Seeing Green With Alternative Energy

They say the first step to breaking an addiction is admitting you have a problem. If that's the case, then President Bush made some strides in breaking the nation's dependence on oil by promoting alternative fuel sources last week in his State of the Union address. But Matt Patsky, portfolio manager for the Winslow Green Growth fund (WGGFX), is way ahead of him.

Patsky has been searching for promising alternative energy companies since he joined the fund in 2003. Nearly a quarter of his fund is now composed of solar, clean-burning coal and other environmentally friendly energy sources, which he says are the best long-term solutions to the current energy crisis. His "green"-based strategy has made his shareholders a lot of green as well. The small-cap growth fund is up 10.5% year to date and has a 41% average annual return for the past three years.

TheStreet.com sat down with Patsky to get his views on how the U.S. can go cold turkey from Mid-East oil, as well as discover his favorite alternative energy companies. ...