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Economic Development

Afghanistan

NCS works with an array of partners to bring information about sustainable development to Afghanistan.

[Click Here] to download the full "Green Afghanistan" proposal 706 KB .pdf.

[Click here] to read Development as if the World Mattered.

[Click here] to read Hunter's web logs from Kabul, September 2005.

[Click here] to read about and see images of the project to support orphanage in Kabul. 484kb .pdf

NCS is conducting research on the status of business development of Afghanistan at the base of the Pyramid and how to enhance the small business sector in the country.

This work is part of NCS’ Green Afghanistan Project, a comprehensive strategy to develop a competitive and sustainable Afghanistan. It enables Afghans to gain the capacity to meet their own challenges using world best practice in sustainable ways to meet basic human needs.

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LASER (Local Action for Sustainable Economic Renewal)

 

LASER emerged from years of work with communities around the world. It was first tested in a joint workshop NCS and GCI presented for America’s Development Foundation (ADF) in Serbia, December of 2005. LASER provides community leaders and citizens with the information they need to mobilize their community for sustainable economic renewal. Economic renewal enhances community well-being in an array of ways. It creates real jobs. It strengthens local businesses. It improves quality of life. This new approach fosters environmental integrity, social cohesion, good governance and equitable economic opportunity.

[Click Here] to read more about LASER.

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Treasure America Project

Check out www.treasureamerica.org.

In 2005 the Treasure America Project was an intensive two month effort to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil drilling by demonstrating how the American public, indigenous peoples, Alaskan citizens and corporate America can profit from protecting the Refuge in its pristine state. In 2006 & 2007 the Treasure America Project will continue bringing greater awareness to key decision makers and native Alaskans showing that:

1. America’s economic future does not depend on extracting resources from the ground but on business innovation, resource efficiency and human capital; and

2. There are far faster, cheaper, cleaner and more profitable methods to address America’s energy needs than oil drilling in the Refuge.

Against all odds, on 10 November 2005 the House of Representatives refused to pass the Budget bill that would have sacrificed the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve. Many organizations contributed to this welcome surprise. But our Treasure America Project made the economic arguments that detailed why increased drilling in the Arctic is less likely than energy efficiency and renewables to ensure prosperity and security for Americans. This clearly carried weight with members of a Republican-controlled House. The team, comprised in part of Presidio students, labored down to the wire to produce a film on their results and distribute it widely, including to every member of Congress. In the face of rising oil prices, however many pundits wrote off the Arctic. Many of us did what we could and still waited for the “inevitable” defeat. We hope that you will take a moment and reflect on the victory that your support of this NCS project helped make possible. Thank you.

Click Here to see the film.
Jimmy Carter calls it "...a good film."

* Click here to read about the film on Patagonia's Enviro Action News

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U.S. Army's Fort Carson Mountain Post

Ft. Carson is pursuing some of the most rigorous sustainability goals in the U.S., including 100% renewable energy and zero waste by 2027, along with a 40% reduction in vehicle traffic from present levels. At the same time, the Army Post is scheduled to expand by about 50% in the next three years—making sustainable growth planning an urgent priority.

With a majority of Ft. Carson soldiers and civilian staff living off base, sustainable transportation is a major focus of its efforts. It is not lost on these soldiers, many of whom are headed for Iraq, that what they do to reduce oil use on the base can help their mission overseas. Given the state of oil production and consumption, it is clear the U.S. needs a more holistic approach to energy planning. Alternative fuels and indeed alternative systems for transportation are necessities.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) are seen as one of the most sustainable near term vehicle technologies (see Solar Today, Nov/Dec 2005). Their widespread adoption will put electric utilities in the vehicle fueling business. A plug-in hybrid substitutes larger batteries for gasoline engine size, allowing the vehicle to run only on batteries for about 90% of its use. Recharging would be primarily from the electric grid at night during off-peak hours, usually providing energy at the equivalent of less than one dollar per gallon of gasoline. According to the lifecycle analysis of green cars by Roel Hammerschlag of the Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Assessment, PHEVs may be “the best ultimate goal for sustainable transportation since the 100 mile electric-only range would mean petroleum/biodiesel fueling only a few times per year.” Meanwhile, here in Colorado biodiesel use and production is rapidly expanding. This has implications for agriculture and land use (See our paper on Sustainable Agriculture available for download from our website).

Ft. Carson is the first U.S. example of a military base leading sustainability planning in its host region. The Pikes Peak Sustainability Indicators Project (PPSIP), led by NCS’ Christopher Juniper and Anne Oatman-Gardner, has completed its first phase of proposing regional sustainability indicators. For copies of the Phase I reports, contact us.

In partnership with Ft. Carson Mountain Post near Colorado Springs, CO, Natural Capitalism’s Christopher Juniper is leading a public/private effort to initiate a sustainable regional energy plan in 2006 that will help Fort Carson and all other businesses and military institutions obtain more sustainable energy—both for vehicles and for facilities.

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