2 devouring concrete, wireless transmitters and receivers. What if you could simply point your smart phone at the Wall and you become a member of a Collaborative Innovation Network (COIN) working on the challenges facing the U.S. and Mexico? You ask an important question in science, technology, or entrepreneurship, and the Wall learns along with you and responds. With smart QR codes the Wall becomes an interactive panel display connecting experts and citizen scientists at a new frontier in green innovation. All the relevant technologies are available today. Rather than a symbol of fear and exclusion, the Great Wall can become a magnet for the best talent, the best ideas, and, yes, great jobs on both sides of the border. What if the Great Wall can help us take down the small walls in our minds and connect us, heart-to-heart? The Great Wall is an opportunity just waiting for the most visionary presidential candidate to champion.

Julian Gresser
Chairman, Alliances for Discovery
Author, Piloting Through Chaos—The Explorers Mind

© Julian Gresser, December 2015, All rights reserved.
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