Noah Pollock’s Recent Comments

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  Sounds like a great program EDF has crafted! 35 million in savings spurred by the action of seven interns is simply incredible. The program showcases the need for "energy savy" mba students who can play a role in managing both a company's finances - and its energy use. As energy becomes more scarce, and as external costs (such as carbon emissions) are internalized through taxes and trading regimes, this type of accounting and management will inevitably become an increasingly important part of the job. It is good to see programs emerging that provide this. Another example is sustainable business focus offered by the University of Vermont, which gets students and business leaders up to speed on business sustainability ( http://learn.uvm.edu/igs ). They also offer a program in collaborative management which helps train business and community leaders to work more effectively together. We need more programs like UVM's and EDFs!On Planting green moles in corporate America posted 6 months ago 2 Responses

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  Lots of food for thought. It is worth mentioning that fuel consumed is a function of both fuel efficiency and total vehicle miles traveled (vmt). While fuel efficiency has been increasing in the past fifty years, vmt has been increasing faster. (The same, incidentally, applies to the economy - while our emissions/gdp have been decreasing, our total emissions rise because the economy keeps growing). In terms of VMT, land use decisions and policies play a huge role. But this is typically left to local governments. For those interested in this topic, at the Institute for Global Sustainability's courses in ecological economics (http://learn.uvm.edu/igs ) students in classes happening on campus and online explore these types of trends in greater detail.On Fuel economy in context posted 6 months ago 13 Responses

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  This is a fascinating - if a bit depressing - index to learn about. It helps to explain why our per capita energy use is one of the highest among all nations. These types of metrics are central in the field of ecological economics. Ecological Economics was established to fill the growing need to integrate the study and management of “nature’s household” (ecology) and “humankind’s household” (economics). Ecological Economics is the name given to the effort to transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries in order to address the interrelationships between ecological and economic systems in a broad and comprehensive way. In response to the comment above, while certainly rural homesteads have their place, it is simpy unrealistic to expect urban areas - where most people live these days - to disappear. Instead, we need a comprehensive approach to redesigning theway we live given the confines of our preexisting economy and infrastructure. Public transit must be part of this picture. Those interested in these topics should consider the summer and online courses in ecological economics offered by the University of Vermont's Institute for Global Sustainability - learn more at http://learn.uvm.edu/igs On Americans ranked as world's least green consumers -- again posted 6 months, 1 week ago 3 Responses

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  Hydrogen has many critical obstacles to overcome, and I agree with the electric vehicle proponents that this is a mis-allocation of resources. Cynics viewed the Bush administration's investment in hydrogen simply as a way to maintain the "status quo" - instead of investing in technologies and policies that could actually make a difference - they invested in hydrogen systems - thereby not changing anything. Money will be much better spent investing in plug in hybrid systems. There are some ecological economists working on this issue at the University of Vermont's innovative Institute for Global Sustainability (http://learn.uvm.edu/igs)- as in many ways, the issue of hydrogen versus electric vehicles comes down to the concepts of both energy and financial returns on investments. The comparison of 6500 electric vehicle charging stations versus 11 hydrogen stations is an excellent example of different returns on investment. We do not have unlimited resources. In the Institute for Global Sustainability courses in ecological economics and sustainable business, students are asked to measure these trade-offs - for these decisions are key things environmental leaders most contemplate as we transition into a low carbon society.On California plans no exit from hydrogen highway posted 6 months, 1 week ago 39 Responses

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  What Renewable Financing is doing is revolutionary. The Berkeley model is powerful, and I'm psyched to see an entrepreneur capitalizing on it. This is the type of sustainable business we need to see more of. Here at the University of Vermont's Institute for Global Sustainability, we offer several online and Vermont based courses designed to help with such start ups. Our one week sustainable business course provides an intensive primer on the principles of environmental accounting. We also offer a course on social entrepreneurship - which, in many ways is what Renewable Funding is. We also are offering a course on Collaborative Management - to help businesses and community form the kind of cross-sector collaborations mentioned in this article. Learn more about these offerings at http://learn.uvm.edu/igs
  Its a fun time to be studying these concepts!On Pinko bastion spawns capitalist solution to solar financing posted 6 months, 2 weeks ago 4 Responses