AGE: 25
JOB: Reporter, green visionary, eco-activist WHY YOU CARE: Because Zaleski is one of the planet's strongest voices on the intersection of sustainability and corporate affairs
When Olivia Zaleski was in her late teens, her aunt was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Though the project took months to complete, Zaleski made her aunt a thousand origami cranes to follow the Japanese legend: "anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish of hope." For the last seven years, her aunt has been in remission.
Zaleski has continued to approach life with thoughtfulness we don't see in many people--let alone reporters.
Having written for Treehugger.com, TheDailyGreen.com, and Eco-Chick.com, as well as launching Huffington Post Green, Olivia Zaleski has been a serious and tireless proponent of energy efficiency and green living. She's reported on solar-powered eateries, wind turbines made in America, advances in geothermal energy, and unlikely partnerships and alliances between eco-activists and corporations. And in the process, unbeknownst to most, Zaleski has become one of the world's strongest voices on environmental issues and the need for a green economy--not bad for a 25-year-old.
Her popular do-it-yourself video series, Home Work, has been a runaway hit with consumers because she shows how performing several energy-saving tips can qualify them for tax rebates and federal dollars. She's also host and co-producer of the Emmy-nominated series Business of Green, which examines the nexus of sustainability and business and profiles the people and firms conceptualizing changes and solutions to increase efficiency and save money.
This award-winning dynamo is not only well-versed, but also media savvy. She makes regular appearances on ABC's Good Morning America Now and Discovery Networks' TreehuggerTV. Her Twitter feed has become a wealth of information for the eco-challenged. And she's in demand on the lecture circuit, having moderated two blockbuster forums this year: the 2009 Green Travel Summit in Newport Beach, and the Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability Forum in Boulder.
Whether it's speaking or reporting, Zaleski brings passion and effervescence to her work, as well as a refreshing approach to examining thorny issues. There is not necessarily one side that's right and one side that's wrong--for Zaleski, the goal is simply to get us further down the line on one of the defining issues of our time, the creation of a green economy.
Make no mistake about it: this journalist, activist, green-living enthusiast and eco-visionary is most certainly a major player, carving out a new niche for the media. It's just a matter of time before she's a household name.
Written by 2morrowknight, an Internet strategist and community organizer who blogs at 2morrowknight.blogspot.com, and is author of a forthcoming series of children's books. You can follow him atTwitter.com/2morrowknight.
The Stimulist is journalist Carlos Watson's original take on the daily news: a tasty mix of rising stars, provocative ideas, and inspiring stories. Enjoy responsively:
Ideas: Provocative daily resolutions to be debated. Kind of a Big Deal: Tomorrow's stars from around the world. C-Note: Carlos Watson's daily take on politics, business, and life.
Last week, the Senate approved a $2 billion extension of the much-praised cash for clunkers program. It is estimated that the program, which offers consumers a federally backed rebate of up to $4,500 to exchange their old vehicles for more fuel efficient ones, has already generated more than $920 million in rebates and more than 220,000 in vehicle sales. Cash for clunkers has already shown the impact that a government-run incentive program can have on the economy, but there is no reason that Uncle Sam has to keep the program to himself. Private companies and investors can get in on the action too, and have every reason to do so. Here's how.
When the federal government banned tobacco advertising on television in 1970, RJ Reynolds and other big tobacco companies were forced to look for new ways to keep their brands in the public eye. One of the most profitable places they discovered: NASCAR stock cars. Big Tobacco launched the Winston Cup Series and what some have called the beginning of the "modern era" of stock car racing. Other companies followed suit, placing their advertisements all over cars, tracks, drivers, and pit crews. Now NASCAR attracts more Fortune 500 companies as advertisers than any other sport, with some sponsors paying up to $20 million a year to sponsor cars.
Companies today--like Big Tobacco in the 1970s--are struggling to get their message out in new media environments. With the advent of DVR and YouTube, and with studies showing that Internet advertising is not nearly as effective as more traditional media, advertisers have been forced to get creative, from innovative product placement techniques to placing ads in toilet stalls. There is, however, still one environment where Americans are truly captive and just waiting to be sold on a new product: their cars.
It is estimated that Americans now spend nearly 4.2 billion hours per year stuck in traffic. From the introduction of the Model T in 1908 and the corresponding growth in roadside billboards, advertisers have recognized the opportunity afforded by automobile traffic. Ever since Lady Bird Johnson helped pass the Highway Beautification Act in 1965, however, billboard use has been curtailed and four states have even banned them outright. But millions of Americans--many in clunkers--still spend hours every day staring at the bumper of the car in front of them. Why not place an ad there?
Private companies should start their own cash for clunkers incentive programs by subsidizing consumers' purchases of more fuel-efficient cars via corporate sponsorship. There are millions of Americans who drive "close-to-clunker" vehicles with low fuel efficiency that would love the opportunity (and the $4,500) to trade-up and purchase a hybrid or other more fuel-efficient vehicle. By sponsoring individual drivers, companies would not only gain access to prime ad space but they would also get a chance to spend tax-deductible advertising dollars toward a worthy cause, linking themselves to green initiatives and socially responsible behaviors. The government could also sweeten the pot by providing a tax credit (as it does already to consumers of hybrid vehicles) to companies willing to sponsor drivers.
The cash-for-bumpers market would be a free market and consumers would be able to compare competing offers, as well as their own preferences for the products to be displayed on their bumpers. It provides consumers a chance to express themselves (and their brand loyalty) and to save money on gas at the same time. For those who may be worried about individuals whoring themselves out to corporate sponsors, you need only get on Facebook for a few minutes to witness that this sort of behavior is already widespread. (And people don't even get paid to do it!) In an era where people are already Friends or Fans of everything from Jello Pudding Pops to Spam, do you think anyone is going to care if you have a Netflix logo on your car, particularly if the company has helped you finance a brand new sedan that gets 32 mpg? Those stuck behind you in traffic may be cursing you out as a "sellout" under their breath, but what they're more likely to be thinking is: "Where do I sign up for that?"
Photo by boyghost
The Stimulist is journalist Carlos Watson's original take on the daily news: a tasty mix of rising stars, provocative ideas, and inspiring stories. Enjoy responsively:
Ideas: Provocative daily resolutions to be debated. Kind of a Big Deal: Tomorrow's stars from around the world. C-Note: Carlos Watson's daily take on politics, business, and life.
Why we like this: Because of all the things that are emblematic of the halcyon days of the 1983-2007 economic expansion--McMansions, Hummers, the universal right to a $400 Nylon Handbag--we may look back on bottled water as the most ridiculous craze to overtake our nation Sources:Guardian, Grist
Gist: The hazards of bottled water, both for our world and our wallets, have been well-known for a while. But now the Australian town Bundanoon is trying an unprecedented move to set the clock back to a simpler and more environmentally-friendly time--by banning bottled water altogether. Boston-based non-profit Corporate Accountability International says that this is the first town in the world that has tried an outright ban on bottled water.
America has already taken a few baby steps to protect us from plastic. Some towns have banned bottled water at civic meetings, for example. But for the U.S., banning bottled water entirely probably won't fly. Americans don't like being told what to do by bureaucrats, and they are especially wary of government mandates (see: universal health care). So our efforts to deal with bottled water will have to be unusual, creative and based on individual choice. Which is why we should follow the lead of a 31-year old British adventurer named David de Rothschild.
According to Grist, the son of one of the world's most powerful families is using his global clout to draw attention to the Plasticki, a ship he built that uses plastic bottles to stay afloat. By creating this environmentally-friendly vessel, he's hoping to draw attention to ways that we can create a new kind of economy that uses and re-uses materials creatively. He's not ready to join the Bundanoon city council though. Instead of railing against plastic, he simply wants us to be smarter about how we use it and dispose of it.
Of course, to truly transform the economy--and quit spending our dollars and carbon on unnecessary luxuries--we'll need people from all countries and of all viewpoints to get their heads together to tackle these problems. And we wouldn't be surprised if Rothschild eventually teams with his fellow environmentalists in Bundanoon--his ship's maiden voyage is a three-month journey to Australia. We're betting that the good folks of Bundanoon wouldn't mind temporarily suspending their ban should Rothschild and his crew bring their plastic-bottle laden ship through the town.
The Stimulist is journalist Carlos Watson's original take on the daily news: a tasty mix of rising stars, provocative ideas, and inspiring stories. Enjoy responsively:
Ideas: Provocative daily resolutions to be debated. Kind of a Big Deal: Tomorrow's stars from around the world. C-Note: Carlos Watson's daily take on politics, business, and life.
Why we like this: Because the concept of paying what you can makes far more sense than paying what you can't Source:LA Times
Gist: They're calling the new plan "income-based repayment," but "realistic" sounds more apt to us. Essentially, the option allows those with student loans to make payments based on their discretionary income, not fixed rates. That means much smaller monthly bills during those first tough years out of school, and bigger payments once you're rolling in cash later on. If those days never come? After 25 years of paying what you can, your debt is forgiven. And it's wiped out after ten if you go work for the government.
So, we're certainly excited about the prospect of folks not being so crippled by the loans. But there is another message being sent here, one that we find utterly invaluable: income-based repayment encourages people to do good. If you know you'll never have to pay more than you can afford, suddenly a massive salary may not outweigh your ideals. We've seen too many friends over the years take jobs they didn't want because they had to make payments--if this plan can allow some of them to focus on changing the world instead of changing their bank statements, we'll all be better for it.
The Stimulist is journalist Carlos Watson's original take on the daily news: a tasty mix of rising stars, provocative ideas, and inspiring stories. Enjoy responsively:
Ideas: Provocative daily resolutions to be debated. Kind of a Big Deal: Tomorrow's stars from around the world. C-Note: Carlos Watson's daily take on politics, business, and life.
JOB: Chief Technology Officer, Cisco WHY YOU CARE: Because this woman can see the future--and you're a big part of it
Let's start with that name, which sounds more suited to a pop star than a chief technology officer. Awesome. Then there's the fact that she was on Obama's short list to be America's CTO. Add that to her 23-year career at Motorola, where she did everything from manage the semiconductor division to lead a 26,000-engineer research and development group with a budget of $3.7 billion. Now she's CTO for Cisco , where she's been handed the simple task of figuring out how the world will communicate over the next few years and ensuring that her company is leading that push.
With Warrior--man, we really can't get over that name--leading the charge, Cisco is betting heavily on video as the medium of the coming decade. After face-to-face conversation, Warrior says, "the most natural way for human beings to communicate is video." But getting to a place where that's our main mode of communication means more than simply increasing the world's collective bandwidth. Warrior is focused on the connections that currently go unmade--between people, between the Internet and mobile devices, between what she calls the "islands of virtualization" in the technological world. Cisco's future, she says, is in breaking down those barriers.
Of course, Warrior already has some experience in the barrier breaking department. Technology, whether at for a 10-person startup or a $40 billion multinational, is a male-dominated world.
But when you listen to her speak, you realize that Warrior's background is just that: her background. In the foreground is her vision for how communication will evolve, how ideas will become products far more quickly and how collaboration will drive innovation. It's downright inspiring--just watch:
The Stimulist is journalist Carlos Watson's original take on the daily news: a tasty mix of rising stars, provocative ideas, and inspiring stories. Enjoy responsively:
Ideas: Provocative daily resolutions to be debated. Kind of a Big Deal: Tomorrow's stars from around the world. C-Note: Carlos Watson's daily take on politics, business, and life.
Gist: You gotta love MIT. First they give us Andrea Wong. Now they go out and try to solve one of man's great vexes: the unidentifiable traffic jam. Is there any chance one of these engineers didn't think of this while stuck in Boston traffic? From MIT's site:
"Such phantom jams can form when there is a heavy volume of cars on the road. In that high density of traffic, small disturbances (a driver hitting the brake too hard, or getting too close to another car) can quickly become amplified into a full-blown, self-sustaining traffic jam.
A team of MIT mathematicians has developed a model that describes how and under what conditions such jams form, which could help road designers minimize the odds of their formation."
The Stimulist is journalist Carlos Watson's original take on the daily news: a tasty mix of rising stars, provocative ideas, and inspiring stories. Enjoy responsively:
Ideas: Provocative daily resolutions to be debated. Kind of a Big Deal: Tomorrow's stars from around the world. C-Note: Carlos Watson's daily take on politics, business, and life.
