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Contents |
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Natural Capitalism Solutions Green Business CornerSustainable Boulder, COTransforming Industry in AsiaSolutions at the Speed of Business: Sustainable Lighting Guide for Small Businesses
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Natural Capitalism Solutions Green Business Corner |
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Under Emily Evans and Jeff Hohensee’s leadership, and generous support from our volunteer interns, Natural Capitalism Solutions implemented the four-step process at one of Walmart’s Lakewood, Colorado stores. Key leaders from home owners associations, schools, environmental groups, youth groups, local businesses, and the City of Lakewood were invited to identify a need that the local community felt that Walmart could help satisfy. Twenty five local leaders gathered in the associate lounge of the Walmart supercenter to brainstorm ideas and agree on key priorities for their community. Through this participatory process, the community decided to host a “green living fair,” with a special emphasis on organic gardening. An organic garden was planted in the Walmart parking lot. Environmental groups and small businesses who promoted environmental services were invited to participate. After a couple of months of planning, the community came together for the “Green Living Fair.”  Natural Capitalism Solutions salutes the community of Lakewood and its Walmart store for their sincere effort to engage in this conversation. Imagine what local communities could be like as Walmart applies the leadership they have shown in sustainable sourcing and engages with the communities in which its associates and customers live. |
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Sustainable Boulder, CO |
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Natural Capitalism Solutions facilitated several meetings in Boulder, convening scientists, political activists, business leaders, environmentalists, and concerned citizens. Together they identified five areas for improvement in the City’s Climate Action Plan. Recommendations were developed and presented to the City Council. After several months of “democracy in action,” the city council and city staff used the group’s recommendations as the framework for updating its climate action plan. Key elements of the plan included shifting from social marketing to social mobilization, developing turnkey building efficiency programs for residential and commercial buildings, and identifying ways to reduce VMT (vehicle miles traveled). The work of translating goals into tangible progress is critical to the success of Boulder’s climate action plan. Stay tuned as Natural Capitalism Solutions continues its efforts to help companies, communities and countries reduce GHG emissions in profitable ways. |
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Transforming Industry in Asia |
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In November 2008 Hunter Lovins was engaged by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to write a paper on sustainable production for Asia. The paper addresses how resource-efficient and low carbon manufacturing lifts people out of poverty. Hunter and Emily Evans presented the paper at the U.N. sponsored, International Green Industry Conference in Asia, in Manila, Philippines, earlier this month. Emily Evans led the project and associate Catherine Greener helped author. Several interns and other staff also provided research and editing support. In preparation for the final presentation in Manila, Hunter and Emily travelled to the United Nations headquarters in Bangkok, Thailand in March 2009, to present the first formal draft of the paper’s outline. The audience included various departments within the United Nations, the International Labor Organization, international research and academic institutions, and various Asian ministers. The outline was very well received and the Natural Capitalism group began writing the paper in mid-spring. Using the feedback from the conference, the principles of Natural Capitalism, and Natural Capitalism’s roadmap for sustainable production, the commissioned paper provides Asian businesses with the tools necessary to shift their operations toward more sustainable modes of production. Once these challenges are met, industry will flourish, helping communities address chronic poverty. Now that the final paper was presented in Manila, final comments are being incorporated and the paper will soon be published as an official U.N. report. A final presentation will be given at the annual U.N. conference in Vienna, Austria in late 2009. |
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Solutions at the Speed of Business: Lighting Module NOW AVAILABLE |
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More than 23 million small businesses drive half of America’s economic output. Although there are no silver bullets, genuine economic recovery will largely depend on the health and prosperity of this often overlooked economic engine. The Energy Information Administration estimates that in 2005, small businesses accounted for 48% of electricity use in the U.S. Assuming that their carbon output reflects this percentage, small businesses account for more than 3.5 billion metric tonnes of carbon emissions per year. Despite their enormous potential to lead positive change, small businesses in general have taken few steps towards sustainability. This is partly because sustainability professionals have been focusing on offering services to more easily served markets, like large companies and government entities. Small businesses often don’t understand the opportunities to profit from measures like lighting. The main reasons for this lack of change are lack of information and resources. Without tools to allow busy entrepreneurs to implement pragmatic solutions on their own time, priorities like maintaining short-term cash flow will continue to be placed ahead of investing in energy improvements. The Sustainable Lighting Guide and Solutions at the Speed of Business can drive the kind of change required to save businesses money, protect the environment, enhance reputation, and drive higher profits. In partnership with Scottish educational firm Cogbooks, Natural Capitalism Solutions has been developing Solutions at the Speed of Business—an e-learning platform that customizes information, advice, and instructions to each small business user’s unique circumstances and learning style. This powerful tool will speed the adoption of sustainable practices by the small business sector, the lifeblood of the U.S. free-market economy. While large energy overheads and heavy carbon footprints are a reality for nearly all industries, the Sustainable Lighting Guide demonstrates the unique capability for small businesses to improve their profitability. The lighting module is such a cost-effective piece of the sustainability puzzle that we prioritized its early-release, dispatching the tool ahead of the official Solutions at the Speed of Business launch date. And for good reason: the faster we can get this guide in the hands of small business owners the sooner they can start saving money. Implementing the Sustainable Lighting Guide will generate rapid returns for a tiny investment, while reducing climate impacts. Because lighting can account for up to 50% of a businesses’ total energy use, cutting electricity demands by implementing efficiency is one of the least expensive and most effective ways small businesses can shrink their carbon footprint while increasing their bottom-line.
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Alum Corner: Andrew Smith and AT Dynamics |
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In 2005, I stood on the bank of the Canning River in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Alaska. I did not realize that my passion for this place, these remote mountains, rivers and coastal plains, would force me into the trucking industry. I did not realize that stalking caribou under the midnight sky of the far north would cause me to spend my days, four years later, tailgating tractor-trailers. 2005 was a very different year than 2009. For those who can remember that far back, the energy strategy of the country was to plunge our country deeper into its dependence on oil. With the support of Natural Capitalism Solutions, we assembled the Treasure America Project, a rapid response team of 7 business people, film makers, educators, and scientists who made a documentary film for congress presenting the economic argument for reducing oil dependency and not drilling for oil in the Arctic Refuge. Amazingly, the ideas of our project seemed cutting edge at the time. Thankfully, the sound reasoning of the project won the day. Our work (including the film “Drawing the Line”), in combination with the lobbying efforts of numerous environmental groups, native peoples, and clean technology entrepreneurs, narrowly defeated the Alaskan oil industry’s multi-million dollar public relations campaign. Of course, when the Senate voted to preserve the Refuge, the work was just beginning. Moving an economy away from oil creates more green collar jobs than simply sending a handful of workers up to Alaska. By 2006 it was time to figure out how I was to be employed, and how I was to create employment, producing the much needed nega-barrels (i.e. negative barrels) of oil. In the fall of that year, I met an inventor who for twenty years had been trying to get the trucking industry to pay attention to a very simple fact: the worst shape to pull down the highway at 60 mph is a big rectangular box. Yet, there are over a million box trailers pulled around North America every day. Trucks had become more aerodynamic, however, nothing had been commercially successful to reduce the drag at the rear and underside of the trailer. I began working with the inventor and quickly a company was formed. Since 2006, our company, ATDynamics, has evolved from a good idea to one of the industry’s leading providers of trailer aerodynamics technology. While the capital intensive trucking industry is slow to adopt new technologies, we are finally at a turning point. Our technology meets the rugged durability requirements of the industry and has proven its ability to deliver up to 10% fuel efficiency to our fleet customers. By streamlining the airflow at the back and along the underside of the trailer, our TrailerTail® and side skirt technology has the potential to save the industry over a billion gallons of fuel each year. Now, this year, rather than watching the water flow by in the Canning River, I have watched the tractor-trailers stream down the interstate. Our mission is clear: to change the shape of every long-haul trailer on the road; to re-define what is a normal trailer to see on the highway; to move more stuff and less air with each drop of fuel. My goal is to leave the oil in the ground deep below the Canning River. Andrew Smith is CEO and Founder of ATDynamics, Inc. He serves as a consultant with Natural Capitalism Solutions and was Executive Director of the Treasure America Project. In 2005, he led a 120 mile rafting expedition on the Canning river and co-produced the film, "Drawing the Line: The economic argument for the preservation of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge." |
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Old Farmhouse/ New Office in Longmont, CO |
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This past May NCS staff and interns moved our office from Eldorado Springs to Longmont, CO. We loved our space in the Eldorado Art Center and will miss Joe Palumbo and all the great artists; but our new historic farmhouse/ office provides us with a lot more space and potential. A quick tour: when you enter the offices from the front door, you are greeted to the left of the entrance by the reception area and the desks of the hard-working staff and interns. To your right, at the entrance, you can see the conference room for various meetings with clients, interns, and staff. Continuing through the main downstairs room, you will find another office to the right side of the house—this is Hunter’s office. Then, heading towards the back of the house, you now enter the spacious kitchen area that allows the staff to have ample space to bring their meals, snacks, and produce from our won gardens to the office and prepare them. Back in the main room at the middle of the house, you will now see a staircase heading up—up to the second floor of the house—the stairs are a bit narrow and steep—so watch your step. From landing at the top of the stairs landing, and to your right, we have a room that has been set up to allow out-of-town visitors to stay, inexpensively, at the office while they do their work with us. Heading towards your left, you then come to the accounting department, and the next open space room in the upstairs section. This has a few desks shared at different times by staff and interns. This is also the communication hub where the phones and internet come into the office as well as the space for our copier, fax and printer for the upstairs. Now that we have our own office we can ‘walk our talk’ and implement genuine sustainability within it. So far we’ve started with a small garden and a compost bin, but we have short-term goals to be powered entirely by renewable (solar) energy, be zero waste, and have an overall net zero footprint. |
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2009 Internship Program |
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This fall we have a great batch of interns with diverse backgrounds and experience levels. The internship program helps students, gradates, and individuals gain experience to help them on their career path. Each intern participates in group discussions, presentations from experts in the field, and the work of Natural Capitalism Solutions to refine their skills and expand their knowledge. The internship program has gained a new coordinator, Lily Thaisz. After volunteer-interning at Natural Capitalism Solutions for almost a year, Lily was recently added to the team where she works predominantly on Solutions at the Speed of Business. Lily received a B.S. in environmental science from the University of Mary Washington where she interned with the City of Fredericksburg working on their Environmental Management Systems program. Current interns include:
Natural Capitalism Solutions frequently invites thought leaders and world class experts from a variety of backgrounds to provide training and education for interns and staff. Some recent presenters include:
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Mobile Phone Application Benefits Natural Capitalism Solutions |
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Through 1% for the planet, 3rdWhale donates 25 cents to Natural Capitalism Solutions for every download they receive. 3rdWhale is a team of sustainability and mobility experts operating, to our knowledge, the only company in the world exclusively building mobile applications for sustainability. So far they have sustainability applications for iPhone and Android (and soon to be available on Blackberry Storm). They include content from the green wiki Creative Citizen, leading green content provider Mother Nature Network and CSRwire, a source of corporate social responsibility news and information. Greenpeace was 3rdWhale’s first client/ partner. 3rdWhale built a Tissue Guide application for iPhones and Android and a mobile web (WAP) application. 3rdWhale has just merged with GenGreenLife, and their first collaborative application “Find Green” will be available soon for iPhone. 3rdWhale’s mission is to utilize emerging mobile technologies to promote a healthy, just and sustainable world. Although there are more than 65,000 mobile applications in the iTunes app store alone, 3rdWhale is the first mobile developer to join 1% for the Planet, committing 1% of their annual revenues to environmental causes. In addition, 3rdwhale has pledged 25 cents per download of their signature mobile application to five environmental NGOs, including Natural Capitalism Solutions.
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On the Road with Hunter: Social Media Update |
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Natural Capitalism Solutions: www.twitter.com/natcapsolutions
Sample of Hunter Lovins’ tweets:
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Upcoming Events |
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