« January 2008 | Main | March 2008 »
I used to think non-profits were boring. I think the issue was really that most non-profits do not convey their message well, or are not addressing a compelling issue.
Light Up The World Foundation isn't like that. From the website:
Light Up The World Foundation (LUTW) is the first humanitarian organization to utilize renewable energy and solid-state lighting technologies to bring affordable, safe, healthy, efficient, and environmentally responsible illumination to people who do not have access to power for adequate lighting.
So now you are asking, what's solid state lighting (SSL)? Good question.
Commonly referred to as LED's, Light-emitting diodes have been used in the US for years as digital power indicators on TV's, computers, radios, etc. Previously, they were only able to emit low amounts of colored light. But recent advances in the technology have allowed for bright white light to be produced from an amount of energy an order of magnitude smaller than with traditional incandescent light bulbs.
That means that a few LED's put together into a small lamp can be powered by a very small 5W solar
panel and long-lasting battery. This means that families no longer have to use inefficient, expensive, dangerous, unhealthy kerosene lamps in order to light up there homes at night.
Check out this short ten question quiz from their website that explains all of the issues that the foundation is solving with these new technologies.
I would encourage you to watch this short ten minute video chronicling how the company got started and how they are providing affordable lighting solutions to the two billion people in the developing world. After watching the video, consider making a
donation to the Light Up The World Foundation that will help them light up schools, aid stations, and orphanages in places like Papua New Guinea, Tibet, Ecuador, and South Africa.
EnviroNerd Alert!!!
Ask me what the current generation needs in order to become active in the debate over global climate change and here's what I say: Start Paying Attention!
Stop watching TV. Turn off your cable. You can get all the entertainment you need from the internet. But you need to start actively educating yourself on the effects and trends of global climate change and how you can participate as part of the solution instead of adding to the problem. All of this can be done by videos and organizations currently on the internet.
Read my blog, watch the videos I put up, they just might boggle your mind. The global effects of climate change are incredible. Tortilla riots due to rising corn prices affected by biofuels and oil. Regional droughts increasing dramatically. Global water resources being vastly depleted. I could go on and on, but the World Resources Institute does it faster, more intelligently, and add another degree of credibility.
The video below from late December is an hour long, so make some time for it if you care at all about the macro trends that will play out in 2008. This is important information for all citizens of the Earth to understand so that you can prepare your family, your profession, and your business for the effects global climate change. That is, look both ways before using up all the world's natural resources.
This video correlates very closely with an accompanying Download trends-to-watch-2008.ppt , so I would recommend downloading that and following along.
There are a lot of trends that I am excited about such as the fact that Central (concentrated) Solar Power (CSP) is now considered to be cost-competitive with other forms of conventional power generation. Additionally, companies in China, the U.S., and Europe are engaging in heated competition and making great strides towards reducing the cost of photovoltaics.
The stories about how rapid weather changes caused by climate change in Australia caused that country to focus on that issue more than any other in their most recent elections. The newly elected prime minister signed the Kyoto protocol on his first day of office, no small promise considering Australia's per capita energy consumption.
For Americans, the big question is how will climate change affect this country's 2008 presidential elections. As WRI notes, only Bill Richardson, John Edwards, and Barack Obama consistently speak favorably about the need for proactive legislation from the top down to address the issue (And the last man standing is...).
How will the world respond to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing (right), boasting some of the poorest air quality standards on Earth.
An hour really is not too much of your time to hear from respected experts about what is happening around the world with climate change.
I'd love to hear your feedback on the video as well as how you plan to take action in your own life. Comments always welcome.
If you are a student, or someone who consistently pursues learning, resources abound to educate yourself at no cost to you.
Here's a few great examples.
PERC (Property & Environment Research Center) offers a host of competitive summer seminars for undergrads, grads, and enviropreneurs. See classroom below.
What is PERC?
| PERC - Property and Environment Research Center is the nation's oldest and largest institute dedicated to original research that brings market principles to resolving environmental problems. Located in Bozeman, Montana, PERC pioneered the approach known as free market environmentalism, which is based on the following tenets. | |
|
Private property rights encourage stewardship of resources. | |
For undergrads, (and a few grads) there is the one week full scholarship to attend the Free Market Environmentalism seminar.
For graduate students, thrice yearly graduate fellowships including stipends. Fellows generally are working on significant environmental capitalism projects.
Enviropreneur's clearly have the largest selection of opportunities. You can be a part of Enviropreneur (& Executive Enviropreneur) Camps, a unique two week (or three days) experience to equip yourself with all the tools to be a more effective Enviropreneur. See website for other opportunities.
There are also programs for journalists, professors, teachers, and environmental practitioners. Most involve paid expenses, plus stipends and the opportunity to spend some of your summer in beautiful Bozeman, Montana (some programs include a stay at Ted Turner's Flying D Ranch).
Many people are observing the environmental trend and are unsure of how to get involved. Hear me loud and clear: THIS IS YOUR CHANCE. I would encourage all REpreneurs to take a moment and read over the application process (thorough but not exhaustive) and consider whether this is an opportunity that is right for you. Kevin, this includes you.
(Hat tip: Google Adwords & Gmail)
If you read much REpreneur at all you know I'm big on activism. Being young I'm idealistic about being a part of the process. I also believe this is important if you work in the industry as "Green begets more Green".
Though I have little exposure to the wind industry, I know that wind is a visible and economic depiction of how renewable energy can be developed at a price point that is attractive to utilities. As solar moves in this direction, it will be important for our industries to work together in lobbying legislation, and sharing our collective knowledge about best practices for development of projects and overcoming regulatory hurdles.
With that in mind, take a moment to read over this article from PlanetSave about the commenting period now open on the Cape Wind Project. If you are an American, then you have the opportunity to comment on the project. I hope you will do so in support of Cape Wind, the first offshore wind project in America.
Haven't heard about the project, then you MUST watch this satirical depiction of the debate over the project from The Daily Show:
So what was my argument, as an American from the other side of the country? Here was my comment: Comment Title:
Every Region Of Our Nation Must Develop Its Unique Renewable Resources
If the US is to make ANY significant progress in
moving to a clean energy economy, it will require that every region of
the nation identify its renewable resources and streamline the
political and economic processes to develop the renewable generation
assets that will provide clean, affordable renewable energy to local
and regional citizens.
While my own state of Arizona is behind on
developing our solar resources, we acknowledge the need to do this and
organizations are working within the political process to accelerate
this development quickly. Across Texas and the midwest, farmers are
taking advantage of their large wind resource. California and Nevada
are ahead on wind, solar, and geothermal. In the northeast, great
progress can be made with biomass and offshore wind. 
The Cape Wind
project is an important development for our nation because offshore
wind involves economies of scale not possible for land-based wind
power. Currently, the largest wind turbines on land in the US are
between 1.5 and 2.5 MW. Current technology for offshore wind includes
turbines as big as 7.5 MW, and getting bigger. Climate Change must be
addressed aggressively and this Cape Wind project, whose EIS has shown
general favorability for, represents a landmark tipping point in
renewable energy development.
Please approve this project, allowing
many more offshore projects to begin development with the certainty
that they will be approved if they do their due diligence. This will
allow for a windfall of offshore renewables and help clean up
America's energy supply.
You know what makes me sad? Legislation that hurts/fails to help renewable energy.
You know what makes me ecstatic? Legislation that is pro-renewable energy and cleantech.
Of course, I was heart broken when both last year's energy bill and last week's economic stimulus package failed to include significant long-term extensions of ITC & PTC for renewable energy.
Fortunately, stories abound this week on new renewable energy legislation that will significantly benefit the renewable marketplace for years to come.
First, the economic stimulus package passed by the House & Senate last week and to be signed by the President this week contained a significant caveat that allows renewable energy projects brought online in 2008 to have the land they are built on be depreciated 50% + advanced depreciation five-year MACRS for the remaining 50% all in the first year. This is important because it means that the landowners tax burden will be significantly smaller in the first year of operation and going forward, than before this rule was in place.
Next up, new legislation has been introduced by House leaders addressing nearly all of the specific needs of the RE industry in terms of long-term extensions of the ITC & PTC for most RE technologies, now including marine renewables too.
From the article,
The bill would extend the 30% investment tax credit (ITC) for solar energy property and qualified fuel cell property for eight years (through the end of 2016). It also includes a long-term extension and modification of the production tax credit (PTC), extending for three years (through December 31, 2011) certain qualifying facilities such as wind, closed-loop biomass, open-loop biomass, geothermal, small irrigation hydropower, landfill gas and trash combustion facilities. It also includes a new category of qualifying facilities: marine renewables (e.g., waves and tides). The bill would cap the aggregate amount of tax credits that can be earned at 35% of the facility's cost.
A long-term extension and modification of the residential energy-efficient property credit is also included. The credit for residential solar property would be extended for six years (through the end of 2014) and the annual credit cap (currently $2,000) would increase to $4,000. Residential small wind equipment and geothermal heat pumps would also qualify for this credit.
The bill also establishes a $4,000 credit for plug-in hybrid vehicles.
A fabulous piece of legislation that will probably face significant opposition because the incentives are still being paid for (though not as drastically as before) by repealing tax benefits that oil and gas industries currently receive.
I would encourage all REpreneur readers to visit SolarNation and sign up for their Action Alerts email
campaign so that when this bill is reaching critical discussion points in D.C., they can notify you and provide an easy way for you to contact the senators and representatives in your district and urge them to support this bill. This is your responsibility as the most important position in a democracy, you are a citizen. What do you want your country to support?
Finally, a brilliant piece of state legislation introduced in California. From the release on RenewableEnergyAccess.com today:
California State Assemblymember Jared Huffman has introduced legislation that would require utilities to pay individuals for any excess solar power produced at a home, government building or business. Currently, the best consumers can get is a "zero" energy bill.
"This bill will encourage
not just more solar power but conservation and efficiency as well as
owners see a benefit to generating surplus power."
--Bernadette Del Chiaro, Advocate, Environment California
Assembly Bill 1920, which is sponsored by Environment California, was unveiled at the location of California’s largest solar producer, SPG Solar in Novato. AB 1920 will enable consumers who produce solar power to get paid by their utility company for any excess electricity they produce on an annual basis. The level of compensation would be set by the Public Utilities Commission and would help the utility meet their renewable energy goals mandated by state law.
This is really leapfrog legislation that will truly incentivize consumers and industry to adopt solar power on-site at a more rapid rate. If you live in California, contact your local state politician and ask them to support AB 1920.
An amazing thing happened when I embarked (two days ago) upon my quest to produce a documentary entitled "Think Green, Live Green - The University of Arizona edition". One amazing thing that happened is that I discovered that the entire green community is clamoring for individuals to join the rally cry and do their part to educate and motivate their communities in response to global climate change. These are what I call An Action Campaign.
I'll be highlighting more Action Campaigns of organizations and productions that have recently sprouted up in response to "The fierce urgency of now" (MLK Jr. & Barack Obama) related to global climate change. The first of which is this new full length documentary by Leonardo DiCaprio entitled "The 11th Hour". 
Details:
Leonardo DiCaprio's “The 11th Hour” is a feature length documentary
concerning the environmental crises caused by human actions and their
impact on the planet. "The 11th Hour" documents the cumulative impact of
these actions upon the planet's life systems and calls for restorative action
through a reshaping of human activity. With the help of over fifty of the
world's most prominent thinkers and activists, including reformer Mikhail
Gorbachev, physicist Stephen Hawking, and Nobel Prize winner Wangari
Maathai, “The 11thHour" documents the grave problems facing the
planet's life systems. Global warming, deforestation, mass species
extinction, and depletion of the oceans' habitats are all addressed, and
their causes rooted in human activity. The combination of these crises call
into question the very future not of the planet, but of humanity.
However, the most powerful element of “The 11th Hour” is not a portrait of
a planet in crisis, but the offering of hope and solutions. Scientists and
environmental advocates such as David Orr and Gloria Flora (note: these
names can be interchanged for any of the experts) paint a portrait for a
radically new and exciting future in which humanity seeks not to dominate
the earth's life systems, but to mimic them and coexist. “The 11th Hour"
calls for a future now within our grasp that is both sustainable and
healthier.
The 11th Hour Trailer:
Please take a minute to watch the trailer, I'll be featuring more Action Campaigns such as this in the future. An Action Campaign is one of the best ways to both educate yourself and curb your environmental footprint, so I encourage you to get involved in one.
When it comes to China... There is good news and there is bad news.
Bad News first:
I attended a roundtable discussion followed by an auditorium speech by Norman Gaut today at The Eller College of Management. Norman was an environmental entrepreneur before there was even an environmental industry. He founded ERT in 1968. The company emphasizes innovation and advanced computer modeling,
combined with state-of-the-art monitoring of environmental parameters.
The
AIRMAP (Air Monitoring, Analysis and Prediction) program eventually
covered 1,500 monitoring sites throughout the northeastern United
States and included the majority of power generating facilities east of
the Mississippi.
Have you heard that horrible piece of data people keep spouting about how China is building one new coal plant EVERY WEEK.
Turns out its worse than we thought. Norm did the leg work and discovered that in 2006 China was averaging between two and three new 500 MW coal plants coming online each week. More evidence that the climate change landscape will get uglier before it gets prettier. Tough news for the optimists out there.
Now the Good News:
On Monday, The WorldWatch Institute released a news story chronicling China State Environmental Protection Administration's (SEPA) signature of an agreement with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) that is aiming to grind to a halt China's "environmentally destructive bank loans."
Accountability Breeds Results
By adopting internationally recognized "Equator Priniciples" and mandating that banks consider the environmental effects when assigning loans, the Chinese government takes significant, clear action to help force industry into cleaning up their act. The new rules will bring greater environmental accountability for profiteers and help push China towards adopting more renewable energy.
As a result of the "green loans" program SEPA initiated in July of 2007, the Banking industry voluntarily responded by "blacklisting" 12 heavy polluters, which means that their loans were recalled, suspended, or rejected.
To add to the discussion, below is a video on China's "coal fires" which account for roughly 3% of the world's GHG emissions each year. The video makes one thing clear, its a tougher issue for the local people of China than simply deciding to clean up their act.
With China's energy demands accelerating, how does the world join with them in continuing to increase quality of life for the Chinese people without the harmful effects of toxic air and water, increased GHG emissions, and land devastation.
In my opinion, there is no better time to be an REpreneur (Renewable Energy entrePreneur).
What do you think?
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the wealth of information about renewable energy technologies that you don't understand yet?
GreenPeace has just released a fabulous depiction of what the ideal renewable energy and climate-friendly city should look like. Its called EfficienCity, and there is a ton of info packed into edible bites for the REpreneur novice. I read a lot and this illustration was very informative even for me. Plus, I love the macro-city approach it takes to dreaming about what our future cities will look like.
Notice something about this city? The citizens live in harmony with the renewable energy systems. Today's NIMBY attitudes about renewables need to get kicked to the curb. Wind farms in low density areas. Fields of solar only in unused desert, Off-shore wind and ocean renewables so far away you cannot even see them.
Yes, I know the real estate costs are less in these areas but America needs generation near its consumption point. People should appreciate the beauty and high social and environmental value that renewables offer and integrate them into their lives.
You Gotta Go Check Out EfficienCity!
(Hat tip to EcoGeek Hank Green)
America has not built a new Nuclear plant in over a decade. But, currently there are 30 applications for new nuclear generating facilities permits (A process which takes 12 years).
Yucca Mountain was billed as the solution to the nuclear storage issue, but after being originally scheduled to open in 1998, the facility's current opening date of 2017 has been put on hold after the federal government slashed the facility's 2008 budget from $494M to $386M. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) led the fight against Yucca Mountain. State and Local Las Vegas authorities have also joined the legal battle against the project.
Should Harry Reid be to blame in the coming years when the federal government has to start paying U.S. utilities between $300-$500 million per year of taxpayer dollars in order to deal with the storage issues that the government themselves has failed to agree on.
What are the REALISTIC, or at least semi-realistic solutions? I only want to hear "shoot it into the sun" if it is feasible, economical, and moral.
To join in on the debate visit my LinkedIn question about the issue. I'll post the best answers here.
Resources:
Recent Las Vegas Review Article
REpreneur is looking for collaborators in the Tucson area in order to develop an entry video for the Think Green Live Green Video Challenge. The concept for the video will probably center around chronicling the green actions of college students and administrators at The University of Arizona.
Contest details included in this video:
Primarily, I am looking for someone with experience making short films, someone who owns a digital video camera, and someone who can help produce and edit the film.
If you fit in any of these categories, or know someone who might be able to help out please email me at kyle.cherrick@gmail.com or comment on this post.
When I watched the video announcement of the Fisker Karma... it just made me happy.
Yes it is slated to cost $80,000 and be out-of-reach to all but the upper-echelon, what made me happy is that Fisker made the car DEAD SEXY!
I love that it is Fisker Coachbuild LLC that is doing this. I had seen a few low-volume Fisker production models which consisted of taking high-end European sports cars and designing a new body and interior and then calling it a Fisker. They looked good, but were god-awful expensive.
As an entrepreneurship student I have learned that I can add value by acting in a way that takes on more risk than the 800 pound Gorilla in Industry X is willing to take because they have shareholders to please. As an entrepreneur taking risk, I may sink, I may swim, but with great risk comes great reward.
By forming the joint venture Fisker Automotive with Quantum Technologies, Fisker LLC is capable of beating multi-nationals to the PHEV punch and for it they will receive:
The brochure states that they plan to build 7400 units @ $80K available for a $1K down payment. Production units 0-99 are "Premium" and available for $100K with a $5K down payment. Production to commence in the 4th quarter of 2009.
So the $100K question is: Can Fisker execute on their promises? Nearly every manufacturer attempting to bring hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or electric drive train technology to market has experienced significant set backs.
I promised more insight from the Electric Utilities Environmental Conference 2008 conference so here it is. These are my rough notes of any insightful info gleaned during a speaker's presentation or Q & A.
Jeffrey Michel, Ing.-Büro Michel, Germany
The United States has 460 different sets of regulations for solar power – Can you keep track? Quoted from E & Y annual RE study.
Believes that America needs designated solar energy parks where transmission can support a large amount of renewables located in the right places.
Jordan Fruge, NewPoint Energy:
A solar PV system in the U.S. costs an average of $7.84/watt installed
- 50% of that is module cost, 20% is Balance of Systems, and 30% is Installation & Commissioning
- Germany, who has 35K trained workers in solar has a lower installed cost despite higher module pricing
- Emphasis is need for broad-based support to educate cleantech workforce
Return on Energy Investment:
Silicon: 1.6 years
Thin Film PV: 1 year
Wind: Less than 1 year
Palo Verde Nuclear: 14 years of energy out = the amount of energy used to build & fuel it
Allen Jay St. Clair, Windstone Capital Partners
2.2B in private equity into cleantech in 2007, up 46%
Green Construction is a $15B industry growing at 50%/year
2007 brought America’s first reduction in miles driven since 1973
John O’Donnell, Ausra
Ausra’s CLFR (compact linear fresnel reflector) technology uses 1-5% the water of conventional power generation
They can produce energy right now at $0.12/kWh, with storage at $0.09/kWh
31-33% efficiency @ converting solar thermal energy
Two areas of innovation:
40x concentration of the sun, 550 degree saturated steam
Energy stored as pressurized water & “other”
CA: Peak is Noon to 8pm
16 hours of energy storage at a 60% capacity factor
1 positioner controls 300-400 m2 of glass
Glass is 8’ off the ground: size is 60’ x 8’
The company’s Australian factory produced 1 module every 2.5 hours
The company’s claims their Las Vegas factory using robotic construction will produce one module every 10 minutes
Their glass covers 75% of the total land area
Xavier Baldwin, Burbank Water & Power
PHEV Benefits:
Reduce GHG, dependence on foreign oil, provide peaking capacity and reserves, help integrate (shape) wind power into the resource mix, improve system efficiency and load factor.
Smart (Grid) means ability to communicate both ways. Charge-up your PHEV at off-peak rate of $0.05/kWh. Grid gets 8 kW of “spinning” reserve per PHEV.
How can we make this a reality?
- Develop and integrate a Grid Control System
- Plus a PHEV charging system
- And a Smart Grid Communication System
- Finish it off with a cross utility accounting system
Any entrepreneurs interested in building some solutions?
New Company V2Green partnered with Xcel Energy to test VCM on Ford Escape PHEV
The Cascadia Institute is working on smart grid technologies and applications
Interested in PHEV’s? You must read FERC Commissioner John Wellinghoff’s paper on PHEV’s.
Thomas Jensen, Sonnenschein, Nath, & Rosenthal LLP
Ocean Renewables: 800x denser than air @ sea level
Not an intermittent power source
The federal laws for ocean energy are a MESS! It’s a public lands issue, since there are no private sites
Each year The Eller College of Management at The University of Arizona presents three undergraduates and one MBA with the Thinking Forward Award.
Purpose: To recognize outstanding undergraduate students majoring in marketing and MBA students with a marketing concentration who exemplify exceptional overall performance. This is not an award for the student with the best grade point or one with the most leadership experience or volunteer activity, but rather for the students who exemplify the best combination of outstanding qualities across four categories: (a) academic achievements, (b) leadership experiences, (c) volunteer activities and/or contributions to community and society, (d) work experience.
Awards: Winners receive a cash award for $500, a recognition plaque at the Thinking
Forward Conference in March, and an all-expense paid opportunity to “shadow” a
President, CEO, CMO or other top ranking executive for a day. Awards will include all
travel, hotel, food and sundry expenses. There will be a total of four awards with three
provided to undergraduate students and one to an MBA student(s).
The following is a transcript of the essay portion of my application (How do you think I did?):
Thinking Forward Essay
Kyle Cherrick
I am part of a generation that will face challenges of size and complexity this world has never seen. Today’s future marketing professionals will all struggle with one common goal:
How can we make green, sustainable products the mainstream preferred standard?
The climate change debate is officially over. Global warming is happening. The issue is now in a ramp-up stage in which education is being spread about how it is happening, what the effects are, and how we can stop it? Currently, there is little being done on a broad scale in order to solve the problem.
One reason for this is that today’s leadership did not grow up with this problem. At a recent conference on energy & the environment, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty commented that every major public policy debate goes through three stages:
Stage 1: “That will never work”
Stage 2: “It’s too expensive”
Stage 3: “I was for it all along”
Fortunately, the Governor went on to assert that the global warming issue is at least between stages two and three.
In the coming years, companies who truly account for a triple bottom line (people, planet, and profit) will gain favor in the eye of the consumer and begin to eat up market share and profit margins over their unsustainable competition. This will not happen, however, without a lot of hard work and strategic thought. In every industry, from the greening of transportation, to the localization and pro-organic movement of our food supplies, to sustainable forestry and clothing, to the electricity that keeps the lights on, all will attempt to brand themselves as believably green and part of the solution for global climate change.
Companies will not invent and produce green products unless the marketer’s understand how to sell it. Therefore it is imperative that the marketing graduates of today educate themselves about the growing demand and supply of green goods. This has been my personal goal for just over a year now.
In November of 2006, I found myself in Scottsdale as one of eight finalists for a very competitive internship with General Mills. The night before the full day of interviews, I was up until four in the morning reading about the developments in renewable energy and green building. The next day, while shadowing a recent hire, I heard all about how General Mills performed in the frozen foods pastry category compared with its competitors. I knew that the job was not for me.
Three months later I had secured an internship with First Solar Inc., the world’s largest thin-film solar module manufacturer. With their significant cost-advantage and growing production volumes being shipped to Europe, it was an exciting place to be for the summer. I spent the good majority of my time explaining by email and phone conversation exactly what the company does and why individual consumers could not buy our product for their home (First Solar only sells to the largest power project developers who build fields full of solar panels for utilities). As a rising small cap company, it was clear that the general public did not understand what we sold or whom we sold it to.
That summer, I began writing a blog entitled REpreneur (www.repreneur.typepad.com): one entrepreneurship student’s adventures in renewable energy, green building, and sustainability. Since I began blogging and getting feedback on my ideas, I noticed a two-part trend amongst people who spoke of sustainability. The first group, who actually understand and are part of the green revolution, used a certain language including words like renewable, carbon-neutral, cellulosic, and plug-in hybrid. While the second group who was largely pandering to the issue, used words like alternative, nuclear, sequestration, and domestic. The distinction can be slight, but a marketer needs to understand how the words they use to craft the message of a product or company can illicit different responses from their associated target markets.
My Thinking Forward goal is to be an identifiable leader in the field of selling and marketing clean, renewable energy to the mainstream consumer. I will be part of a new generation of marketers who will transform sustainable companies into the iconic brand names such as Apple and Google that dominate today’s marketplace. To do this, I will need to understand how the debate is evolving before I fully arrive on the scene. Tomorrow’s corporate boardrooms will include chief sustainable officers and environmental VP’s who are not seen as cost centers but as growth areas and core to branding their companies as leading their industry in terms of sustainability.
With this goal in mind, I ask that you allow me the opportunity to shadow a high-ranking CEO, CMO or environmental executive in order to better understand how they deal with environmental and sustainable issues on a day-to-day basis. By doing this, you will accelerate the learning curve of a generation charged with saving the world, not only for future generations, but for ourselves.
With Car Sharing!
I'm sure many of you have heard about companies that offer car sharing to urban dwellers who only need a car a few times a week or even a month. I had examined this business last year and was intrigued. Today I've been reading more about it after hearing that the nation's largest car sharing competitors Flexcar and Zipcar agreed on a merger last year.
Lately I've been thinking a lot about what I want my standard of living to be after I graduate from the University of Arizona this spring. I will be married, living somewhere in the southwest, hopefully in an urban setting in which I can choose to live a short distance from work so that I can walk, ride a bike, or hop on mass transit to get to work each day.
As a married couple, I would love to own just one car and join a car sharing service in order to provide the flexibility provided with owning a second car. Flexibility is maximized by the fact that we can reserve a sedan, wagon, truck, hybrid, or sports car to do whatever we need. Plus we will be saving substantial amounts of moolah while we do it.
Plus check out the green car sharing benefits validated in a recent study:
Car sharing works great on University campuses where students rarely need to travel much past walking distance around the campus, plus all of their classmates have cars to share anyways. I know here at the U of Arizona, parking is a major issue. A garage pass costs upwards of $500 a year. Each year the university acquires more land in order to develop four story parking garages to meet the high-demand for parking passes which often sell out before the school year begins.
My hope is that America will become increasingly urban in order to realize the advantages of shared spaces and possessions. As car sharing firms focus their growth on college campuses, a entire generation will enter the marketplace familiar with car sharing.
For more info visit:
Zipcar
Flexcar
This article from Eco-Worldy: Are you willing to car share?
Recent Comments