Welcome to the August 2009 Green InSight eNewsletter!
Jon Dougal
Editor, Green InSight |
"Take not too much of a land, wear not out all the fatness, but leave in it some heart."
Pliny the Elder - AD 23-79
This insightful and progressive newsletter is concerned with present energy issues and technologies as well as the future of energy. The information is brought to you in living color, on widescreen digital HD format, and sparing paper use with our long shelf-life, greedy little electrons to deliver the latest from the far corners of the alternative and renewable energy empire to foster sustainable development. We exalt your feedback and contributions of your latest experiences and reactions to our content. Sustainability is not just our mission, it is our passion.
 Chrysler Seeks Profits In Electric Cars
Investing in Electric Vehicle Companies
By: Jeff Siegel
Date: September 30th, 2008
Source: Green Chip Stocks (www. www.greenchipstocks.com)
Ednote: Alternative vehicles in all their various forms, plug-in, hybrids, battery, illicit our imaginations of what could be.
What will the effect of the new GM (announced Aug 3rd, 2009) volt have on the entrepreneur market for vehicle innovation? Will they dominate the industry; discourage others from developing a better EV? What will happen to the steel market when more car bodies are made from bio-based resins and bamboo fiber, impervious to dents and even mild collisions? How about insurance rates and body repair shops? This leads to too many questions. Meanwhile, with every developing technology, come pitfalls, this article was a harbinger of the time. In retrospect how accurate was this forecast?
Read the full article ►
BP shuts alternative energy HQ
By: Terry Macalister
Date: June 29, 2009
Source: the guardian (www.guardian.co.uk)
Ednote: So many times our green hopes are dashed to the ground as we discover the marketing behind the giant corporation’s public face. Way back when Lord (John) Brown took over as CEO of BP Oil; he was asked by his Board of Directors why he was dedicating their growth projections on the growth of solar. He reportedly replied that solar would grow 25% a year while petroleum sales would grow at only 3% per year. Regardless of the accuracy of the figures, we believed that Brown would make a company that fairly flew over the heads of the “conventional” big petroleum companies. Incidentally, the paraphrase “Beyond Petroleum” for their BP moniker was not coined by them, but by a small West Coast Green group meeting with a Representative of BP. Now we find that BP has hit the skids like many other organizations and has to …. Well change their way of thinking.
Read the full article ►
 AlwaysOn Conference – A Report From the Field
By: Paul Wingate
The AlwaysOn Network - Founder Tony Perkins explains its beginnings:
“The AlwaysOn Network is transforming the media business by providing its readers with an open and participatory editorial environment. Borrowing from the underground blogging and social networking traditions, AO was launched in 2003 [founded in 2002] and has emerged as a leader in the “open media” revolution. The network’s content focuses on the sweet spots in the technology markets where innovation is disrupting behavior and creating new business opportunities.”
Read the report ►
 People Are Confused About Green Jobs
Jim Cassio’s speech at the Richmond Green Expo on May 14, 2009
By: Jim Cassio
Date: May 16, 2009
Source: Green Careers Blog (greencareersblog.wordpress.com)
Ednote: Cassio is one of the big guns when discussing “green collar jobs” as one of the first to really compile a huge database of existing and future green jobs.
Read the full article ►
Gearing up for CalGreen Code
By: Lori Brown
Source: www.newsreview.com
Ednote: California has long been the state to follow. The first to have a state environmental protection agency and the first to set hazardous waste standards, and many other firsts. Like deregulating the power companies leading to the first major power outages in the country, and tremendous small business losses. Now the state is about to herald the newest of mandated building standards. Many years in the discussion phases, California’s building code authorities believe that energy conservation comes from more efficient building codes. Of course climate change is a major issue in California, but if building’s energy consumption is 52% of all power generated, any reduction in energy use will amount to huge dollars saved at every level of society. This new edition of building codes was heartily supported by many green building organizations. Of course it will generate new “Green colar “ jobs and sales of planet friendly materials.
Read the full article ►
 NAHB: Appraisal Problems Hampering Recovery
Date: July 23, 2009
Source: NAHB (www.nahb.org)
Ednote: Regarding green appraisals - this article lays out what green/energy efficient/high performance buildings lack, an accurate appraisal. Most appraisers are not knowledgeable about the differences in green buildings over traditional buildings and therefore don’t reflect their value added benefits due to energy efficiency. Making an appraisal of a green property takes longer, requires additional training, and more paperwork and longer processing times. Appraisers don’t get paid more for this effort. But that will change, and see the other articles related to real estate in this issue.
Read the full article ►
 HUD Rolls Out Green Initiative for Green Properties
Section 8 pilot to reduce consumption of resources, lower utility costs, and improve indoor air quality
By: Lemar Wooley
Date: July 20, 2007
Source: HUD (www.hud.gov)
Ednote: Fannie May and Freddy Mac have been espousing EEM’s (Energy Efficient Mortgages) now for a couple years. HUD’s $4 billion yearly expenditure on energy for their 5 million Section 8 occupants could easily be reduced with some minor energy efficient upgrades. Now they are offering incentives for those upgrades. Less spent on survival leaves more discretionary spending money for consumer goods, education and transportation, potentially lift many lives from poverty. Someday soon mortgages will be tagged to the energy efficiency of the building.
Read the full article ►
 A Shift in the Wind...
Social Green Values and Swarm Intelligence
(Who would have thought those two things would end up in the same column?)
By: Greg Neil
Source: Gregory Neil Associates (www.gregoryneilassociates.com)
Ednote: As follow up to the June 2009 article by Greg Neil on the effects of the Triple bottom Line, we offer the following:
Read the full article ►
Interested in sponsoring our next eNewsletter issue? Contact Jon Dougal at (415) 798-1933 or editor@greenmotion.org.
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