<![CDATA[Grist Feed: Bill Clinton]]> http://www.grist.org/ Articles about Bill Clinton from your friends at Grist en-us webmaster@grist.org (Grist) Fri, 27 Nov 2009 7:30:37 PDT Fri, 27 Nov 2009 7:30:37 PDT 2009, Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss <![CDATA[Opportunity, fully funded]]> http://www.grist.org/article/2009-09-25-opportunity-fully-loaded/ Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:46:51 -0700 Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins http://www.grist.org/article/2009-09-25-opportunity-fully-loaded/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.

Today, Green For All and Living Cities unveiled the Energy Efficiency Opportunity Fund alongside President Clinton, at the closing session of Clinton Global Initiative's annual meeting.

The groundbreaking fund will finance innovative efforts that create jobs and cut energy costs for low-income families through energy-efficiency building retrofits.


I am proud to say that in addition to advocating for public policies that invest in the clean energy economy, Green For All is now mobilizing private capital to directly create jobs and fight global warming.

By investing in new models for financing retrofits, the Fund will help catalyze and leverage additional funding from federal, state and local governments, financial institutions, and foundations.

The Fund creates a unique platform for "triple bottom line" returns, including:

Profit for investors: A financial return of 2 - 3 percent annually;
Cuts in global warming pollution: An environmental return in the form of reduced energy consumption and avoided greenhouse gas emissions; and Jobs and opportunity for Americans: A social return that saves money and creates jobs for low-income people.

We estimate that when fully deployed, a $20 million fund would leverage approximately $200 million in financing for building energy retrofits. On an annual basis, this would mean:

37,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions avoided -- the equivalent of more than 4,700 cars taken off the road;

25 percent energy savings on average in 15,000 homes, with total household savings of $6 million;

25 percent energy savings on average in 2,000 commercial/community buildings;
 
2,500 clean energy jobs, with substantial opportunity for low-income people; and

Improved health, increased household income and/or greater worker productivity experienced by 40,000 people.


The Energy Efficiency Opportunity Fund is an extension of Green For All's commitment to build a clean-energy economy that is ripe with broad opportunity and shared prosperity for every neighborhood.

In particular, we have been engaging the business community through our Capital Access Program. Through CAP, we coach emerging clean energy businesses, provide resources for the business community, and now, invest directly in the clean-energy economy. You can learn more and get involved with CAP here.

Building a better economy for America requires working hand in hand with diverse and unlikely partners: from elected officials to unemployed workers, from businesses to community organizers. Everyone has a role to play in crafting a clean energy future.

We are so proud to be able to work with businesses and investors to directly create jobs and wealth through clean energy.

Economic opportunity and environmental renewal are now converging through smart investments in people, place, and planet.



















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]]> <![CDATA[Yeah, that’s right, I’ve been to boot camp]]> http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-02-retrofit-boot-camp-clinton/ Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:13:06 -0700 Katharine Wroth http://www.grist.org/article/2009-06-02-retrofit-boot-camp-clinton/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.

A couple of months ago, I promised (threatened?) that I’d be starting a new column called Sexy Retrofits. Now I’m making good on that notion—but so much news has been swirling around on the topic lately that I’m forced to start with a round-up. Now with more bullet points!

Yesterday I had the chance to drop by the “Green Boot Camp” held at Harvard by Living Cities, a consortium of foundations and financial institutions looking to give U.S. metro areas a shot in the arm. At the conference, teams of officials from 16 cities spent three intense days comparing notes on retrofitting—what works, what doesn’t, how to create citywide models—and devising plans for going forward. (The harried PR woman I worked with referred to it as “amazing ... it’s like a green therapy session.”) I spent some time talking with Stockton Williams, the organization’s director of Green Economies Initiatives. Given the pending infusion of federal cash and the urgency of both fighting climate change and creating jobs, Williams said, “the question is not whether to retrofit or how to retrofit, but how to scale up” so that retrofits are not just scattershot projects but part of a broad strategy. And speaaaaking of scaling up: Zerofootprint launched the awesomely named Building Re-Skinning Competition to “advance the state-of-the-art in retrofitting [and create] retrofitting systems that can be scaled to a large number of buildings and deployed globally.” Judges for this save-the-world endeavor, which is open to entries all summer, include Will McDonough and Ed Mazria.
The Clinton Climate Initiative continues to make green building and retrofitting seem splashy and sexy (see: Empire State Building), this time by announcing the designation of 16 “Climate Positive” community developments around the world. Said Himself: “The Climate Positive Development Program will set a new global standard for developments that will minimize environmental impacts and benefit economies as we build and rebuild homes, schools, and businesses.” Emphasis added by me. Because it was the closest I could find to Clinton saying, “Damn, retrofits are sexy.”
A site for Sears eyes.merges via flickrUp in Toronto, government officials are embarking on one of the continent’s biggest-ever green retrofits, converting the former headquarters of Sears Canada into LEED Gold office space. “We are bringing to life our government’s commitment to greening Ontario’s buildings and along with it creating green jobs and fuelling a green economy,” said George Smitherman, deputy premier and minister of Energy and Infrastructure. Sounds familiar, eh?

In future installments, I promise fewer bullet points and more focus on projects on the ground, concrete steps that cities are taking, and interviews with innovators. Got a sexy retrofit or retrofitter you think we should feature? Leave a comment below.






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]]> <![CDATA[Behind the scenes at Fortune Brainstorm Green 2009]]> http://www.grist.org/article/behind-the-scenes-at-fortune-brainstorm-green-2009/ Wed, 06 May 2009 17:21:18 -0700 Karen Solomon http://www.grist.org/article/behind-the-scenes-at-fortune-brainstorm-green-2009/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.

What's better than attending the Fortune Brainstorm Green 2009 and hearing Ford Chairman Bill Ford and Founder and CEO of A Better Place Shai Agassi speak? Shaking hands with Former President Bill Clinton, of course!  Not too shabby for a couple of days in Orange County.  Beyond the speakers and the networking, the artistic angle of the conference was phenomenal. "Ultimately, it was the most comfortable and eye-pleasing conference I’ve ever attended."

Herman Miller

Who would have thought that a chair could be chique, ergonomic, and green all at the same time? Herman Miller did. "One of Fortune’s Most Admired Furniture Companies," Herman Miller has kept a strong focus on the environment from concept to distribution. So much so that Paul Murray, Director of Environmental Affairs and Safety at Herman Miller, says they have "very aggressive goals of zero footprint and no water emissions by 2020."  It's not that far-fetched: Murray reported the company has achieved 50% of this goal already.

    Their Aeron chair line, used on stage and in the audience at the Brainstorm Green event, was sourced for its eco-friendly features.  Murray says the chair "can be disassembled, is manufactured using renewable electrical power, parts are delivered using returnable packaging from suppliers and has over 60% recycled content."

    Even more commendable is Herman Miller's effort to go back to their suppliers and change the way they source their materials. Murray comments, "Our suppliers might not make the dyes or colors used, so we call their suppliers -- anything harmful, we ask suppliers to take it out." I love that Herman Miller can be profitable while reducing hazardous waste in the groundwater outside supplier plants worldwide.

These chairs are definitely on the wish-list for Opportunity Green!

 Junk Wall 

The backdrop of the conference was intriguing, but it wasn't until I got up close and personal when I realized it was a collage of junk.  Artist Tom Deininger's autumn-themed wall collage, reaching a height of twenty feet, was a mapped masterpiece comprised of shoes, plastic items, and our favorite - action figures!

    Deininger started constructing these abstract wall collages in 1999 with materials plucked from beach wash and "literally dumpster-diving" for items.  He even perused garage sales, offering $15 for all leftover goods.  Eventually, friends and other artists caught on and unloaded piles of junk to his ever-expanding studio.  Deininger described his organized chaos saying, "The studio started to look like a painter's palette, all reds in one section, greens in another, blues, pinks, blacks and so on."

    Built in under three weeks by Deininger and his team, the junk wall for Brainstorm Green started with a base wall constructed from recycled wooden shipping containers.  He then fastened green, red, and orange plastic junk onto twenty individual panels, which were then encased in plywood and shipped to California.

    Deininger, whose work is in numerous public and private collections through out the world, is a resident of Bristol, Rhode Island and an advocate for Save the Bay.  He prides himself on creating works that are "bold and subtle at the same time" and most definitely achieved that at the conference.  Attendees were in awe of how discarded plastic could convey such a unique message.

The biggest tidbit I uncovered was the mystery of the whereabouts of his artwork after the event.  Neither Deininger nor myself know whether the pieces were discarded or displayed elsewhere.  Where in the world is the junk wall? It would be great to repurpose it for our conference. How's that for collaboration!


















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]]> <![CDATA[Empire State Building to get efficiency overhaul]]> http://www.grist.org/article/2009-04-06-empire-state-efficiency/ Mon, 06 Apr 2009 08:25:49 -0700 Katharine Wroth http://www.grist.org/article/2009-04-06-empire-state-efficiency/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.

I’ve been wanting for a while to start a column called “Sexy Retrofits,” exploring the idea that the key to green building is overhauling existing buildings, not starting from scratch. Despite what Larry Page might think. It’s not the most glamorous notion, but it is energy efficient, cost effective, and exciting. I swear! So consider this the first edition, because it doesn’t get much sexier than this: the Empire State Building is going green.

In a news conference today, NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg will appear with Bill Clinton to give details of the $20 million retrofit, which will reportedly include replacing windows and giving tenants web-based systems for managing their energy usage. It’s part of an estimated $600 million renovation expected to take five years. More details to come.

Empire State Building construction, the first time around.

National Archives

 

 




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]]> <![CDATA[White House chefs and the limits of personal choice]]> http://www.grist.org/article/Tempest-in-a-stock-pot/ Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:07:21 -0800 Tom Philpott http://www.grist.org/article/Tempest-in-a-stock-pot/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.




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]]> <![CDATA[Obama names advisers to his transition team for energy and environmental issues]]> http://www.grist.org/article/transition-talk-browner-and-pena-join-the-team/ Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:23:26 -0800 Kate Sheppard http://www.grist.org/article/transition-talk-browner-and-pena-join-the-team/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.




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]]> <![CDATA[Green initiatives unveiled at Clinton Global Initiative gathering]]> http://www.grist.org/article/green-for-green/ Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:03:56 -0700 Kate Sheppard http://www.grist.org/article/green-for-green/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.




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]]> <![CDATA[Former President Clinton talks about the financial crisis and clean energy on ‘The Daily Show’]]> http://www.grist.org/article/im-just-a-bill/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:59:35 -0700 Kate Sheppard http://www.grist.org/article/im-just-a-bill/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.




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]]> <![CDATA[Bill Clinton says smart energy policy could have avoided the financial meltdown]]> http://www.grist.org/article/laws-and-effect/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 01:50:30 -0700 David Roberts http://www.grist.org/article/laws-and-effect/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.




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]]> <![CDATA[Clinton Global Initiative jumps the shark, invites McCain to keynote on energy solutions]]> http://www.grist.org/article/over-the-shark-and-way-past-the-fridge/ Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:47:04 -0700 Joseph Romm http://www.grist.org/article/over-the-shark-and-way-past-the-fridge/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.




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]]> <![CDATA[Joe Biden and Bill Clinton say Obama’s the man to solve the energy crisis]]> http://www.grist.org/article/veep/ Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:07:00 -0700 Grist http://www.grist.org/article/veep/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.

In his convention speech on Wednesday night, Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden said an Obama administration will make "alternative energy a national priority ... creating 5 million new jobs, and finally breaking us from the grip of foreign oil." Biden accused John McCain of being wrong on everything "from Amtrak to veterans," and said, "John voted again and again against renewable energy -- wind, solar, biofuels. That's not change, that's more of the same." In an earlier speech, Bill Clinton said Obama will find "economically beneficial ways to fight global warming ... and when Barack Obama unleashes them, America will save lives, create new jobs." Clinton also tossed in a little climate humor, noting that the tight race between Obama and Hillary Clinton earlier this year "created so much heat, it increased global warming." In other convention fun, we've got photos of the "clean coal" and wind-power displays around Denver. And be sure to check out the rest of Grist's convention coverage.

new in Muckraker:


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]]> <![CDATA[Bill Clinton puts his support behind Obama, says he’s ready to take on the nation’s challenges]]> http://www.grist.org/article/dnc-the-other-clinton-speaks/ Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:24:27 -0700 Kate Sheppard http://www.grist.org/article/dnc-the-other-clinton-speaks/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.




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]]> <![CDATA[DNC: Clinton warming]]> http://www.grist.org/article/dnc-clinton-warming/ Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:07:55 -0700 David Roberts http://www.grist.org/article/dnc-clinton-warming/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.




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]]> <![CDATA[National Clean Energy Summit: Clinton miscellanea]]> http://www.grist.org/article/national-clean-energy-summit-clinton-miscellanea/ Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:47:04 -0700 David Roberts http://www.grist.org/article/national-clean-energy-summit-clinton-miscellanea/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.




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]]> <![CDATA[Bill Clinton gets into the weeds of energy policy]]> http://www.grist.org/article/national-clean-energy-summit-wonk-in-chief/ Tue, 19 Aug 2008 01:49:07 -0700 David Roberts http://www.grist.org/article/national-clean-energy-summit-wonk-in-chief/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.




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]]> <![CDATA[700 college students and the Clinton Global Initiative in New Orleans for spring break]]> http://www.grist.org/article/good-gone-wild/ Wed, 26 Mar 2008 11:06:24 -0700 Nathan Wyeth http://www.grist.org/article/good-gone-wild/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.




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]]> <![CDATA[It’s alive!]]> http://www.grist.org/article/its-alive/ Mon, 04 Feb 2008 06:23:33 -0800 David Roberts http://www.grist.org/article/its-alive/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.




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]]> <![CDATA[Tapper: still a hack; Clinton: still smart]]> http://www.grist.org/article/tapper-still-a-hack-clinton-still-smart/ Fri, 01 Feb 2008 12:48:13 -0800 David Roberts http://www.grist.org/article/tapper-still-a-hack-clinton-still-smart/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.




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]]> <![CDATA[Former prez helped a rich guy get uranium-mining rights in Kazakhstan]]> http://www.grist.org/article/bill-clinton-goes-nuclear/ Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:31:54 -0800 Tom Philpott http://www.grist.org/article/bill-clinton-goes-nuclear/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.




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]]> <![CDATA[Campaign reporter misrepresents Clinton, responds to correction with pissy snark]]> http://www.grist.org/article/jake-tapper-is-a-hack/ Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:36:50 -0800 David Roberts http://www.grist.org/article/jake-tapper-is-a-hack/ Reprinted by permission from Grist. For more environmental news, humor, and inspiration, visit www.grist.org.




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