3p Contributor: Chris Kaiser
Recent Articles
Microlending: Panacea or Patchwork?
Microlending has been hailed as the panacea of poverty. They theory is simple: lend the poor a small amount of money so they can start/grow their business, charge tiny interest rates (microcredit), then once business starts booming, the borrowers can easily pay the loan. Woosh! Just like that, poverty disappears. Or does it?
The Boston Globe recently had a story on microlending and two new research papers soon-to-be published by economists affiliated with MIT’s Jameel Poverty Action lab reveal that microcredit really doesn’t do all that much to provide a path out of poverty. Is microlending a patchwork solution that just temporarily solves the ills of the poor? Could it be that while microcredit can be an effective medicine against poverty, that it may just be treating the symptoms and not the disease?
Gasp!
“Perfect Flush” Retrofits Toilets for Two Level Flushing
Can you spot the water saving device?
The idea behind the device is so simple and commonsensical (apparently this really is a word) that it amazes me it isn’t employed more often: Why do we always use a full – number 2 -flush when majority of our porcelain visits only require a half flush (a.k.a number 1 flush)? Wouldn’t it be great if toilets could be retrofitted to allow you to chose a half flush?
Well, now they can.
Trader Joes: How Not to Approach Sustainability
Greenpeace has never been known for being a prude when it comes to environmental activism. The only thing worse than being a Japanese whaling fleet in the sites of The Esperanza is being a company targeted by Greenpeace for un-sustainable practices. Greenpeace doesn’t just casually mention those companies who they feel are dropping the ball; they call them out, mock them, and attempt to shame them into action. And this is exactly the fate that has been brought upon the national grocer Trader Joe’s. Or as Greenpeace would say, “Traitor Joe’s“.
Know The Number – If You Can Count That High
How can you fix a problem if you aren’t tracking it first? For example, it’s hard to work off those cheeseburgers and love handles if you don’t have a scale to track your progress. How would your parents have known you were getting taller if they didn’t mark off your height every few months on the door frame when you were little? If you don’t track something, it’s hard to keep tabs on it. If it’s out of your sight, it’s out of your mind.
This is why Deutsche Bank’s (DB) new efforts in regard to Greenhouse Gas emissions are so important. Last week on the Mapawatt Blog I covered DB’s “Know The Number” and their new Carbon Counter. I framed their efforts from the standpoint of an individual, but now I’d like to look at what they are doing from a business perspective.
I recently had the chance to speak with Mark Fulton, the Global head of climate change research for Deutsche Bank (DB). We discussed DB’s new website, Know The Number and how they are trying to bring the actual numbers behind Global Warming – greenhouse gas figures – to the public’s attention.
Amory Lovins’ Inspiring Words at Virtual Energy Forum
Wednesday marked the start of the Virtual Energy Forum, billed as the World’s Largest Online Energy Conference. I was lucky enough to catch Amory Lovins’ web-cast, which he presented from Sweden where he was attending the 2009 Tallberg Forum. The Virtual Energy Forum’s presentations are in the video archives and you can view them for free once you register. The idea of a forum that requires no travel and very little resources is extremely sustainable!
A quick search on Triple Pundit yields many hits for “Amory”, but if you don’t know who the “energy-efficient design” genius behind the Rocky Mountain Institute is, then please do yourself a favor and start researching him. Not only do some of the biggest companies in the world seek out his advice, but so do entire nations. The thing I like most about Amory is that his advice is so simple and obvious, yet I’m always amazed at how so few people are following what he is preaching. As he said at the beginning of the web-cast, RMI is filled with “practitioners, not theorists”. He doesn’t seek out wild, hair-brained schemes, but simply implements efficient design principles!
Humdinger Wind Energy – What the Flutter?
As a mechanical engineer, I love watching things move; which is why I have a natural affinity for wind power over solar PV. I don’t have anything against the Sun, it’s just that I like visual confirmation that energy is being produced (watching a wind turbine turning). It is for this reason that I was so excited when I first heard about Humdinger Wind Energy back in 2007.
Unlike most wind generating devices, which use a turbine blade to catch the wind and rotate a shaft, the Humdinger approach relies on a much cooler sounding phenomenon – aeroelastic flutter (flutter for short). Flutter is what helped to bring down the Tacoma Narrows bridge ( as seen above and in this awesome vintage clip ).
Renewable Energy and the Good Ol’ Boy: Perception vs. Reality
Along with the fiddle, big hair, and American Idol/pop music rejects, Country music relies on the persistent theme of recollecting the “good ol’ days.” That time when things were simpler and ugly modern-day slang terms like “anthropogenic global warming” and “mountain-top coal removal” didn’t exist. And nobody loves country more than Southeasterners (a.k.a. Southerners).
Among some Southerners there exists a “Good ol’ boy” mentality. There are many definitions for what a “Good ol’ boy” is, but I think Waylon Jennings summed it up best when he sang, “Just the good ol’ boys, wouldn’t change if they could. “Good ol’ boys are perfectly happy with the way things are in the South, including how they get their energy.
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