Posts Tagged ‘green energy’

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More Green Progress!

Friday, May 29th, 2009

Yesterday, I talked about some of the recent encouraging green news across the world.  Green urban design in Freiburg, Germany, where cars are prohibited in the city center, solar panels have been installed on a lot of municipal buildings, and houses are required to use less energy than the national standard.  Also, in Britain, they are planning on requiring any new houses built after 2016 must be carbon-neutral – meaning all energy it uses must be renewable.  And finally, in the US, many school districts are considering the idea of designing environmentally-friendly schools. 

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Ghent

AND, there is more.  The city of Ghent in Belgium is planning on having “Vegetarian Thursdays” in order to combat climate change.  That’s right, a day without meat to reduce carbon emissions.  According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, 18% of total carbon emissions come from the production of meat, compared to only 14% of carbon emissions can be blamed on cars and transportation.  So, by reducing your intake of meat, it could go further to reducing your carbon footprint than not driving.  Now, of course, Ghent can not require people not to eat meat every Thursday, but it has a culture of eco-friendliness and you can rest assured that many of Ghent’s inhabitants will take the idea seriously.  It’s the largest city in Belgium that has banned cars.  A city of 230,000 people, many of which use bicycles or simply walk.  No one demands you become a vegetarian, but if you reduce your animal-eating by one day a week, lots of progress can be made. 

More green food news.  Students from Marquette University, a Catholic University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, started a local Slow Food Chapter on campus.  Slow Food International is an organization that began in Italy to preserve food culture and sustainable eating against the onslaught of international fast-food.  What started as a research project on advertising and public relations turned into a real life personal lifestyle.  Marquette students became passionate about the Slow Food movement during their research.  Many students want to eat home-cooked meals but often don’t know how to cook or where to get their ingredients.  The Slow Food chapter teaches just that.  They periodically meet for home-cooked dinners together, getting many of their ingredients from local sources.  They even started planting fruits and vegetables on campus.  Other than just learning how to cook, these students are doing their part to reduce their carbon footprint.  Local food travels less, using less energy.  Supporting local sources of food, they are also keeping their money within their community.

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Marquette students cook with local ingredients

You’ve heard about the virtues of reducing your meat diet and eating locally here before, but it remains as important as ever.  Doing both can be a healthy change in your diet, support local farmers, and reduce your environmental impact.  Now, that’s a challenge everyone has the ability to take on.

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Posted in Conservation, Food | No Comments »

Green Communities

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

Greening your home is great.  By making sure you have proper insulation you can cut down on your energy bills, and cut your carbon emissions.  By harnessing natural light, you can use less energy too.  Low-energy lightbulbs, low-flow toilets, recycling, composting, and maybe even solar panels and you are getting close to a carbon neutral home.  But, the Clinton Climate Initiative and the US Green Building Council want to do one better.  Instead of planning and building green buildings one at a time, their joint venture wants to build carbon-neutral green communities. Working together, the USGBC and the Clinton Climate Initiative will support the renovation of 16 large-scale urban projects, across the world, over 6 continents.  They will use a variety of methods, like, super-insulation, ventilation systems, natural lighting, mass-transit, and high-density living. 

This a huge leap forward in terms of green building and “smart-growth” policies.  The joint venture hopes to use cutting edge technology and design, to provide large models on sustainable urban planning.  Check out the video below:  Clinton Foundation

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a market in Freiburg

Another fascinating bit of news:  Mark Mardell’s Europe Blog on the BBC reports on Freiburg, Germany.  A small city in Germany that is making huge strides in going green.  Cars are largely banned from the city center.  There are tons of sidewalks and pedestrian areas.  There are trams to help people get around.  The town hall, the football stadium, swimming pools, and the train station all have solar power.  Houses are required to use 1/3 less energy than the national requirement.  And on the political front, the Green Party is the majority party on the city council. 

Freiburg can boast about its 40% reduction in CO2 emissions and has been able to produce 10% of its energy requirements from renewable sources.  They have canals of water than run throughout the city with clean, fresh water.  It’s absolutely prohibited to pollute the canals with any sort of waste, and they have been around, supplying fresh water since the Middle Ages.

Elsewhere in Europe, Great Britain is planning to require by 2016 that all new houses be carbon-neutral.  This means that homes must use very little energy, and the energy that they do use must come from renewable sources.  Home energy use accounts for 27% of carbon emissions in Britain, and they have declared they will reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.  That means if they want to reach that goal, designing and building homes must be done in an environmental way.  The British Department of Energy and Climate Change also says it wants existing homes to be carbon-neutral by 2050, though there is no plan for that at the moment. 

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A green community in England

In the US, various school systems are experimenting with green designs for new school construction.  As The New York Times reports, “A prototype green classroom addition under construction at the Da Vinci Arts Middle School in Portland, Ore. includes natural daylighting, passive heating and cooling systems, solar roof tiles and other green features that yield a 70 percent efficiency improvement over Oregon building code requirements.”

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Blueprints for the Da Vinci Arts School

 
Green energy has always been important part of fighting climate change.  But, more than just constructing solar panels and wind mills, designing green communities are necessary in order to make serious progress.  That means harnassing natural light, making homes more energy efficient, making good use of pedestrian areas, less traffic, and many more measures.  There’s a lot of work to do, but recent green headlines have been encouraging. 

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Posted in Conservation, Green Building | 2 Comments »

Community Gardens and Eating Locally

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

Yesterday, I talked about the danger of Swine Flu and its relation to the industrial food chain.  Raising animals in dirty conditions will cause those animals to become diseased, and the antibiotics given them end up in the food we eat.  And every now and then certain bacterias will mutate and become immune to the antibiotics and create new disease outbreaks.  This is, of course, simplifying the whole idea, but you get the point.  You could eat all your food from these industrial sources if you like, and you may never suffer from any food-borne illnesses.  But that is a risk that is up to you.  One way of decreasing the odds that you are exposed to such illnesses is by buying and eating locally. 

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There are tons of reasons to eat local food.  First and foremost, you are keeping your money within your own community.  Your neighbors will appreciate you shopping at their establishments and supporting local operations helps your community prosper.  In addition, eating locally cuts down on greenhouse gases.  Typical food travels thousands of miles to get to your plate, releasing pollution into the atmosphere.  Every piece of produce you get from some far away place means more pollution into the atmosphere.  Furthermore, and maybe the point that is the most relevant considering the recent news, eating locally ensures healthier food.  If you are eating food from a small farm in your town or state, there are better chances that the food has not been injected with hormones, pesticides, or antibiotics.  Of course, you may have to do some homework to confirm that, but a typical farmer’s market will be organic food.

Now, who has time to do that?  Who has time to drive around to farms just so that they can eat locally, especially when Safeway has everything you need?  There are plenty of ways that you can eat locally.  First of all, as I said, you can find a local farmer’s market in your area.  And that’s really easy.  Log on to Local Harvest and just simply type in your ZIP code and that’s it, it will bring up a list of farmer’s markets in your area.  You can also filter for eco-friendly restaurants, farms, and co-0ps in your area.  It’s easy and a great way to eat fresh local food and support your community. 

One huge obstacle to eating locally is the change of seasons.  How do I eat fruit in the middle of winter?  Well, I admit, this is difficult, and I often can’t follow this rule myself.  But, if you can commit to eating just some of your meals using local, seasonal ingredients, then you can make some progress.  That means strawberries and tomatoes in summer, pumpkins in fall, and potatoes and in winter.  It’s tough to do, but it also exposes you to different types of fruits and vegetables that you might not have previously known about.  Once again, this might seem like a lot of work, but a great way to facilitate this practice is joining a CSA.  What’s a CSA? Community Supported Agriculture is a system in which you pay a farmer a certain amount of money up front, and then you get a certain amount of produce incrementally throughout the year.  The advantages of this are allowing you to eat fresh, seasonal food throughout the year.  CSAs are also good systems for urban-dwelling foodies.  If you live in a city, chances are farms are not very close.  CSAs allow you to get this fresh, local produce, without the hassle.  It also provides the farmer with capital to work with, and a secure market in which to sell his crops.  Win-Win.vegetables

Home gardens and community gardens are another great way to eat locally.  It has been reported that home gardens are on the rise across the country for a variety of reasons:  save money on food, environmental concerns, and food security concerns.  If you can turn that useless plot of grass in your backyard into a home garden, you can grow your own produce (free and renewable), cut down on pollution (less driving to the store, less mileage on your produce), and your food will be healthy (no pesticides).  Some may think that’s a lot of work, but some might find it fun to see something through from start to finish.  Community gardens are also increasing in popularity.  Unused grassy plots of land within the city limits can be converted into gardens.  There are countless positives that come with community gardens.  The ones I listed before (fresh, eco-friendly, healthy food), but also education.  Teaching people about eating healthy, providing education and work opportunities, and teaching children about ecology and biology.  I just read about the 7th Street Garden in Washington DC, a community garden in the Shaw Neighborhood.  They turned a closed down school into a garden, growing all sorts of fruits and vegetables.  They have gone through 2 growing seasons and produced 70 bags of fresh produce to disadvantaged DC residents, while teaching over 250 local children about gardening and nutrition.  Pretty cool way to use an abandoned plot of land.

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7th Street Garden in Washinton DC

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Posted in Conservation, Farming, Volunteering | No Comments »

Creating Green Jobs

Monday, May 11th, 2009

The economic crisis is having lasting effects on the lives of everyone across the world.  Each month, job reports are released showing the latest casualties of the job market.  Hundreds of thousands each month…a half a million jobs for April alone.  Many economists think that the worst may be over, pointing to the fact that things are getting worse more slowly these days.  A sign of the times for sure, that half a million people lose their jobs in one month alone and people are relieved because it could have been worse.  In fact, many other economists think we may be in a recession for years to come. 

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The exact amount of time remaining until the US economy recovers may be disputed, but many more people recently believe we are headed in the right direction compared to 6 months ago.  And I would say most believe that a recovery is inevitable at some point.  So, what will our economy look like in one year’s time?  Two year’s time?  Do a lot of people believe that we will go back to where we were before the crisis?  Probably not.  There will be fundamental changes in the way our economy functions, the way our society works.  For example, a recent New York Times article states that one of the lasting impacts of the economic crisis is a higher savings rate for the average person.  That has mixed effects on our economy over the long-run.  While it’s a great virtue for the individual to save money, it has negative effects on businesses who rely on consumer spending, and therefore, many jobs rely on consumer spending.  But, it does mark a change in culture.  Many people feel that the days of living beyond our means are over.  The economy was bound to falter when people had a negative savings rate, i.e. spend more than they actually have.  Moving forward, we will have to build our economy on more solid ground, rather than making money from money.

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One possible way to create a more solid foundation for the future of our economy is to build a “green” economy.  Too much money has gone to importing oil from unfriendly petro-dictatorships.  Too much coal is being burned, putting our planet in peril.  By shifting our economy away from these non-renewable resources towards greener sources of energy, we can build an economy that creates green jobs, keeps our planet clean, and the US can be the leader on this technology.  Renewable energy continues to grow, despite serious setbacks from the economic crisis and the credit crunch.  As car factories shutter their windows, manufacturing jobs begin to disappear.  But, all the solar panels and windmills that need to be built will require skilled workers to do so. 

Of course it’s not as easy as it sounds.  Green energy needs to be as competitive with fossil fuels, economically speaking.  Solar panels and windmills can’t just be installed quickly and easily.  You need transmission lines to carry the electricity from the windmill (often in the middle of nowhere) to the city that needs the electricity.  The transmission lines need to be constructed across multiple states, and there are disagreements over who pays and who gets paid for such things.  Wind and solar energy still only amount to a couple percent of our total energy usage.

BUT, encouraging news is coming in.  The American Wind Energy Association recently published interesting results for the first quarter of 2009.  “The wind energy industry installed over 2,800 megawatts (MW) of new generating capacity in the first quarter of 2009, with new projects completed in 15 states and powering the equivalent of 816,000 homes, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) announced today in its first quarter market report.”

The following states experience rapid growth in wind energy in the first quarter of 2009 (% growth)

  • Indiana 75%
  • Maine 55%
  • Nebraska 53%
  • Idaho 49%
  • New York 34%

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    We are making progress.  But, there are tons of things you can do on your own too.  Enchanting Challenge catalogs different undertakings by socially conscious people to try to make small improvements to our world.  No matter how big or how small, you can contribute to the environment, your community, and the people around you.  Sign on at www.enchantingchallenge.com and add your personal challenges!

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    Posted in Conservation, Employment, alternative energy | No Comments »

    Earth Day and Enchanting Challenge

    Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
    The first Earth Day occurred on April 22nd, 1970, inspired by US Senator Gaylord Nelson as an attempt to force the environment into the national agenda.  20 million americans participated in coast to coast rallies, many at universities, to protest oil spills, factory pollution, pesticides, and the loss of wildlife.  By 1990, the environmental movement had become a global issue, with 200 million people in 141 countries involved on Earth Day.  And Earth Day 2007 can claim the largest participation across the globe, estimated at around 1 billion people. 
    Obama speaks at wind turbine manufacturer on Earth Day

    Obama speaks at wind turbine manufacturer on Earth Day

    In 2008 there seemed to be momentum building for government action on carbon emissions as well as a boom in the alternative energy business.  With oil prices at unprecedented levels, and environmental awareness at an all time high, the environmental issue was snowballing, and gaining strength.  But, alas, September 2008 abruptly halted the fervor.  Banks began collapsing, stock markets were tumbling, and everyone headed for the hills.  As a result of the economic crisis, environmental concerns have dropped far down on the list of priorities for many people.  Rising unemployment, crime, homeforclosures, and a worldwide recession have dwarfed the environment in terms of immediate importance.  If you ask the average joe on the street whether he thinks repairing the economy or repairing the environment is more important, I’m sure you will be laughed at. 

    However, as I often say, the economy and the environment are not mutually exclusive.  All too often people site negative economic impacts when dismissing environmentalism.  That thinking needs to change.  Barack Obama gave a speech yesterday, to comemmorate Earth Day, in Newton, Iowa, the site of a closed Maytag plant that used to employ around 4,000 people.  The site now hosts a wind turbine manufacturer, Trinity Structural Towers.  Obama praised the wind energy business, and used the Trinity factory as an example that rebuilding our economy and shifting to cleaner sources of energy are inextricably linked.  Green jobs are on the rise, and companies like Trinity are leading the way.  Below are two quotes from his speech:

    “Now, the choice we face is not between saving our environment and saving our economy,” Obama said. “The choice we face is between prosperity and decline. We can remain the world’s leading importer of oil, or we can become the world’s leading exporter of clean energy.”

    “But the bulk of our efforts must focus on unleashing a new, clean-energy economy that will begin to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, will cut our carbon pollution by about 80 percent by 2050 and create millions of new jobs right here in America, right here in Newton,” he said.

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    That may seem like quite a challenge, and make no mistake, it is.  It’s a challenge that will go on for decades.  Barack Obama also challenged every American to replace at least one incandescent lightbulb with a energy-efficient flourescent lightbulb.  If each person did that, a lot of energy could be saved.

    While the President is challenging all of us to save energy, Enchanting Challenge attempts to inspire people into making and undertaking their own challenges.  On the Enchanting Challenge website, you can enter your own personal challenge - something as small as recycling, using less plastic, eating locally, changing your lightbulbs - or much larger challenges – volunteering at the homeless shelter, tudoring children after school, reforestation, etc.  The possibilities are endless, but the time to act is now.  Sign up at www.enchantingchallenge.com and register your challenges!image001

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    Greening Buildings – Rowhouse to Empire State Building

    Tuesday, April 21st, 2009
    Many new buildings being constructed these days are done so with environment concerns in mind.  Using natural lighting instead of low-efficiency light bulbs, insullated windows, non-toxic materials, etc.  But so much of the CO2 going into the atmosphere comes from existing buildings, which is why buildings across the country are undergoing retrofitting to make them more energy-efficient.  This allows the buildings to use less energy, which raises their property value, while reducing utility costs…with the side benefit of fighting climate change.
    LEED Platinum Rowhouse

    LEED Platinum Certified Rowhouse

    Buildings of all shapes and sizes are commiting to becoming more energy-efficient.  I read an article recently on everydaygreendc.com, a website cataloguing the green developments in my hometown, Washington DC.  They reported on how Amy Levin, of Mount Pleasant, DC,  retrofitted her rowhouse with all sorts of energy-efficient measures and managed to get her home LEED-platinum certified, which is the highest classification for energy-efficient homes, according to the US Green Building Council.  She decided to take on this task so that her home could have lower utility costs, higher property value, and thus, higher rent rates for her tenants. These are just a few of the changes she made to her home:

    -Insullation – a soy-based foam product is sprayed on all the walls for insullation, reducing heating and cooling needs.  Without any toxic materials, it is the greenest insullation product out there. 

    -Plumbing – a double-flush toilet which uses less water.

    -Materials – she used reclaimed wood for a lot of her flooring.  All materials are non-toxic, including the paint. 

    -Solar panels – she installed solar panels on her roof for electricity. 

    As a result of all the green initiatves that Amy implemented, her home now uses 59% of the energy of a regular building, and the value of her home is now appraised 10% higher than before.  Upfront costs, but longterm savings.

    From little Mount Pleasant we move on to The Big Apple.  It was recently announced that The Empire State Building will go green.  Yep, the 102-story, 78-year old, colossal building will be undergoing green retrofitting.  Why? Also to save money in the long run.  A joint venture between The Rocky Mountain Institute and the Clinton Climate Initiative, the project aims to make The Empire State Building the largest LEED certified building in the world.  will cost $20 million dollars, but will cut down on energy costs by 38% a year, saving about $4.4 million a year.  While the upfront costs seem daunting and prohibitive, about $13.2 million would have been spent on general maitenance anyways.  The costs for the retrofitting will be recovered in about three years.  About 78% of CO2 emissions in New York City come from energy used in commerical and residential buildings.  By preventing the emission of 105,000 metric tons of CO2 from being spewed into the atmosphere, The Empire State Building will set an example.  If it becomes the tallest green building in the world, it will prove that no building is too big to go green. 

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    Empire State Building Is Going Green

    And Amy Levins in Mount Pleasant is proving that no building is too small to go green.  And same holds true for every building in between.  From a little rowhouse, to a 102-story building, retrofitting buildings to make them more energy efficient makes environmental sense, and it makes financial sense. 

    Amy Levin at her Mt. Pleasant Home

    Amy Levin at her Mt. Pleasant Green Home

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    Posted in Green Building, alternative energy | 1 Comment »

    Green Hotels

    Thursday, April 9th, 2009
    The CasaCalma Lobby

    The CasaCalma Lobby

    The typical hotel is a huge, greedy, energy-wasting beast.  Massive amounts of electricity are needed to light the hotel, run the AC, heat water for showers, and run the countless appliances throughout the building.  Water is continuously flowing out of faucets and showers, with no regard for conservation.  Washing machines are constantly running, using electricity, water, and chemicals that will pollute streams and lakes.  The materials used to build the hotel aren’t typically the most environmentally friendly options.  In short, the hotel business is typically a huge enemy of the environment.

    This waste of energy is also the enemy of good business.  Long-term energy efficiency will not only contribute to a healthier environment, but also to a healthier balance sheet.  Hoteliers are starting to see the light.  Eco-hotels are a growing phenomenon in the US and across the world.  My colleagues and I, along with EcoTrotters, a partner of Enchanting Challenge, went to the first Eco-hotel in Argentina, the CasaCalma.  It’s located in Buenos Aires, an oasis of greenery and efficiency surrounded by the noise and pollution of a big city.  CasaCalma prides itself on operating in the most efficient and environmentally friendly way possible. 

    Low-energy lighting, double glass windows for better insulation, walls made from recycled materials, automatic lighting that turns off when rooms are empty…these are just a few of the measures taken by CasaCalma to ensure the smallest carbon footprint possible.  They also use less energy because of the large windows that allow the use of natural sunlight, they cook with local and organic food, and they rarely use any plastic. 

    They seem to think of everything, including tiny details you wouldn’t normally factor in…for example, they don’t even have any pens in the hotel, they use pencils made from the wood of a rapidly regrowing plant, similar to bamboo.  They cook all their food, including baking their own bread, taking into account the number of guests each day so that there isn’t left over bread that must be thrown away.  They are also the only hotel in Argentina with two vertical gardens, plants that grow on the wall with dual functions: the plants clean the air and help insulate the building, keeping it cool in the summer and warm in the winter.  The wood used in the building is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).  Even the little bottles of shampoo and lotion are reused. 

    A room in CasaCalma

    A room in CasaCalma

    There’s also money in being so virtuous.  CasaCalma’s utility bills are only a fraction of the typical hotel.  They don’t have to pay for huge amounts of delivered food, or cleaning products, or towels (they use cloth towels that get reused instead of paper towels that would be thrown away).  You would think that such attention to detail would only work for high end hotels, but precisely because there isn’t too much waste, the costs are kept under control.  Furthermore, many of the guests from the US and Europe stay at the hotel because of its green credentials.  Environmentally conscious travelers often seek out the greenest hotel, to do their part. 

    CasaCalma is a bet ahead of the curve in Argentina, a country where being green is not exactly mainstream.  Because being environmental is not a priority for Argentines, you might think it would be a waste of time to concern yourself with the headaches of ensuring an energy-efficient hotel.  But then again, as environmental awareness increases in Argentina, as it has in other parts of the world, CasaCalma will have the market cornered.

    Dining Room

    Dining Room

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    Training Green Jobs

    Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
    photo from Bio Liberty LLC

    photo from Bio Liberty LLC

    Part of building a successful business is having an educated and trained workforce.  Most businesses take this into account when setting up their headquarters.  Ideally, you want to be located next to some bright minds.  It’s no coincidence that some of the best technology firms start up in Silicon Valley.  These companies are trying to attract some tech-savvy people. 

    This is what we call human capital and it is essential to a successful business.  You could have the greatest business plan in the world, the financing, and the market, but if you are lacking in human capital to make your business function properly, it will flop. 

    Furthermore, whole sectors of the economy cannot develop or grow without this human capital.  In recent months, probably because of President Obama’s committment to combatting climate change, we have been hearing about building a green economy, investing in alternative sources of energy, and building more energy efficient automobiles.  Sounds great.  But who will actually do the work to make this happen?  The government can talk, and outline plans, and allocate money all it wants, but if we lack trained workers to actually carry out the plan, nothing will get done.  Who will install the solar panels on everyone’s roofs?  Who will construct the millions of windmills?  Who will retrofit all of our buildings to make them more energy efficient? 

    ENVIRONMENT-US-CLIMATE-CHINA

    I came across an interesting article today on the BBC about Cerro Coso Community College in California, near the Mojave desert.  It’s a place where the wind blows hard, and because of that CC Community College has a program to train workers to install wind turbines.  The students pay about $1,000 for the course, and are almost guaranteed a job in the wind industry after graduation.  These are the green jobs of the future that President Obama wishes to create. 

    Also, there is the East Los Angeles Skills Centre, an institution training workers who either lost their jobs or who are ex-cons and ex-gang members to install solar panels.  These jobs are highly skilled.  Workers need to know how to install the solar panels, and wire them.  Trainees will also almost certainly be hired for a job after completion of the course.  These are also the green jobs of the future. 

    President Obama and Governor Schwarzenegger want to create more of these green jobs.  Obama has ensured funding through the recent stimulus plan, and Governor Schwarzenegger will use that money for his new California Green Corps, a program to train youth in these new green jobs.  The green industry is booming.  The problem is not the political will or even the funding, but the lack of human capital is preventing this industry from exploding.  There aren’t enough universities or trade schools to train workers in these fields.  These courses are fully enrolled and have a waiting list.   

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    A lot of Americans tend to think of manual labor as a low-end job.  This has contributed to a decline in U.S. manufacturing.  But the green industry is the next big boom in manufacturing, and thus, the next big boom in jobs.  If the U.S. doesn’t take the lead, another country will.  If the green industry takes off, it will be because there are more institutions such as the Cerro Coso Community College and the East Los Angeles Skills Centre.

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    Posted in alternative energy, education | No Comments »

    Corporate Greening

    Saturday, March 21st, 2009

    In the last post I talked about the danger of biodiversity loss and I put up a video of Thomas Friedman talking about the importance of getting involved with responsible corporations to combat climate change. I’d like to expand on that a bit in this post.

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    According to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, industry represents 19% of total international carbon emissions.  That is a huge chunk of the pie.  Because of the very large role corporations play in spewing greenhouse gases into the air, it is all the more important to get them to change.  While switching the lightbulbs in your house to more efficient bulbs and driving less are very important changes that all of us need to make, the significant change will happen by cleaning up industry.  The Wal-Marts, Exxon Mobiles, General Electrics, McDonalds, and Nestles of the world.  If environmentalists, consumers, and governments can partner with some of the worst polluters in a cooperative effort, real change can take place.  Many of these corporations have been responsible for polluting our air, dumping toxic waste into our rivers and streams, and destroying wildlife habitats across the world.  They have been the evil villains for years, forever attracting the public’s outrage.  Environmentalists saw industry as something that needed to be restrained, contained, and regulated.  Industry saw the environment and environmentalists as pests; obstacles in the way of making money.  The environment and industry were opposites.  Being green and being profitable were mutually exclusive.

    Why the change of heart?  Money.  The environment is beginning to be seen as a way of MAKING money, not an obstacle to it.  Environmentalists are beginning to see that industry is not going away, and greening them can be positive for everyone.  What’s more, many entrepreneurs are seeing the huge business opportunity in green industry.  Solar panels, wind turbines, green efficiency, green design.  That’s the future of business.  Applying pressure to the worst violators is important, but what will really change behavior, what will really work, is the financial gain from going green.  That’s the biggest motivator for corporations.  

    sustainable-wind-farms

    Lifetime oilman T. Boone Pickens bet his personal fortune on environmental business.  Last year, he announced his “Pickens Plan,” which consisted of converting the nation’s auto fleet to run on natural gas, as a temporary solution (natural gas is much cleaner than regular gasoline), and meanwhile, he planned on building the world’s biggest wind farm in Texas.  Far from being a treehugger, Pickens believes in the huge business opportunity in alternative energy, because of the dwindling supply of oil in the world. 

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2bOug1d20c]

    Wal-Mart realized that by going green they could make more money.  By making their trucks more efficient they could save millions in fuel costs; by using less plastic in packaging, they could save more; by using less energy to heat and cool their stores, they could save more; by selling environmentally-friendly products that their customers demand, they could sell more.  rx3181_6bfi8bfk8efkkn8zfi8tyfhxxxxxx8u9fji87fdk8atfb9cw8tufhxxxxxxWal-Mart now has solar panels on a few of its locations, they sell fair-trade coffee, they are buying wind energy to supply hundreds of its locations in Texas, and has donated $5.7 million to supporting green job creation in the US.  There has been no shortage of public pressure and outrage directed at Wal-Mart for all of its sins.  But if Wal-Mart can alter its carbon footprint, clean up their operations, huge progress can be made. 

    Clorox has introduced its environmentally-friendly cleaning products.

    General Electric has bet big on wind and solar energy. 

    Even some oil companies have invested in alternative energy, seeing which way the winds of the future are blowing. 

    Industries have been the biggest pollutors for years.  But shaming them out of business is not a productive way of combating climate change.  As Thomas Friedman said, finding the responsible players in the corporate world, and partnering with them to bring about change, can have a huge impact.  Industry represents 19% of total carbon emissions.  If we can clean up that 19% and make money while we are at it, the world can be a better place.

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    Fighting For the Middle Ground

    Monday, March 2nd, 2009

    Investing responsibly can help promote the growth of socially responsible businesses and your money can go to work for you, for a good cause.  Your money will help provide the financing for social entrepreneurs to grow and expand their missions.  While there are tons of people out there who take environmental, social, educational, and civil rights factors into consideration when investing their money, for the vast majority of investors these ideas would never cross their minds.  So, until the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and NASDAQ are replaced by social stock exchanges (SSE) like the one in Sao Paolo (not likely anytime soon), when it comes to financing, social entrepreneurs are stuck fighting for the middle ground.  They are too business-oriented for charitable donations, and too charitable for normal investors.

                And this is the subject of today’s post.  Because of the awkward limbo social entrepreneurs often reside in, they have to piece together a mixture of financing that can be confusing, stressful, and time consuming.  Since social businesses fall in the middle ground, their sources of financing don’t fall into neat categories like “philanthropic donations,” or “government funding,” or “private investors,”  but rather, a hodgepodge of all of these.  This raises many difficulties as often times the CEO of a social business is forever chasing the next source of financing, which distracts from the mission.  Instead of managing the day to day duties, he or she is on the phone with philanthropic organizations, organizing fundraisers, or lobbying Congress for this years tax incentive – which may decide whether or not they can continue operating.  Nevertheless, this is the reality of businesses with social missions.  Unless they are selling products or providing paid services that finance their social causes, social entrepreneurs will have to deal with these hurdles.

                I will focus on the various different sources of financing, one by one, in future posts.  But here is a quick run down of the patchwork of financing options for social businesses. 

    • Personal Funding – since social entrepreneurs believe in their mission, many invest their own savings in starting up.
    • Government Grants – because of the social benefits of ceretain social businesses, government grants are potential sources of financing.
    • Angel Investors – often times a very wealthy individual believes in a certain cause, and donates large amounts of money.
    • Philanthropic Organizations – they may be reluctant to donate to for-profits, but a big source of financing for non-profits and some semi-profits.
    • Venture Capitalists – they probably won’t invest in either non-profits or semi-profits, but venture capitalists are a huge source of financing for for-profits.  The most obvious example is the abundance of venture capital money in the renewable energy sector.
    • Going Public – Once a social business gets big enough, it can list on a stock exchange and rapidly raise capital from individual investors.  But, this also brings risks, such as losing sight of the mission.

    Since their is often a gray area of where a social business operates, many social businesses tap into two, or three, or many of these sources.  Having multiple sources of financing may allow for flexibility, but it also brings difficulty and uncertainty. 

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