Climate change

Three Who Changed the World

Terry Tamminen — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:41:25 -0500

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Call It America

Terry Tamminen — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:49:11 -0500

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What's Next for the Green Economy

Glenn Croston — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 04:26:26 -0500

Earlier this week, the day after President-Elect Obama’s historic election, I had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussing “What’s next for the green economy?” hosted by the Eco Investment Club. “What’s next?” seems to be the question on everybody’s mind as we all work to understand what this election means for the direction of our country, our economy, and our own individual lives in these challenging times.

Red, White, Blue and Green - What the Election Means for the Green Economy

Glenn Croston — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 02:54:34 -0400

WSJ Says BOO!

Terry Tamminen — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:50:47 -0400

With Halloween just over, the Wall Street Journal jumped out from behind a hedge fund and tried to scare the business community right out of its Brooks Brothers boxers. Like most haunted houses and scary apparitions at this time of year however, WSJ’s was as fake as a Sarah Palin mask on your next-door neighbor’s pit bull.

The Nature Conservancy: Protecting Nature, Preserving Life

Jonathon D. Colman — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:29:13 -0400

Experts predict that by the end of this century, land and water resources will become scarce and climate change will irreversibly alter our planet.

But what the experts haven't calculated is the power of the human will to come together to protect the future of our natural world.

Bio and Interests: Jonathon D. Colman

Jonathon D. Colman — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 17:18:04 -0400

Jonathon D. Colman is the associate director of digital marketing for The Nature Conservancy, where he leads the strategic marketing and promotion of the Conservancy's web site at http://www.nature.org/

Bail-out or Build-out – Part 2

Terry Tamminen — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:43:41 -0400

As the Presidential race nears the finish line - - with the candidates and voters both gasping for air amidst the ubiquitous onslaught of commercials on everything from lawn signs to Saturday Night Live - - there are no shortages of “new and improved” proposals for dealing with the current financial mess. Well, if politicians can constantly add to their repertoires, so can we.

Postcard from Beijing

Terry Tamminen — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:53:45 -0400

What do Starbucks and smog have in common? Opportunity. As I walk around Beijing, the signs of the 2008 Olympics fading into memory, I am struck by the fact that every corner has a Starbucks, not to mention other ubiquitous American iconography - - Sizzler, Nike, 7-11, Hummers, and CNN to name a few. I’m also struck by the fact that the smog problem remains untamed, despite efforts pre and post Olympics to reduce pollution from traffic and smokestacks. So why do these two forces - - American companies and smog - - have anything to do with opportunity?

How Would You Spend It?

Terry Tamminen — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:28:56 -0400

Congress passed the bailout plan with a price tag of nearly a trillion dollars, but the ink was hardly dry on this new Monopoly money when quite a few experts began to predict it wouldn’t be enough. Some estimates hope the “investments” that taxpayers will make in bad debts could ultimately turn a profit, but how likely is that?

Building the Low Carbon Economy

Glenn Croston — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:00:12 -0400

The financial crisis seems overwhelming, with dire warnings that things may still get worse, bailout or not. People are worried about what lies ahead for business, but believe it or not the news is not all bad. There are still plenty of opportunities for green businesses and careers helping us all use resources more wisely, wasting less and saving money. Even as the traditional un-green economy run into unprecendented challenges, going green holds bigger opportunities than ever.

Bail-out or Build-out?

Terry Tamminen — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 12:57:30 -0400

As Washington and Wall Street dicker over a financial rescue plan, everyone is missing the real opportunity to fix the problem. Some see the variously proposed plans as bailouts of dumb borrowers and dumber lenders, while others view it as a chance to restore liquidity to the marketplace so we can all have access to credit again, whether it’s for student loans or to finance the acquisition of industrial machinery.

When Coal Makes You Thirsty

Terry Tamminen — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:56:39 -0400

Much is written about our oil addiction, but we are addicted to another fossil-drug - - coal. And while oil steals the breath from our kids and incentivizes our bad behavior around the world, coal is the major contributor to global warming and one other surprising side-effect - - thirst.

When Politics Kill

Terry Tamminen — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 17:01:49 -0400

When Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed me to serve as the Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency in 2003, my first challenge came not from the smoggy skies of Los Angeles or the pesticide-laden drainage from irrigated fields near Fresno, but from a small town in Missouri. Well, actually it came from the tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions made to Missouri Senator Christopher “Kit” Bond by Briggs & Stratton in exchange for the lives of about 1200 Americans.

Cap, Baby, Cap

Terry Tamminen — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:55:13 -0400

Political conventions are largely mass entertainment for the party faithful, punctuated by self-serving interpretations of both current events and history. Like summer big-budget movies, this year’s Democratic and Republican sequels were replete with familiar heroes and villains, funny costumes, and predictable dialogue. But instead of “I’ll be back” or “Make my day”, this year’s installments will be remembered for a punchline of a different kind - - “drill, baby, drill.”

The America Price

Terry Tamminen — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:46:35 -0400

Commentators have coined a term that is being hotly debated in business, political, and social settings these days - - the “China Price”.

A quick Google search shows that the China Price is variously defined as:

- The cost to America, in terms of jobs (mostly manufacturing) and boarded-up storefronts in rust-belt towns, of cheap imports made in China where labor, land, and energy costs are far cheaper than in the US.

A Glimpse of Our Future?

Terry Tamminen — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:15:24 -0400

Tire Gauges of the World - - UNITE!

Terry Tamminen — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:25:25 -0400

Last week, Senator Obama called on American drivers to properly inflate their tires as one of many ways we can cut our energy bills and our carbon footprints simultaneously. Although this simple call to action was caught up in political silliness (including a cameo by Paris Hilton!), the idea of working our way out of our energy and climate change challenges is exactly the right one.

Let’s Look Beyond the Haze

Terry Tamminen — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:10:51 -0400

I was in Beijing last week and noticed the smog, of course, but as China grapples with Olympics and air quality I also saw something much more important. China is serious about energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gases.

In recent months, the Chinese government has closed over 21 gigawatts of the dirtiest, most inefficient power plants. They didn’t do this just for a temporary clean air benefit around Beijing - - it was done permanently all across the country. They also closed inefficient foundries, furnaces, and cement makers in huge numbers.

To the Barricades - - With Ogden?

Terry Tamminen — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:25:43 -0400

You know the agitators in any revolution always put up posters and banners to make their point to the public (and to anger the authorities too, of course!). In a Los Angeles suburb last week a dry cleaner named Ogden struck just such a blow for corporate social responsibility - - and greater profits.

Who’s Got the Winning Idea?

Terry Tamminen — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:03:59 -0400

As we scramble for solutions to climate, energy, and environmental problems, companies, governments, and individuals are taking action - - so does anyone have a monopoly on great ideas for true “sustainability” or “social responsibility”?

Signs of the Times - - and the Times to Come

Terry Tamminen — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:16:06 -0400

In the past week I’ve seen three companies and one surprising manifestation of the cleantech revolution that’s shaping up worldwide. All of these observations are worth sharing as a means of peering into the cleantech crystal ball.

The Easy Way Out

Terry Tamminen — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:13:17 -0400

Governor Charlie Crist hosted a Climate Summit in Miami this week and here are a few observations from the front row…

The State of the Climate Change Debate

Saabira Chaudhuri — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:30:06 -0400

As oil prices and global temperatures both skyrocket, discussions about climate change solutions grow increasingly complex and increasingly tense. Important legislation designed to curb emissions is pending in Congress, but throw in a presidential election, a weakening dollar, and increasingly tight budgets into the mix, and the future of any such measures is decidedly uncertain.

When Water is Clear, So Are the Profits

Terry Tamminen — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:22:44 -0400

It’s ironic that the images of flooding in the mid-west are accompanied by stories about government agencies pleading with people in those hard-hit areas to conserve water, because the floods have contaminated drinking water supplies. The recent salmonella poisoning of over 300 people in the US from tainted tomatoes can also be traced to polluted water used for irrigation (add to that the e-coli outbreaks from tainted irrigation water used on spinach and other row crops in the past 2 years).