Rocky Mountain Institute/volume xvii #1/spring 2001 RMISolutions newsletter F ROZEN ASSETS? ALASKAN OIL’S THREAT TO NATIONAL NERGY ECURITY E S by Amory B. Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins

“We must continue, I believe, to safeguard the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, one of the last truly wild places on Earth—the Serengeti of the Americas.” —PRESIDENT CLINTON, JANUARY 17, 2001

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. photo: Galen Rowell

S YOU READ THIS ISSUE OF RMI improve but compromise national energy Solutions, Congress is debating security and economic vitality, especially CONTENTS whether the oil potential when compared with alternatives that ben- A HYPERCAR MAKES ITS MOVE ... page 4 beneath the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge efit both and improve the environment. (ANWR) in Alaska is worth the environ- THE NATCAP CONSUMER ..... page 6 mental damage caused by extracting and FOLLOW THE MONEY burning it. Largely unexamined so far are First, the economics of drilling for Refuge A LETTER FROM OZ ...... page 8 more basic questions: Is it profitable? Is it oil look as unrewarding as its politics. For GDS IN EUROPE ...... page 10 necessary? Is drilling a good idea? Is there a the oil industry to invest, the Refuge must better way? hold a lot of oil, and the oil must sell for a BILL BROWNING,HONORARY AIA . page 11 The rationale for drilling in the Refuge is to high enough price for long enough to DEAR ROCKY ...... page 12 find a domestic oil supply, income for recover costs and earn profits. When JOHN TODD—WATER DOCTOR .. page 14 Alaska, and profit for private firms. The drilling was last proposed in the Refuge, in debate focuses on the environmental cost, 1987, the Interior Department tried to DONOR SPOT—THE FRANTZES.. page 16 the human rights of the threatened boost its case by assuming tax breaks that RMI NEWS...... page 18 Gwich‘in people, and opposition from no longer existed, twice actual oil prices, Canada, which shares the migratory and twice the likelihood of finding twice BOARD SPOT—MICHAEL EDESESS page 25 wildlife. Yet that energy-vs.-environment the oil that Alaska’s state geologist forecast THANK YOU,DONORS ...... page 26 debate overlooks important reasons why from more complete data. drilling in the Arctic Refuge would not DAVID BROWER,1912–2000 .. page 34 continued on next page continued from 2000, the Department projected a steady look in one of the most hostile and remote previous page decline in the L.A. price of Alaskan crude places on earth? Practically anywhere else Despite this generous handicapping, oil to less than $13 a barrel in 2009. The would be cheaper. Interior had to admit (in the fine print) that latest Federal forecast calls for oil to stay During 1998–99, while oil prices soared the odds were 5:1 against finding any eco- below $22 until nearly 2020; when Alaska from $10 to $25 a barrel, the big U.S. nomically recoverable oil, 15:1 against last published such a forecast in 1998, it energy companies slashed their exploration finding as much as six months’ national was only $18. That means less economi- budgets by 38% worldwide, 66% in supply, and over 100:1 against another cally recoverable oil. Indeed, the USGS says onshore America. They see technology huge Prudhoe Bay-sized find. Independent that below $16 (plus any lease fee paid to becoming ever more powerful, oil more analysts using realistic assumptions later the Treasury), no economically recoverable abundant, and long-term prices ever lower, found that the expected reserves would be oil is likely to be found. Alaska now fore- so only the lowest-cost provinces can com- closer to six days’ national supply and that casts prices below $16 throughout pete—not drilling above the Arctic Circle. the producers would lose money. The only 2005–10, so why drill? If oil companies believed in high long-term point of agreement was that the Refuge’s Of course, any forecast of oil prices can be oil prices, they’d be drilling everywhere. wrong, and most are. They’re not. Oil prices have fluctu- “Efficiency doesn’t risk dry ated randomly for at DEPENDENCE ON OPEC OIL? holes. It improves the envi- least 115 years. Oil The second rationale for drilling in the companies routinely Refuge—relieving dependence on OPEC ronment. It will never suffer assess that risk— oil—has also waned. OPEC’s percentage of a terrorist attack. It stays though in the Refuge, the oil the U.S. imports has dropped by a it’s not simply a busi- third since the high-water-mark of imports profitable regardless of what ness decision but also in 1977. Only one-fourth of U.S. oil now oil prices are doing.” a choice about such comes from OPEC. Most imports come public goods as envi- from more stable Western sources, and are ronment and national so diversified that a full-scale war in the biological core, its small but critical Coastal energy security. But some fundamentals Persian Gulf in 1991 caused no gas lines at Plain, would be trashed. can cut through the forecasting fog. home. We’re not as dependent on OPEC as In 1998, the U.S. Geological Survey did an Astounding advances continue in the tech- some imply. honest and modern update. It found worse nology of finding and extracting oil—super- Nor are we short of fuels. A White House geology, offset by new, fourfold cheaper computer visualization like X-ray eyes, and aide on January 21 provoked merriment in production technologies. The 1987 esti- precision-guided drilling to snake between energy circles by claiming that Arctic mated average reserve of 3.2 billion barrels pockets of oil. Oil resources, both domestic Refuge drilling was urgent because, as of oil could probably still be profitably and global, have therefore stopped California’s electricity crisis showed, the recovered—if, for decades to come, it declining and started expanding markedly, nation “desperately needs more fuel.” How fetched an average price of at least $22 a halving Federal forecasts of 2020 oil much of California’s electricity is in fact barrel (in December 2000 dollars, delivered prices—now only two-fifths of what made from oil? One percent. Of the to Los Angeles). Historic world oil prices Interior assumed in 1987. nation’s electricity? Two to three percent. FOB Saudi Arabia have broken the $22 Could that new technology tip the eco- How much of the nation’s oil makes elec- mark only a few times in the past three nomics back in favor of Refuge oil? Most tricity? Two percent. California isn’t short decades, and tend toward the teens. industry experts think not. The more they of fuel. What California is short of is cheap Sustaining $22+ a barrel for decades would look at their proprietary Refuge data, the electricity. contradict practically every industry and more it seems a multi-billion-dollar gamble If oil-import dependence or oil shortages government forecast—and the forecasts are not worth taking. That’s because the same were a serious problem, though, would the trending down, not up. technological advances that might make solution to domestic depletion be to deplete The Alaska Department of Revenue Refuge oil worth seeking can also be faster? Or might other solutions arrive earnestly hopes for Refuge drilling so its cit- applied elsewhere. Oil exploration is a sooner and cost less? If Arctic Refuge oil izens will keep getting rebates instead of global business. With oil everywhere get- isn’t the cheapest way to provide the ser- paying income taxes. Yet in December ting rapidly cheaper to find and lift, why vices now provided by imported oil, then page 2 Spring break-up, ANWR. photo: Galen Rowell drilling in the Refuge will make the oil- expect a result different from the past import problem worse than it could have couple of times we’ve tried the same been. That’s because each dollar spent on recipe. The light at the end of the energy the costly option could have bought more tunnel is an oncoming train. The resulting of the cheap option instead. Choosing the wreck will not be healthy for the domestic costlier option therefore results in using energy industries, whose financial stability and importing more oil than if we’d bought is an important element of national energy the best buys first. security. As in the early 1980s, supply expansions EFFICIENCY: will be far less prompt and effective than ENERGY WITHOUT RISK energy efficiency. This is especially true for Better buys aren’t hard to find. In fact, Refuge oil, which can produce nothing for we’ve already bought a lot of them, though nearly a decade anyway, and then, briefly, far more remain untapped. Specifically, the about one percent of the world’s oil. past quarter-century’s efficiency revolution Efficiency, however, is such a vast resource is now “producing” over four times as that capturing just a few percent of it could much energy as the entire domestic oil GDP rose by 20 percent while the nation’s crash the oil price and displace any oil that industry (and ten times the oil the U.S. total energy use fell by 51⁄2 percent. This might lurk beneath the Refuge. imports from the Persian Gulf) simply by stuck the suppliers with costly new sup- using less energy to do more work in plies without the revenue to pay for them. AUTOMOBILE POTENTIAL smarter ways. More than half the nation’s The resulting energy glut crashed energy Let’s suppose that a compliant Congress, energy services now come from efficient prices in 1986, sending many producers steady high oil prices, and successful explo- use. Each barrel of oil supports three-quar- into insolvency. Efficiency providers suf- ration did find the hoped-for 3.2 billion bar- ters more GDP than it did in 1975—and fered too: as attention waned, many rels of profitably recoverable oil beneath that’s just for starters. energy-saving programs, products, and serv- the Refuge. Over a typical 30-year field life, Efficiency doesn’t risk dry holes. It protects ices faded from view for the next 14 years. that averages 292,000 barrels per day, the climate and improves the environment. Yet in the last four of those years enough to produce about 156,000 barrels It will never suffer a terrorist attack. It cre- (1996–99), almost unnoticed, efficiency of gasoline per day. That would run just ates a uniquely flexible and perennially unexpectedly came back. Despite record- two percent of America’s present fleet of profitable form of all-American energy secu- low and falling energy prices, the pace of cars and light (non-commercial) trucks. rity. In fact, it cut oil imports from the U.S. energy savings averaged 3.2 percent That much gasoline could be saved by Persian Gulf by 87% during 1976–85 per year—nearly matching its early-1980s making those vehicles a mere 0.4 mpg alone. Yet efficiency is strangely invisible in all-time peak when energy prices were at more efficient. During 1979–85, new light today’s Refuge-oil debate. record highs and rising. Meanwhile, a vehicles gained 0.4 mpg every five months. The energy policies of the early ’70s and cluster of random events caused routine This trend ended when President Reagan the mid-1980s painfully demonstrated how blips in oil and natural gas prices just as rolled back the efficiency standards— quickly energy gluts happen when cus- California’s botched restructuring sent thereby wasting one Refuge’s worth of oil, tomers seek efficiency. Even relatively small Western electricity prices soaring. Those and promptly doubling oil imports from the efficiency gains offer an enormous potential triple price hikes will further accelerate Persian Gulf. Had the efficiency trend con- opportunity to policymakers and entrepre- energy efficiency’s late-1990s revival. tinued, America wouldn’t have needed a drop of oil from the Gulf since 1985. neurs—but a serious risk to energy pro- All this sets the stage for a rerun of a very ducers and investors. bad movie—the 1986 price crash that Even with no improvement in vehicle effi- The early 1980s saw a two-pronged ruined so many energy producers. That ciency, just adopting aftermarket tires as approach to energy: the government crash was caused by mixing two ingredi- efficient as the originals would save several increased supply while customers increased ents: an underlying efficiency trend plus a Refuges’ worth of oil. So would equipping efficiency. Both efforts succeeded—supply Federal supply stimulus. The first ingre- appropriate U.S. buildings with superwin- modestly, efficiency beyond anyone’s dient is now here; the second is promised continued on page 20 wildest dreams. Between 1979 and 1986, by President Bush. There’s no reason to

page 3 Spring 2001 TRANSPORTATION

hypercar makes its MOVE driving for a prototype

by Jason Denner and Thammy Evans

OR THE PAST 16 MONTHS, UNDER nology partners and suppliers at an automo- cept car is an Explorer-sized vehicle—a a veil of secrecy, RMI’s latest for- tive e-commerce trade show held in Las midsized SUV replacement. It will achieve Fprofit spinoff has quietly been Vegas in November. There, Hypercar, Inc. fuel efficiency equivalent to 99 mpg of building a revolution. On 9 January 2001 displayed a two-fifths scale model of a con- gasoline (five times the efficiency of a sim- that veil was partly lifted by a front-page fea- cept car, called the Revolution, developed ilar-sized Lexus RX300), accelerate from 0 ture in The Wall Street Journal, covering in the start-up phase. The model proved to to 60 mph in 8.2 seconds, and haul over the development of Hypercar, Inc. be a focal point of the show, just as the full- half a ton, even up a 44-percent grade. It Hypercar, Inc. successfully completed a scale model (above) has done with share- will run silently with zero emissions for $4.3-million startup phase in November holders and potential investors. 330 miles on electricity made in a fuel-cell 2000 and it completed a conceptual design from 7.5 pounds of hydrogen compressed BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS that met stringent goals and industry stan- in ultra-safe tanks. Its dent- and rust-free dards. Using the computer simulation capa- The startup phase has also built partner- body will meet U.S. federal safety standards bilities of an industry-leading engineering, ships with investors, clients, and tech- for occupant safety in a 30-mph fixed-bar- automaking, and Formula One firm, the nology suppliers eager to help germinate an rier crash, even in a head-on collision with company was able to show that the con- entirely new approach to automaking. Such a vehicle twice its weight, each going 30 cept car met all performance expectations, capable industrial partners as Sun mph. A fixed-barrier crash at 35 mph won’t including occupant safety in collisions with Microsystems and BP Amoco provide even damage the passenger compartment. much heavier steel cars. This is an encour- important support, both technical and oth- And the design is consistent with a aging outcome for the young team, proving erwise. Collaboration with potential end- 200,000-mile warranty. These and other to themselves, potential clients, and the users also helps to ensure that the vehicles key attributes don’t appear to have been general public that the HypercarSM concept being designed are tailored to their needs. combined previously in a single vehicle by can become a commercial reality. Why are customers excited about Hypercar, established automakers. The Revolution appears to be the world’s first uncompro- The company successfully courted tech- Inc.’s vehicles? For starters, the first con- mised super-efficient concept vehicle.

page 4 Future customers and investors are taking seriously the market potential for Hypercar Inc.’s eventual products. Seriously enough to stir the interest of Jeff Ball, The Wall Street Journal’s lead automotive industry reporter. Jeff spent two weeks with Amory and Hypercar staff researching an article that was published as a front-page, column- one profile of the ten-person startup.

HYBRID HYPE The auto industry also seems to be taking notice of the potential for Hypercar tech- nology. News coverage of Detroit’s annual North American International Auto Show has been headlined with high-mileage hybrid-electric production vehicles and even a pre-production (expected in show- rooms in 2004) fuel-cell vehicle from Ford a doctorate at the University of California many cultural barriers in rapidly adopting called the FCV. GM executives, sporting at Davis.) In $2 million worth of research, uncompromised Hypercar designs. This matching green sweaters, announced a funded by grants, donations, and earnings opened an opportunity to stimulate and hybrid-electric sedan for 2001 and a fuel- over eight years, the group developed support the industry’s transition by creating cell vehicle slated for Amory Lovins’s theo- a wholly new product true to the Hypercar 2004. At the Los ries about efficient strategy. With the help of Amory’s network Angeles Auto Show auto design, pub- of contacts, a seasoned governance and in early January, both “GM executives, lishing numerous executive team was assembled and Ford and Dodge professional papers Hypercar, Inc. was spun off in August unveiled hybrid-elec- sporting matching and, in 1996, the 1999. Product development was led by tric SUVs: the Ford landmark tome David Taggart, a composites innovator from Escape, due in show- green sweaters, Hypercars: the famed Lockheed Martin Skunk rooms in 2003, and announced a Materials, Works®. He led the team that developed a Dodge’s hybrid proto- Manufacturing, and 95%-carbon-fiber-composite fighter aircraft, type, the Powerbox hybrid-electric Policy Implications, one-third lighter but two-thirds cheaper which uses com- which was sold to than its 72%-metal predecessor. Hypercar, pressed natural gas. sedan for 2001.” interested Inc. mixed his aerospace skills and organi- Auto industry pundits automakers for zational methods with the ex-RMI team’s are agreeing there is a $10,000 per copy. knowledge, industrial partners’ skills, race- revolution underway The buzz about cars, and software. The recipe proved suc- in automotive technology. Hypercar, Inc. is hybrid-electric vehicles and fuel-cells at this cessful. on its cusp. year’s auto shows is in substantial part a With the startup phase successfully com- The core of the Hypercar, Inc. technical result of much of this work. Many of the pleted and the manufacturable concept car team was originally assembled at RMI. gratifying interim achievements made by designed, the team is now raising addi- Timothy Moore, Dr. Jonathan Fox-Rubin, the auto and related industries are chroni- tional private equity for a two-year, $50- Michael Brylawski, and David Cramer all cled at www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid414.asp. million phase that will produce numerous came to work at the Institute between working vehicle prototypes by the end of GREAT EXPECTATIONS 1993 and 1997. (Fuel-cell expert Brett 2002. To help manage and fund this phase, Williams was also a key member of the By 1998, it was clear to the team that original group at RMI but is now pursuing while the race had begun with great continued on page 21 promise, established automakers faced

page 5 Spring 2001 NATURAL CAPITALISM by Christopher Juniper

THE NATURAL CAPITALIST CONSUMER

“Laugh about it, shout about it, when ducts or services, either for an organization living beings will need from the planet’s you’ve got to choose; or for yourself, which choices, if any, are natural capital in the future. any way you look at it you lose.” really worthy of your hard-earned market- To keep your imagination keen and your —PAUL SIMON, “MRS. ROBINSON” place vote? cynicism muted, always wonder: what’s Natural Capitalism is a new business model the real service I want from this product,

HEN PAUL SIMON SANG developed by RMI’s Hunter and Amory and how could this service be provided those words in “Mrs. Lovins and business author Paul Hawken more elegantly—more simply and directly Robinson,” he was refer- that promotes prosperity while preserving, at lower long-term cost—and restore W and ultimately restoring, the natural capital nature’s assets in the process? If you come ring to choices among political candidates. But many people feel the same when it that all life and wealth-generation depends up with ideas, let the provider know, since comes to the product choices the market- upon. RMI’s primary mission at present is imagination may be more of a limiting place has given them. Truly environmen- spreading this new model throughout the factor in progress than governments or tally innovative autos, the Honda and world. market economics. (Let RMI know too— Toyota hybrids, are only now appearing Based on four synergistic, down-to-earth we might be talking with the firm’s CEO.) after the concepts were prototyped in the principles (see inset), Natural Capitalism The phrase “Natural Capitalist consumer” early 1980s. As a marketplace protest vote, can also be an effective guide for the mar- is actually something of an oxymoron. The this author has never bought a new car, but ketplace votes of our daily lives—guiding Natural Capitalist seeks not to “consume” I’d buy a Toyota Prius or Honda Insight our purchasing choices, our investments, something, but rather to obtain the desired today to encourage them. and our advocacy. services with a minimum of materials and Germany’s Blue Angel symbol for “products When making Natural Capitalist consumer energy use and natural capital loss. Where with environmental features” is now into decisions, simply ask yourself if your choice possible, this means substituting nature’s its third decade and appears on 4,000 prod- of product or service involves: means for industrial fixes, and getting the ucts, but its standards are arguably weak • a minimum of energy and materials to services without owning a product. Try to when measured against true sustainability get the job done; leave product ownership throughout its life- models like Natural Capitalism. The fact is, • natural (non-toxic and life-temperature) cycle with the manufacturers—giving them U.S. consumers have little to guide them materials and processes; clear economic incentives to minimize its except spotty materials lists and “green” • materials that can be used again, easily operating and disposal costs. marketing claims with varying levels of recycled or biodegraded; and For example, daylight in a well-designed authenticity. When you are buying pro- • enhancing rather than depleting what building, or through retrofitted sunlight

BEST RESOURCES FOR INDIVIDUAL OR SMALL BUSINESS PURCHASING www.buygreen.com This site has links to the key www.responsibleshopper.org is a joint site pro- credible environmental product assessment systems in vided by Working Assets and Co-op America providing general Canada, the U.S., and Germany. A good single-stop shop. ratings of companies (from Council on Economic Priorities) www.environment.about.com is a linking site to and consumer tips for specific industries. 700 sites about environmental issues, many of which give guid- www.blauer-engel.de/Englisch/index.htm ance regarding environmental consumption. is the site of the Blue Angel environmental product attribute www.newdream.org The Center for A New label based in Germany. The standards used for awarding the American Dream helps individuals and institutions reduce label are helpful to consumers wondering what to look for. their consumption and pick products and services wisely, with the ultimate goal of enhancing quality of life and protecting the environment. page 6 pipes instead of light fixtures, provides superior visibility. You don’t want light bulbs, you want full-spectrum light ser- vices. Carbon-fiber HypercarSM bodies can be beautifully colored without paint coats; you don’t want a painted car as much as a durably beautiful car. Native stone can make your home instead of cement derived from a 2,700-degree process. Software ser- vices can be leased from the provider over the internet instead of bought and hassled with. Businesses and individuals will often be surprised at how easily needs can be met by thoughtful whole-system design, Labels generally don’t say much about how products are created. frequently using low-tech tools derived photo: Cameron Burns through biomimicry from nature’s proven These folks are making the same choices inflate the total cost through administrivia. techniques. that individuals are struggling with, but are Purchasers, whether in organizations or as further burdened by a maze of regulations, This is as true of large organizations as it is individuals, wield tremendous power. policies, time constraints, and technical in small households. Every organization has Ultimately, businesses will choose the specifications. Their difficult jobs are at the at least one, and sometimes thousands, of Natural Capitalism model when their heart of the daily messages that businesses leader(s) clearly say to do so. What drives purchasing decision-makers, operating in a send to one another regarding the impor- leaders are customers, investors, family, mad scramble governed by policies and pro- tance of environmental responsibility. The and perceived peers (other business or cedures to get retail shelves stocked, supply challenge all purchasers face is how to community leaders, sometimes talented closets filled, raw materials delivered, pro- make informed decisions without excessive employees). Note that customers are first ducts distributed, and facilities powered. “transaction” costs that slow down and/or continued on page 21

THE FOUR PRINCIPLES OF NATURAL CAPITALISM Natural Capitalism is a new business model that involves four interrelated shifts in business practices:

■ Principle 1: Radical Resource Productivity Radically increase the productivity of natural resources through a whole- system design mentality that fundamentally changes facilities, production processes, and products. ■ Principle 2: Biomimicry Shift production to biologically-inspired patterns that close materials loops, eliminate waste and toxicity, and minimize throughput. ■ Principle 3: “Solutions Economy” Business Model Move to a solutions-based business model that delivers value as a continuous flow of services rather than the sale of goods—rewarding both the provider and the customer for doing more and better with less for longer. ■ Principle 4: Reinvest in Natural and Human Capital Reinvest in natural and human capital, which is ultimately the basis of future prosperity, yet is in increasingly short supply—and whose copious production by nature is automatic if unimpeded.

page 7 Spring 2001 CLIMATE

a letter from by Rick Heede photo: Norm Clasen OZ T IS EASY TO LOVE AUSTRALIA. coal; the rest is from natural gas and hydro- reduce city and community emissions of The people are real, they look you in electric sources. greenhouse gases. We met to discuss the the eye, they don’t beat around the “Billboard Project,” which informs the I HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER community about progress to reduce emis- bush, they are passionate about life and VACATION everything Australian, and they spend sions. The electric utility (EnergyAustralia), serious time at the beach. Aussies also Twice last year I had the pleasure of visiting as well as the Hunter Water Board, Hunter make great converts in the energy game. In Australia. The first visit, in July, was a Waste Management Board, and the City’s America, we spend a lot of winter inside, whirlwind speaking tour with Amory: 36 Road and Traffic Authority, have all agreed preserving calories. In Australia, with some engagements in eight business days in six to supply raw data on resource flows to of the mildest winters on earth and truly cities (plus numerous media interviews)— AMEIF. So the question becomes: how do spectacular summers, one is constantly out- think of the phrase “drinking from a fire you portray such information dynamically? side, enjoying the natural environment. hose” and you get a sense of the intensity We decided to start with the Web: more They are—as the late Edward Abbey liked of traveling with Amory. The purpose of adaptable, flexible, fluid, changeable. We to say—forever dipping back into the well, the second trip, in November, when I trav- met with University of Newcastle staff on replenishing the passion for a clean natural eled alone, was to work with our col- our Memorandum of Understanding on fur- world. leagues in Newcastle on their progressive ther collaboration; we are, preliminarily, projects to reduce greenhouse gas emis- considering offering a University-funded It’s good they’re so interested in keeping sions in this city of 120,000 people. RMI scholarship to research and deliver a more the sandbox clean. It makes RMI’s job easy. signed a memorandum of understanding detailed greenhouse gas emissions inven- And our job is getting so big Down Under with the City of Newcastle and the tory for Newcastle (the existing inventory that we’re going to need all the positive University of Newcastle during our July uses proxies and general factors, which energy, so to speak, we can get. For all of visit to collaborate on projects of mutual means that progress can’t be accurately Australia’s great take on life, Aussies—like interest, principally climate change. measured and reported). us—have a serious problem: carbon emis- sions. Australia and the United States share Officially, RMI serves as a technical and It wasn’t all just numbers, statistics, and top honors in emissions of greenhouse policy advisor to the Australian Municipal planning. One blustery day we climbed the gases per capita. Australia dumped 503 mil- Energy Improvement Facility (AMEIF), 50-meter tower of EnergyAustralia’s 600- lion tons (53,600 pounds per person per Newcastle City Council’s “business unit” kW wind turbine in Newcastle. It’s the first year) of carbon dioxide-equivalent into the on climate abatement and energy efficiency. grid-connected turbine in Australia, and sky in 1998. Eighty-four percent of the My November trip was to dig deeper into supplies electricity to the equivalent of 110 nation’s electricity comes from burning the City of Newcastle’s opportunities to homes—or it could supply electricity to

page 8 300–400 homes if they were made more behavior. They know what needs to be OKAY,THEN.MY REAL efficient, which is one of AMEIF’s next done and are actively engaged in making it SUMMER VACATION! projects. As we watched the instrument happen. Yet the lasting immpression of my trip is panel (indicating winds increasing from 4 The regulatory reform of the electric not the projects (which I am passionate to 12 m/s), Paul Myors, a staffer in industry is gaining steam (pun intended), about), nor the real progress being made, EnergyAustralia’s Sustainable Energy although Australian utilities are still but my personal experiences. The Division in Newcastle, guided us into our building coal-fired power plants. The New Australian approach to life is so infectious coveralls and harnesses. He then led Rachel South Wales utility—EnergyAustralia—is that it makes working for the environment O’Leary and Peter Dormand from AMEIF now working with the City of Newcastle to spectacularly fun. and myself up the inside of the cold, replace underinsulated and oversized elec- Every day, my Newcastle mates and I clanking 4m-diameter steel tube on which tric storage water heaters. Those often would take a swim at noon (rain or shine), the fiberglass nacelle is mounted on a exceed 50 percent of a home’s total electric and if the offshore winds were up we’d turntable. Our forearms tired from pulling consumption, compared to 25 percent in have a “board meeting” in lieu of lunch. In ourselves up the aluminum ladder. We the States. They’ll be swapped for solar- the middle of my two-week stay in poked our heads into the rumbling super- assisted gas-fired units. Newcastle I flew down to Hobart for a structure which housed the generator. Up Canberra, Melbourne, Hobart, and series of meetings on the state’s transporta- there, we got a sense of the immense Brisbane—and a hundred other Australian tion policies and climate mitigation oppor- energy blowing past our ears, more or less local councils—are, like Newcastle, com- tunities. Serious bureaucratic obstacles to constantly, as it powered the swooshing 23- mitted to dramatically reducing emissions real change abound (sound familiar?). Yet I meter blades. Though liquid-cooled, the of greenhouse gases. RMI is likely to could feel in my new friends a love of life machinery was hot to the touch. I climbed expand its collaboration with a number of and appreciation of their breathtaking sur- over to open the top vent and saw the councils. roundings. inescapable irony of this turbine. There, Already the City of across the Hunter River, were defunct steel Melbourne, works and still-active coal-loading facilities Australia’s cultural (Newcastle is the world’s largest coal-ship- equivalent of San ping harbor). Amid the wreckage of the Francisco, has hired fossil-fuel era, Newcastle, with its rich RMI’s Green renewable resources and smart leaders, Development RMI’s Rick Heede doing climate research off the may achieve its goal of becoming Australia’s Services to review Tasmanian Coast. photo: Heede Collection premier sustainable energy community. and improve a design for an exemplary We ventured out sea-kayaking off Fortescu RMI will be there to help. new administrative building for the City. Bay in southeastern Tasmania on a calm The life of Melbourne meanders along the weekend day. I have sea salt in my veins, RMI HELP COUNTRYWIDE Yarra River; electricity is cheap in Victoria, being Norwegian, so I took to the heaving Australia offers enormous opportunities for and the reflections of coal burned in the seas immediately and aimed for the rocks, improvement. RMI has developed some Minemouth power plants of the Latrobe where the action is, at the seam of sea, air, deep friendships throughout Australia over Valley shimmer on the lazy water. and land. This is where the danger is, of the years, and we see our involvement as Another of the ideas I went to Australia to course, and where the water is roughest. strategically influencing key corporate and discuss is to create a “collaborative compe- But, learned in the undulation of the sea, I government (Commonwealth, state, and tition” between pairs of Australian and skirted the rocks and caves for hours. I felt local) constituencies on principles of New Zealand cities to reduce greenhouse at home in a new land. Natural Capitalism and profitable climate emissions. Currently, RMI’s role is to help During my stay, John Cole, Director of the mitigation. establish and facilitate the competitions Queensland Environmental Protection Most business and government leaders we and, if cities such as Christchurch and Agency’s Sustainable Industries Division, met are keenly interested in incorporating Newcastle sign an agreement, coordinate invited me up to Brisbane. He and his principles of sustainable development and the creation of fair rules of the game. removing barriers to efficient and sensible continued on page 25

page 9 Spring 2001 GREEN DEVELOPMENT

by Huston Eubank Not All Who Wander are Lost Green Development Staff Builds Understanding in Europe

TAND THE AVERAGE AMERICAN For three weeks last fall, Bill Browning, everyone else is getting farther.” building next to a comparable Alexis Karolides, Ben Shepherd, and I Nevertheless, the volume and quality of SEuropean building, and some trekked across northern Europe, feeding work and interest represented at the confer- interesting differences are likely to appear. the passion for green development that ence was mind-boggling and encouraging. Since we first cracked Sir Banister fuels our work and seeking to learn from The environment got top billing at the Fletcher’s History of Architecture on the these differences. Along the way we discov- World Expo in Hannover. While the Comparative Method, most architects ered some stunning examples of green exhibits were generally shallow and unin- know that architecture and development development and architecture. formative, there were many interesting (and on opposite sides of the Atlantic are dif- The trip’s genesis was the second interna- beautiful) concepts among the buildings. ferent animals. This is especially true in the tional Green Building Challenge Confer- Space limitations prohibit description and green development area. And as with any ence, in the Dutch city of Maastricht. In discussion of the more than 30 projects we good rivalry, each side’s green architects preparation for our explorations we identi- visited. It is even difficult to pick out high- and development specialists are certain fied and mapped 160 green projects, and lights: almost every project we visited they’re ahead of the other. Who’s right, laid out an ambitious itinerary—quickly would make the list. (If you are interested what are the important differences, and dubbed the “death march”—to take us to in more detail, please see the Spring 2001 what can we learn from this rivalry? more than 30 of the best. Bill Browning’s Newsletter page of the RMI website, vast store of frequent-flyer miles got us www.rmi.org, for a catalogue with descrip- across “The Pond.” Accumulated tions, some photographs, and references.) “comp” time and vacation took care of Several green themes ran consistently another chunk of the costs; important among the varied projects we visited. learning opportunities justified the Daylight was a primary one. Northern rest. Europeans make it a top priority. Reducing Maastricht was intense, informative, dependence on mechanical and electrical and fun; this event brings together energy was another. In addition to optimal some of the best intelligence on green use of daylighting, this was usually accom- development from around the world. plished through natural ventilation, fre- Exhibits, lectures, discussion, and of quently achieved by the use of course hob-nobbing with some of the “double-skinned” façades—finely detailed, most interesting minds in the green some simple, some very complex. The rela- building business had us swimming tively high cost of energy and scarcity of with new possibilities and curiosity. daylight in northern Europe are touted as a Our friend Kevin Hyde of Keen primary reason for these themes, but there Engineering humorously summed up seems to be a higher ethic at work. the discussions: “International green We saw innovative uses of water both building is a lot like teen sex: everyone indoors and out. Landscape architect Author and GDS team in an affordable hotel thinks that everyone else is doing Herbert Dreiseitl describes it as turning warmed by biomass alone. Phone in every room! more of it, and everyone thinks that photo: GDS Collection continued on page 23

page 10 Bill Browning Gets Honorary AIA Membership

ill Browning was recently rec- Sustainable Building (1995)—an ognized by his peers, when in introduction to green building; BBJanuary he received an hon- “Greening the Building and the orary membership to the American Bottom Line”—a 1994 study of Institute of Architects. The honorary mem- increased worker productivity in bership is only bestowed on those non- energy-efficient buildings; and, architects who have made significant Green Development: Integrating contributions in the field of architecture Ecology and Real Estate (1998) and to the AIA. Only a handful of the cov- —an acclaimed textbook. eted appointments are made each year. Gregory Franta, FAIA, of the “It is a great honor, and something of a sur- Boulder-based Ensar Group, prise,” he said. “From what little I know of might have summarized what Bill the process, it requires a number of influen- does best when he noted: “Bill

tial folks doing behind-the-scenes lobbying has provided more service to the Bill Browning to make it happen. So it is a testament to architectural profession than any our partners and clients as well.” non-architect that I know and more than construction in the United States. Bill has Of course, Bill is a familiar face to most most of the architects that I know. Bill had key roles in creating both the USGBC readers. He is currently Senior Associate of travels the country spreading the word to and LEED, and is active on the USGBC RMI’s Green Development Services group architects, building owners, and others in Board and LEED committees. In addition to (GDS), which consults on major architec- the building industry about high-perform- an extensive consulting and lecturing tural and development projects around the ance buildings that are energy-efficient, schedule throughout the year, Bill advises globe. Bill founded GDS in 1991. have healthy productive interiors, and mini- The Trust for Public Land on sustainable mize our ecological footprint on the planet. development issues related to TPL proper- “I was interested in the relationship He uses successful, best-practice examples ties, and he serves on the Board of between the built and natural environ- from our profession to illustrate to other Directors of Greening America, a nonprofit ments and felt that the conflicts in the architects how it can be done. I have seen group dedicated to spreading the messages industry were based on a lack of under- him totally motivate architects to change developed from the Greening of the White standing about the opportunities to their practice—to design buildings that are House. improve environmental performance,” Bill sustainable.” said. “The big surprise along the way was Although Bill Browning has been working the significant opportunities for productivity In recent years, GDS has seen its con- primarily as an advocate for over a decade, and financial improvements.” sulting business increase as more devel- his own sustainable building and develop- opers, corporations, and government ment beliefs are being put into action in Since then, Bill has led or supported inno- agencies understand the values of green Haymount, a “New Urbanist” town devel- vative design and development efforts for development. Part of this is due to the opment in Virginia. scores of clients, including the Sydney establishment of the U.S. Green Building 2000 Olympics, Wal-Mart, the White Council’s LEED Green Building Rating House, the Pentagon, Monsanto, Hines, System, a system for defining and bench- and Lucasfilm. He co-authored A Primer on marking the environmental soundness of

page 11 Spring 2001 DEAR ROCKY by Jason Denner RMI Outreach Hydrogen Over Solar Associate tricity as are today’s batteries. It is not a Power? clear-cut decision between batteries or Dear Rocky, hydrogen storage; it depends upon how being studied that can economically turn A year ago with the Foundation’s donation you use and produce your electrical power biomass into hydrogen. Gasification check we sought information on hydrogen over the year. When residential fuel-cell (heating to 700º Celsius in a low-oxygen as a substitute for propane. Your former systems become commercially available, atmosphere) is the closest method to com- Hypercar Center ® staff graciously retail companies, such as Real Goods or mercialization. A relatively new method, responded. However, it did appear that Jade Mountain, will probably offer design using bacterial enzymes, is being not much was available for an off-the-grid services for homeowners. researched at Oak Ridge National solar powered application. We are eight Ballard Generation Systems, a division of Laboratory. years off the electrical grid. Now we want Ballard, Inc. (www.ballard.com), has devel- The main impediment to commercializa- to get on with the rest of the job. We do oped a 250-kW fuel-cell powerplant aimed tion of biomass-derived hydrogen is cost. hear Ballard in Vancouver now has a resi- at industrial operations and large commer- Currently, steam-reforming of natural gas is dential division. Do you have any news on cial buildings. Ballard’s 250-kW system generally the most cost-competitive method this front? could also be used to provide electricity to for producing hydrogen. Bob and Hope Stevens, Helena, Montana a neighborhood. It runs on natural gas, and Although carbon dioxide is a byproduct of can reliably and quietly produce electricity steam-reforming natural gas, this is not nec- Dear Bob and Hope, while creating very little air pollution. essarily as bad as it sounds. Researchers at Unfortunately, there are no companies Princeton University have shown that if the SM offering residential fuel-cell systems on a Hemp-Powered Hypercars ? steam-reforming is done at the wellhead, commercial basis yet. The leading compa- Dear Rocky, the carbon dioxide produced as a nies in this market are H-Power I have recently been investigating the byproduct can be reinjected into the gas (www.hpower.com) and Plug Power many benefits of industrialized hemp, field, sequestering the carbon dioxide in (www.plugpower.com), which have some including nutritional and energy benefits, the earth’s crust. At the same time, the demonstration units in operation. These as well as clothing fiber use and recycle carbon dioxide repressurizes the gas field, systems generally rely on “reformer” tech- ability. yielding more natural gas—about enough, nology to convert a fossil fuel, such as nat- in fact, to offset the extra cost of reinjecting Has biomass energy been considered in ural gas or propane, into hydrogen for the the carbon dioxide. transportation fuel as an alternative or step fuel-cell. toward fuel-cells (as proposed in the A jump in natural gas prices or a break- You indicate that your home is already off- Hypercar)? through in biomass processing could turn grid. I assume you are using a photovoltaic the tables, making biomass the most eco- Does RMI have a stance on the hemp array with a battery storage system to pro- nomical method for hydrogen production. issue? vide electric power in your home. A fuel- Mindy Parker, Atlanta, Georgia As far as I know, RMI does not have a posi- cell system could eliminate or reduce your tion on the hemp issue. However, we do reliance on the battery storage system, but support natural solutions to resource issues. Dear Mindy, would require a source of hydrogen fuel. Natural Capitalism’s Chapter 9, “Nature’s You would need to truck or pipe in a fossil Biomass is also considered a potential Filaments,” is devoted to the subject of nat- fuel to produce hydrogen, or create it on- source for hydrogen fuel that doesn’t create ural fiber sources; you may find it useful for site with an electrolyzer using excess elec- global warming. Hydrogen combined with your research. This chapter is available as a tricity from your solar array. fuel-cells is clearly the future fuel/power free download from our website at Near-term fuel-cell/electrolyzer systems are generation technology for transportation. www.natcap.org. not as efficient at storing and releasing elec- Several methods of extraction are currently page 12 these devices’ housings. Reinforcing gus- innovation (e.g. iMac). Although many of sets and screw inserts can be molded in. the big computer companies are not nimble “Near-term fuel Paper can be painted with any color paint, enough to take advantage of a market including anti-EMF coatings. niche for housings made from natural mate- cell/electrolyzer The task, then, is to get this idea out to rials, a small company may. systems are not as Apple, Dell, Gateway, Georgia Pacific, Weyerhaeuser, and Monsanto. efficient at storing This is where I must bow to your expertise. and releasing Do you think this idea has merit? Marc Bonem, Arlington Heights, Illinois RMISolutions electricity as are Online today’s batteries.” Dear Marc, Your idea is a good one. In fact a few com- Like many organizations, panies are working in this direction, notably we are trying to decrease our use MBA Polymers of Richmond, CA of resources. Thus, we encourage A Few Thoughts On (www.MBAPolymers.com). you to get the Newsletter online, Computers And Televisions where it can be downloaded in Many of the plastics used for housings of PDF form. Dear Rocky: electronic products have excellent recycling Once or twice a year, I receive an idea. properties. The chief impediment is They usually don’t go very far because designing the products for disassembly and (often) they are not that good or because I developing distribution networks capable of don’t know how to put them into circula- handling a return stream of outmoded, tion. obsolete products. I’m sharing this idea with you (you can Using paper in place of molded plastic com- judge the merit) because you seem to be in puter housings is a possible application of the business of making good ideas available Natural Capitalism’s Principle 2, to people who can implement them. Biomimicry. However, unlike plastic cycling, First, the problem: recently, I participated which would occur within a man-made in an electronics-recycling event here in environment, a paper computer-housing Chicago. I was struck by the huge number would cycle through a natural ecosystem; of computers and televisions we saved careful attention would need to be paid to from the landfill. the additives and paints. There would cer- Once on RMI’s website, at tainly be other challenges for paper-based www.rmi.org, scroll down the As we all know, computers have a short housing material associated with thin wall menu on the left side of your useful life, perhaps two to four years. molding, complex internal features and sur- screen and click on “Newsletter.” Though usually still functional, they face finish, which are economically achiev- Then click on the issue you want, become obsolete by the latest technology. able only in plastic parts today. and it will download onto your Computers are and will be thrown away by computer as a PDF file. To read a For current electronics manufacturers, the millions each year. PDF file you must have Adobe plastic (ABS and PC) will probably remain Here is my idea. The plastic housings of Acrobat Reader installed on your the most competitive material. One inter- computers, televisions, and other various computer—it’s available free from esting recent development is “bioplastics,” electronic devices can be made out of good Adobe Systems, which is linked made from corn- and soy-based polylactic old renewable and biodegradable paper. from our Newsletter page. (Click acid, e.g. by Cargil-Dow. on “Adobe Systems.”) Back issues Paper can be molded or pressed into com- are clearly listed. plex shapes. It can be manufactured thick Also, the ubiquitous beige plastic computer enough for the low strength needed for housing has left much room for interesting

pagepage1313 Spring 2001 OTHER VOICES

the evolution of a water doctor by John Todd My doctoral thesis work resulted in two and shaken to realize that extinction in real discoveries. The first was that catfish could life is silent, almost invisible. I knew then HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO SERVE THE navigate through the sensation of taste. that to serve the water would require an water. My first career job involved Their bodies are covered with taste buds unconventional strategy. looking at animal life that dwells in I and they “see” their way through the water the bottom gravel and mud of rivers and by this unusual mode of orientation. I sub- COMPLEX ORCHESTRATIONS lakes. I was to investigate the environ- sequently observed that catfish organize My view of nature had to change from that mental impact of industrial discharges in their social lives through the sense of smell. of perceiving ecosystems as collections of the waters of Southern Canada. My clients They recognize individuals through exquis- species assembled together in various habi- were the polluters who wanted a leg up on itely sensitive olfactory mechanisms, and tats. Instead, life appeared to me as incred- the regulators. The experience taught me even remember prior events such as ibly complex orchestrations of various and two things. First, that many aquatic forms combat defeats and triumphs for months diverse biological forms. They contain an of life were in danger and that deep down after the event. For me it was a strange immense variety of phylogenetic levels most of my clients didn’t really care. new reality, made even stranger by another working in concert. Self-organization and Second, I realized that I did not know set of facts. self-design in nature are incredibly pow- enough about living systems and ecology. erful. This power of organization makes So I left that job and went on to take a doc- Regulatory agencies set standards for pollu- natural systems at once more robust and torate. I specialized in the study of waters tion loads and tolerance on tests called more vulnerable. They are more robust and the field of animal behavior. LD50s. This term means the lethal dose at which 50 percent of the organ- because they can lose species after species isms being tested die. (Various ani- and still be able to self-organize and self- mals including selected species of design. But they are also more vulnerable fish are used.) I found that in because this intrinsic power, combined some cases these tests were, from with the multiplicity of species, makes their the perspective of survival of an unraveling at the hands of destructive animal species, meaningless. forces less apparent. There is very little Some toxins in water, including warning before one system collapses into pesticides, were capable of dis- another in an altered state. The old system rupting critical social functions simply is no more. among fishes at levels four orders In 1981, with Nancy Jack Todd, I founded of magnitude below the official Ocean Arks International. Our plan was to lethal dose. For example, fish take the ideas developed by ourselves and species that parent their young, our colleagues at the New Alchemy often by harboring them in their Institute, our first organization, out into the mouths for protection, would no Third World. It was at the urging of our longer recognize their offspring friend, the anthropologist Margaret Mead, even at these extremely low that we did so. For several years we poison concentrations. They worked on coastal ecological development would eat them instead. The projects in Guyana in South America and social bonds between the parents Costa Rica in Central America. and their young, often mediated Then events at home changed our lives. By by chemical signals, were severed the mid-1980s, several of our friends had John Todd by the poisons. I was dismayed page 14 died of cancer. To me it was obvious that first saw the lagoons. the emerging cancer epidemic was caused There was a link to in part by industrial chemicals getting into cancer staring right at me. our food and water sources. At New Samples from the pits Alchemy we had discovered how to grow turned up the majority of food without agricultural poisons. But the the USEPA’s fifteen pri- waters were a different story; they are so ority pollutants, including vast, ubiquitous, and ever-changing. The several known carcino- dance of water is the great hydrological gens. cycle of the Earth itself. It is the source and With the agreement of sustenance of all living things. the town, we set up on I had a belief that water could be scrubbed that site 21 seven-hun- clean and healed through ecological means. dred-gallon, clear-sided Water tanks at Harwich’s town dump. I started to hunt around for evidence. A tanks. We connected the photo: John Todd collection former student of mine, Steve Serfling, had tanks together with face of the tanks we floated water-tolerant created aquatic plant-based waste treat- piping, like beads on a string. In the middle plants, placed in specially designed rafts. ment systems for sewage purification. we built a raised wooden aqueduct and What happened over the following weeks While his work and reputation were not filled it with sand and marsh plants. We was nothing short of a miracle. In each of yet acknowledged in those days, I knew engineered the movement of the water so the first seven tanks upstream of the marsh that his ecological approach was sound. He that it could flow by gravity from one end aqueduct, a unique ecology evolved. The was a real pioneer. Another former student, of the system to the other. Then we filled life forms within were responding to the Karl Ehrlich, was making breakthroughs in the tanks with water from a nearby pond, strength and constituency of the wastes water purification through his under- unfortunately also contaminated by they were receiving from the upstream standing and application of microbial ecolo- leachate from the lagoons. tank. Each tank looked to be different. The gies. A friend introduced me to the work of outstanding biologist Lynn Margulis investi- the German researcher Kathe Seidel of the GATHERING SPECIES gated the communities that had formed on Max Planck Institute, who had discovered I reasoned that, once we started pumping the sides of the tank. The communities she that a number of species of marsh plants wastes from the lagoons into our system observed in her microscope were unique to have remarkable water-purifying capabili- tank by tank, the life forms in them would science. Although they were made up of ties. I was off to a good start, but what I experience a set of conditions for which known life forms, the way in which they still lacked was proof that species-rich they had no evolutionary experience. That had organized and designed themselves whole ecologies could truly restore dam- argued for foraging for organisms from as into communities on the clear walls of the aged waters. many different wet and aquatic environ- tanks, in the presence of differing combina- ments as possible and seeding them into tions and concentrations of wastes and SUMMER OF CHANGE the tanks. This entailed gathering thou- nutrients, was unprecedented. She pre- The summer of 1988 changed all that. In sands of species. To do this we visited a dicted that it would take years to decode the town dump at Harwich on Cape Cod dozen or so local habitats that ranged from the information and the living architecture were yawning fetid lagoons where salt marshes to wet hollows in the woods, that was being revealed by the microscope. untreated wastes were stored. Tanker to kettle hole ponds, to farm animal wal- When I left her teaching laboratory after trucks dumped the residues from septic lows. From each of them we collected dif- talking with her, the excitement I felt was tanks, restaurants, institutions, and small ferent forms of life. incredible. I had seen Nature as ecological businesses directly into these open pits. At Then we began pumping the wastes from designer up close. times the smell was close to unbearable. the main cesspool lagoon into the first of The best news was yet to come. We sent The pits themselves lay in coarse, sandy the clear-sided tanks. At first we added only samples of the treated water from our soils. They were not lined. The soil was small volumes to give the system a chance water purification efforts to be tested by a extremely permeable, and the pits were sit- to adapt. My strategy was to avoid over- U. S. Environmental Protection Agency cer- uated directly above the drinking water whelming the life forms and give them a table of the town. I was horrified when I chance to adapt to the wastes. On the sur- continued on page 24

page 15 Spring 2001 DONOR SPOTLIGHT

“Our guiding principle is to John and Mary Frantz are arrange for our estate to self- destruct on the death of the innovators, travel addicts, second spouse. Meanwhile, having philanthropists, parents of explained this to our heirs, we three daughters, sea dispense some largesse while we are alive, making it obvious that kayakers, and former Peace we are worth more alive than Corps volunteers. They went dead, so our good health is more cordially hoped for.” when they were in their 40s with their daughters, to Afghanistan, where they hese sage words are taught in a small medical from John Frantz, who at 78 is a college. practicing internist at the T John is an alderperson for Monroe Clinic in Monroe, Wisconsin. John and his wife Mary, also a practicing the City of Monroe. Ever the internist, are long-time and innovative advocate for new ideas, donors to RMI. when an RMI staff member visited the Frantzes, John Just how far out of the box the Frantzes think was illustrated, John reminded me, invited the mayor and when several years ago RMI’s Treasurer, another alderman to his John and Mary Frantz Amory Lovins, called to ask if the couple house to hear about RMI’s wood-burning stove. They say their annual would consider a loan to RMI for capital Economic Renewal efforts. Monroe is heating bill for natural gas runs about $20. expenses at below market rate interest— losing several plants and businesses, so the The Frantzes tried three years running to something several dozen friends of the community is trying to figure out how to grow blueberries, but their soil wasn’t acid Institute have done over the years so we get new businesses to relocate there. enough and John wasn’t wild about adding can finance long-term items instead of Mary Frantz works about 20 hours a week, artificial stuff to it. So in the third year, they having them burden operating cashflow. John 20–30, at the Monroe Clinic. They dug down about four feet and lined the bed John said that he told Amory he and Mary always walk or bike the several blocks to with black plastic, put in drainage piping, would think about it and call him back. work. Mary has a second job: gardening for then filled it with 85 gallons of soil dug The next day John called Amory back with the Literacy Council and Planned from a pine forest. Not wanting to use a better idea: “How about if we loan you Parenthood. She knits while visiting and resources unnecessarily just to obtain the the money with no interest at all?” traveling. soil (like driving a car to collect it), John and Mary dug up soil and filled five-gallon That was several years ago, and today John Their arrangement with the clinic allows containers while on canoeing and hiking and Mary Frantz have made loans to RMI them plenty of time to travel. Already trips and brought the bucket home. After totaling $250,000, the legal limit, all planned for spring is a trip to Tasmania and each adventure, they added five gallons of without interest. New Zealand. soil to their new blueberry patch. “Interest-free loans to charity have also Both are avid readers, particularly in their Now, that’s a lot of hiking and canoeing! helped, because the increase on the amount medical specialty. John writes as well to loaned accrues to the charity and does not keep his mind supple, often challenging Amory called John and Mary, after this represent income to the lender,” writes accepted wisdom. His titles include: interest-free loan idea, the next year and John in an article entitled “Atypical Evolutionary Biology for Amateurs, Herbal asked if they had any other bright ideas. Thoughts on Taxes and Estate Planning.” Remedies from Elephants to Modern Man, (They did. They always do.) After all, even Since the Frantzes pioneered the idea, sev- Diet and Exercise, and A Family legendary researchers like Amory need eral other donors have provided interest-free Conversation about the Drug War. fresh views of the world when they can get loans to RMI for other capital improvements them. True RMItes, the Frantzes’ home is energy- to our buildings and equipment. efficient, with passive solar heat and a —Dale Levy page 16 EDITOR’S NOTE Change Is in the Air

e here at RMI are pointed out in The New York Times, these Cameron M. redefining our mission. In two leaders “accomplished nothing, simply Burns, Wthe new millennium, you’ll because global warming was too politically Editor see an RMI even more active in the corpor- painful to address head-on.” ate arena than before. We have set our- We see this as a time of opportunity, a time selves the task of making Natural Capitalism to prove that Natural Capitalism is so solid the central organizing principle of business a business ideal that Democrats and worldwide over the next five years. Republicans alike can grasp its goals. We Just a few weeks ago, George W. Bush was hope Natural Capitalism becomes the busi- Phillip deserved to work here more than sworn in as President. Some colleagues on ness model—the life model—for the new many of us, and certainly more than I. I the left side of the aisle are concerned, century. We hope it will also become a came to RMI because I was offered a job; especially when it comes to the President’s model for the Bush administration. Phillip would have come because he had environmental and energy policies. Finally, I want to mention Phillip Semmer. the desire to help the planet. After all, President Clinton was the most The saddest thing I’ve read lately is the They say that you learn from your elders; knowledgeable president the United States story of Phillip’s death. He was a bright and today, in writing about this remarkable ever had concerning global warming, and caring young man, between his last two young man, about half my age, I’ve gained former Vice President Al Gore was likely years at Northwestern University. Phillip more wisdom in the course of a few hours the most knowledgeable politician ever on hoped to work at RMI after graduation. than I have in the past few years. the subject. Yet, as Bill McKibben recently

Hearty Thanks To All ow! So many have sent by Dale Levy, Director of Development donations of $20, $40, Wand more within the last Many individuals decided in 2000 to take advantage of three months. Each contributor receives giving appreciated securities to RMI for two reasons: 1) three issues of RMI Solutions as a ben- savings of capital gains tax; and 2) tax deduction based on efit of RMI donorship, as announced in the current value of the gifted securities. our Fall/Winter 2000 issue. Many donors were able to transfer stock from their broker We have progressed from servicing a directly to RMI’s account at Charles Schwab. subscriber list to responding to those who actively support ■ Profound thanks to all those hundreds of individuals, RMI’s work and vision. If you are already a donor of $20 or foundations, and corporations who supported RMI’s activi- more, you don’t need to do anything except enjoy the ties in the year 2000. We are humbled by the generosity Newsletters. We thank you for your support! and creativity of our donors, from Holly Lewis and Neal If you are not currently a supporter of RMI, but enjoy McBurnett, who gave us an interest-free loan of $100,000 reading the Newsletter, either in print or online at which we used (at their suggestion) to repay higher- www.rmi.org, we encourage you to send a donation of at interest loans and generate savings that will fund a three- least $20. This will ensure that you receive RMI Solutions month intern, to Peak Experiences International, Inc., three times a year. Please use the enclosed envelope to which has a link on its company website to RMI’s website, send your contribution. to board member Adam Albright and his wife Rachel, who ■ “Please remind us late this year about the option of successfully challenged Board members to double their giving stock because that’s the way we want to give to RMI giving in 2000. . . . and because we can give more,” said a donor from If you have any questions about donations, feel free to Illinois in late December. write ([email protected]) or call, 970-927-3851.

page 17 Spring 2001 RMI NEWS

SM The two-day visit in January was a hectic RMI’s Hypercar “walk-through” audit of nine of Oberlin’s Resident Poet Pages Take sixty-six buildings and comprised nearly a Releases New Off quarter of the campus’s 2.4 million square feet of buildings. The purpose was to gain Book We’ve been pretty proud of our some insight into Oberlin’s cost-saving In September, New Issues Press pub- new HypercarSM pages on the RMI website, opportunities to improve the energy effi- lished Tactile but we had no idea exactly how popular ciency of its buildings, which account for Values, the first col- they’d become. Apparently so popular that about two-thirds of its total greenhouse lection of poems by they are now the eighth most visited por- emissions. RMI’s Development tion of www.rmi.org. Upon learning this, Associate, Mark we decided to add a news service to the Fueled by awful coffee and an ambitious Scott. Mark has site, “Recent HypercarSM News” schedule under a bleak midwestern sky, been with us since (www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid388.asp). Ken Wicker and Joanie Henderson did the lighting audit, Chris Lotspeich and RMI October 1998, The articles you’ll see posted in “Recent network consultant Ron Perkins crawled writing foundation Hypercar News” are collected by RMI staff around air handlers and mechanical rooms, grant proposals and reports. Mark, who from news sources around the world. They and Bill Browning and Ben Shepherd sur- holds a BA from the University of Colorado cover a broad range of alternative trans- veyed building shells. Holly Harlan (on loan and a PhD from Rutgers University, has had portation technology and fuel-related from WIRE-Net in Cleveland) covered ubiq- poems published in Poetry, The Paris issues, and—while these articles might not uitous plug loads, Doug Grant (from the Review, Raritan, and other journals. Among necessarily reflect the views or research consulting group TurboSteam) evaluated his early influences were E.E. Cummings, activities of RMI—they are certainly worth the museum-grade coal-fired steam plant, Dylan Thomas, and Gerard Manley reading for anyone interested in Hypercar, and Project Leader Rick Heede cracked the alternative fuels and fuel-cells, and trans- whip. portation in general. “The Oberlin staff have been gratifyingly supportive,” said Rick, “and we are excited NatCap Team about the many opportunities to improve Goes Back To energy services while lowering costs. We School are really stoked by our role in helping this historic college blaze a new path of climate In January, a team of RMItes responsibility in the 21st Century.” visited Oberlin College in Ohio to start Phase 2 of the “Oberlin: Climate Neutral by 2020” project that our old friend David RMI In the Orr initiated. He hired RMI’s Climate Army Now Services (with financial support from the Educational Foundation of America) to This winter, RMI’s Research Hopkins. The lyric poems in Tactile Values and Consulting team delivered Natural evaluate the technical and economic feasi- explore various senses of the word Capitalism training to a group of Army envi- bility of achieving net zero emissions of “touch”—one of the longer entries in the ronmental managers assigned to U.S. Army greenhouse gases by 2020 and help smooth Oxford English Dictionary—and the Forces Command (FORSCOM) facilities. the way for the College’s realization of this curious interplay between speech and “bleeding-edge” objective. Phase 1 focused FORSCOM installations, like Fort Stewart, touch. The book ($14) can be ordered from on determining the College’s greenhouse Georgia, and Fort Hood, Texas, are typi- amazon.com, any independent bookseller, gas emissions, carefully setting the system’s cally large communities of tens of thou- or Mark ([email protected]). boundaries, and gathering reams of data. sands of soldiers living and training on large

page 18 military bases. These facilities have a major environmental, economic, and social The Road impact in the communities where they are Worth Taking located. The managers, who work at Army by Amanda Ayres installations across the United States, were gathered at a workshop in New Orleans in As one of the last remaining open spaces in the Roaring Fork Valley, the the property. Other significant improve- December. 957-acre Windstar Land Conservancy rep- ments in erosion control were also made, Karl Rábago and Huston Eubank spent two resents a diversity of ecosystems and serves including the construction of 35 hay-bale days with the group teaching the principles as vital habitat for wildlife. Now it is poised checkdams on the upland, highly erodable and concepts of Natural Capitalism. The to become a center of environmental edu- Mancos shale slopes. This area was also environmental managers will be developing cation in the local community. In seeded to revegetate and stabilize it. new environmental management plans that December 1996, RMI, with the help of In summer 2000, we drafted an integrated we hope will incorporate RMI’s best over 1,600 supporters, completed the pur- weed management plan that will employ thinking on sustainability. Karl, who spent chase of the Windstar land. RMI then part- grazing with goats, cutting, pulling, and 13 years in the Army, and Huston, who nered with The Windstar Foundation to other methods. The first phase of a major spent four and a half years in the Navy, create a new nonprofit organization—The wetland revegatation plan was also com- were quite at home with group, and Windstar Land Conservancy—which pleted in summer 2000. With the help of enjoyed the challenge. Their training mod- placed a conservation easement on the land volunteer groups, more than 20,000 trees, ules included an overview of Natural to protect it from development in perpe- grasses, and forbs were planted in what Capitalism and detailed presentations on tuity. Now that the property is protected, a was, and will soon be again, a rare alpine energy, water, green development, resource major effort is underway to restore the land wetland along the valley floor. efficiency, and community issues. to its original productive condition. Advised Most recently we have begun using a In addition, Karl and Huston led the group by a distinguished scientific panel, a long- working computer map (Geographic through a process that developed a solution term management plan was completed in Information System) for the land that will to a hypothetical problem, itself designed to 1997, providing guidance for the restora- help bring more information and less con- bring all the concepts together. By all tion program. jecture to the restoration process. Also, in accounts, the training session was a great RMI launched into parts of the restoration summer 2001, we will be building a two- success, with Karl and Huston feeling they program immediately upon acquisition of mile interpretive nature trail with a grant learned as much as they taught. Several the property. Land Steward Paul Buch and from Aspen Skiing Company’s Environment new Natural Capitalists were born! Karl was the land management team really got active Foundation. We will also implement a pro- even re-acquainted with one now-retired in 2000 with the financial support of many gram of holistic, intensive grazing to Army Colonel who manages environmental individuals and groups. The existing pond reclaim damaged pastureland, and will con- issues for Fort Lewis, Washington, whom was dredged, removing approximately tinue with the wetland revegatation. he had known while they were both on 20,000 cubic yards of soil and increasing active duty at Fort Polk, Louisiana. As always, visitors are welcome at the the depth from six inches to fifteen feet in Conservancy to learn about our projects some areas. The soil from the pond was and enjoy the beautiful land. The ongoing used to fill in old, unused irrigation chan- restoration work enables us to educate visi- nels bordering the valley floor. Doing this tors to restoration’s ability to protect critical will restore much of the high alpine wet- ecosystems and open spaces. And it makes land that once filled the valley. We also the land a fitting memorial to two dear installed a highly efficient underground irri- friends—Windstar founder John Denver gation system that allows us to reduce ero- and Land Manager David Tice. sion while bringing water to more areas on

page 19 Spring 2001 FROZEN ASSETS continued from page 3 around 235 mpg (not a typo). Beyond such long, four-foot diameter pipe over some of dows, like the 1983 models that have let straightforward improvements are the stun- the most rugged terrain on the planet, us harvest 27 banana crops inside RMI’s ning advances in fuel-cell cars, now slated you’d want to see it kept busy for as long headquarters with no furnace. Super- for 2003–05 production by eight main- as possible too. But that business logic com- windows also make buildings more com- stream automakers. The chairs of four promises national energy security. In 1981, fortable and cheaper to construct. These major oil companies have already acknowl- we authored a study for the Pentagon are just two examples of hundreds of avail- edged the start of the oil endgame and the called Brittle Power: Energy Strategy for able efficiency options. In 1989, RMI dawning of the Hydrogen Age. National Security, which concluded that added up all the main U.S. efficiency By combining fuel cells with sleek, carbon- the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was options then available (automobiles, build- fiber body materials, the start-up company among the gravest threats to U.S. energy ings, industries—everything). The total was Hypercar, Inc. has designed a spacious, security. It still is, and Refuge oil would equivalent nowadays to 54 Refuges’ worth uncompromised concept car that offers make it more so. of oil, at one-sixth the cost. everything you’d find in a midsize sport TAPS’ operator notes with pride that utility vehicle, but uses 82% less fuel. (For “without this vital link … the entire nation MOBILITY WITHOUT OIL more on Hypercar, Inc., see page 4.) A full would be affected.” All too true, alas: TAPS New technologies for saving energy are cre- 1999 U.S. fleet of such efficient vehicles carries 18% of domestic oil. And if its flow ating opportunities faster than the old ones would save 42 Refuges’ worth of oil. were redoubled with Refuge oil, it would are used up—just like the technologies of Ultimately, globally, they’d save all the oil bring about as much oil to American finding and extracting oil, only faster. OPEC now sells. refineries as the Strait of Hormuz does now. Energy efficiency is outpacing oil produc- Hydrogen-powered fuel-cell vehicles could But of these two chokepoints, TAPS is tion so quickly that even cheap oil is simply also serve as portable power stations. A full worse: it has no alternative route, and is becoming uncompetitive. In the not too fleet of them, when parked (about 96% of easy to disrupt but hard to fix. Disruption distant future, we won’t need expensive oil the time), would have enough generating of any key point in midwinter, when it because oil, for the most part, won’t be in capacity to displace the world’s coal and can’t be mended, would cause its waxy oil, demand. That’s especially likely because nuclear power plants 5–10 times over. over some weeks, to cool, stop flowing, the biggest efficiency gains are now tar- They could help pay for themselves and congeal into a nine-million-barrel, 800- geted at oil’s biggest user—cars. through electricity sales, while halting up mile-long candle. The average new American car last year to two-thirds of climate change. As fuel-cell The pipeline has uniquely vulnerable facili- might have been the highest expression of pioneer Geoffrey Ballard, Shell Hydrogen ties at both ends. In between, over half its the Iron Age, but its 24-mpg efficiency CEO Don Huberts, and ex-Saudi Oil length is aboveground, accessible, and (says rating tied for a 20-year low. The auto Minister Sheikh Yamani successively the Army) indefensible. It’s already been industry can do better, and is starting to. remarked, the Stone Age did not end tampered with, shot at, and bombed twice Briskly selling hybrid-electric cars now because the world ran out of stones, and but incompetently. (The Oklahoma City include a Corolla-class 48-mpg five-seater the Oil Age will not end because the world and USS Cole bombers were busy else- and a CRX-class 67-mpg two-seater. An runs out of oil. where.) A technician accidentally blew up American light vehicle fleet as efficient as a non-critical pumping station in 1979. those Toyota Priuses or Honda Insights THE INSECURITY OF NORTH Why on earth would the United States would respectively save gasoline equivalent SLOPE OIL want to create another Strait of Hormuz? to the average output of 26 or 33 Refuges’ A further argument for drilling in the One is quite enough. worth of crude oil. Refuge has been to make full use of the General Motors, Ford, and DaimlerChrysler Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), likely TAPS’S RETIREMENT PLAN? have already tested family sedans that to keep running at half-capacity through at Even if a kinder, gentler world were achieve 72–80 mpg, now headed towards least 2008 as declining Prudhoe Bay output assured, TAPS’s clock is still ticking. The production. For those who prefer small city is offset by new oil from other North Slope 23-year-old pipeline—now well into middle cars, VW is already selling a 78-mpg model fields outside the Refuge. If you’d spent $8 age and nearing its originally intended in Europe and plans a 2003 version at billion (in 1977 dollars) for an 800-mile- retirement age—hasn’t aged gracefully. page 20 FROZEN ASSETS HYPERCAR NAT CAP CONSUMER

continued from page 5 continued from page 7 Corrosion, erosion, and the sheer stress of pumping gooier oil are taking their toll. Hypercar, Inc. recently hired Peggy on the list. Well-run, lean manufacturers Accidents seem to be rising. Last April, a Corcillo as CFO and Sandy Selman as get their values from their customers and pressure hammer moved the pipe 23 Senior Vice President of Finance. produce only when their customers pull. inches, a serious event that went unnoticed Hypercar, Inc. is a technology develop- Large customers (government or business) for almost a month. In July, a quarter-ton, ment company that intends to license its can have dramatic effect. It wasn’t an indi- four-feet-across, two-inch-thick steel valve intellectual property and engineering serv- vidual refrigerator purchaser that shocked ring was stretched into an oval by acciden- ices to other automotive suppliers and Electrolux, the world’s largest appliance tally being dragged through the pipeline for automakers. The team at Hypercar, Inc. is maker, onto its ground-breaking environ- 400 miles. Then, in October, unsupervised a leader in the revolution shaking the mental path—it was a major commercial workers set off a spark that could easily largest industry in the world. Ultimately, refrigeration customer that decided it have blown up the Valdez oil terminal at simply wasn’t going to use CFCs any longer the pipeline’s south end. and so wouldn’t buy from Electrolux’s com- Federal studies of TAPS’s maintenance and mercial division until it offered products life expectancy will guide possible renewal with substitutes. You never know when of its original 30-year permits, due to expire your decision will change a global com- in 2004. But Refuge oil couldn’t start pany’s strategy. flowing until nearly 2010. By the time it Electrolux has begun experimenting with peaked in 2030–40, the pipeline would be providing in-home “washing machine serv- SM 53–63 years old. When Refuge oil tapered Hypercar is almost off the drawing board. ices” to customers in Sweden as part of its off, the pipeline would be nearing its cente- corporate environmental program. nary. Does this sound like a prudent way to vehicles traceable to its lineage will save Electrolux charges customers by the wash, deliver something supposedly so vital to as much oil as OPEC now sells, decouple and provides the machine, the electricity, national security? road transport from climate and air and the detergent. This system gives the When scrutinized from every perspective quality, and provide enough plug-in fuel- firm an incentive to design maximum effi- besides environment—energy security, eco- cell generating capacity when parked to ciency into its machines—both efficiency of nomic fundamentals, technological displace the world’s coal and nuclear operation and maintenance, and remanu- advance, the financial soundness of the power plants many times over. The facturing or recyclability. We hope that domestic energy industry—Arctic Refuge adventure continues. other major goods and services providers oil is a risk the nation can’t afford. Its bene- will create similar pilot projects and get fits could be achieved by tapping just a few comfortable with this new paradigm. percent of the proven energy efficiency For further information on Hypercar, Electrolux has recently become the first to reserves—the cheaper, faster alternatives Inc., please visit www.hypercar.com. certify the environmental attributes of that are becoming the market success sto- General information on the Hypercar appliances with a third party—the Swedish ries of the 21st Century. These alternatives concept and history are at Environmental Management Council (see offer economic security and competitive www.rmi.org under Transportation. www.environdec.com). However, until advantage, immunity to price shocks and Click on Hypercar Center. Hypercar is publicly available life-cycle assessment supply manipulations, and environmental a service mark of Rocky Mountain becomes consistent and widespread, pur- benefits rather than costs. Institute. chasers will benefit from broader guide- If any oil exists under the Arctic Wildlife lines, such as Natural Capitalism Principles Refuge, its best, safest, and most economic combined with existing investor and con- use will be forever holding up the ground sumer evaluation services. under America’s last great wildland. continued on next page

page 21 Spring 2001 THE NAT CAP CONSUMER continued from previous page to make their preferences known, that can ment goals. Second, and perhaps more Because businesses and governments have lay a primary foundation for efforts which important, is whether the company has enormous purchasing power, as well as the bring Natural Capitalism to supply chains. specific environmental performance goals it power to design products that restore Therefore, part of RMI’s supply chain man- will publicly report progress towards. rather than damage natural capital, RMI’s agement tool is a simple survey allowing Finally, ask yourself if you are seeing signs Natural Capitalism Practice has devised a companies to assess a supplier’s approach to of a truly comprehensive approach; if not, whole-system supply chain management using natural capital without requiring the company is probably doing only what’s tool to ease the implementation process. them to know Natural Capitalism necessary to survive instead of taking the Supply chain environmental management is Principles (see box, pg. 7). This same set of environmental leadership role that leading increasingly important since many manu- questions can be used by individuals to businesses embrace. guide their own consumer choices and let “If Americans really product providers know they care about Rate Your Supplier’s our rapidly diminishing natural capital. NatCap IQ: want to buy smart, Responsible product choices revolve around Run the following requests by your sup- two issues: one, who the manufacturer is, plier if you’re a business, or your we’d do well to emu- and where the manufacturing takes place; provider if you’re an individual consumer. late the Germans.” and two, the product’s or service’s natural The responses will provide a pretty clear and human capital impacts throughout its picture of whether the company is taking pro-active steps to preserve and restore lifecycle. Purchases from corporate heavy- natural capital and be globally competi- weights can be quickly, if imperfectly, facturers are “farming out” assembly opera- tive. The supplier doesn’t need to be checked through investor-related evalua- tions to a few major suppliers, reducing the familiar with the Natural Capitalism tions like the Dow Jones Sustainability model to respond, but may need a basic total number of suppliers to cut costs and Index or Portfolio 21 business sustainability definition of natural capital. These hassle. Whether a circuit board manufac- screens. Try to purchase from only the top- queries go to the heart of a supplier’s turer in Vietnam uses environmentally- intent and actual performance. ranked companies in each industry. Be sure sound practices will be largely determined to tell the businesses you are avoiding why Please provide evidence of: by whether the circuit board buyer, they’re being shunned. But beware: this ■ A publicly announced company policy. working for the brand name that you recog- convenient selection system runs the risk of ■ nize and can influence with your dollar A corporate-wide system to implement endorsing the best of a mediocre group. the policy. votes and letters, demands it. So be sure ■ that you communicate your desires. Going a bit deeper, the Council on Adequate resources and top-manage- Economic Priorities has rated approxi- ment involvement. Businesses are under constant pressure to mately 300 major corporations for three decrease their operating costs, and supply Regarding the following: decades, giving out report cards on disclo- chain management is no exception. E-com- ■ Maximizing the productivity of energy sure, environment, minority and female and materials; merce is a tantalizing means for businesses advancement, workplace, family benefits, to find quickly and efficiently global low-bid ■ Aligning company operations with and charitable giving practices. Other natural systems, specifically reductions suppliers of the products they need, guides can be found through linkage serv- or elimination of toxics and reducing/ whether it’s office paper or silver ingots. ices such as www.buygreen.com. reusing/recycling of waste; However, this efficiency may compromise ■ Check the website of the company for its Structuring of supplier and customer efforts of responsible companies to purchase relationships to reward materials/ environmental policy, goals, innovations, from environmentally, or socially respon- energy productivity and reduce toxics, sible vendors. The higher transaction costs and general attitude. One quick way to waste, and customer liabilities; read between the “green” lines is to of responsible purchasing must be justified ■ Sustaining, restoring, and expanding by a strong business case. If the customers examine whether the vendor has an envi- stocks of essential natural capital. of the final product care and take the time ronmental policy clearly recognizing Natural Capitalism or sustainable develop- page 22 THE NAT CAP CONSUMER GDS IN EUROPE

continued from page 10 For products—such as appliances—that consume energy, water, and materials while what was once considered a liability into The trend towards compact, well-defined providing their services, up to 90 percent of an art form. For instance, at the mixed- villages and urban areas, coupled with the products’ total lifecycle environmental use development Prisma in Nürnberg, obvious love and respect lavished on the impact can be the inputs it requires to Studio Dreiseitl uses small waterfalls in open, green spaces in between, was an operate. Buying an efficient device will beautiful art-glass enclosures to pull out- especially compelling theme for smart- often save many dollars in the near future side air into the building. The water growth advocates. This was not uni- and send an unmistakable vote for products cleanses and humidifies incoming air, versal, but when encountered it was that minimize impacts. while the relatively constant temperature much appreciated. In an expression of If Americans really want to buy smart, of the ground water cools it. frustration stemming from our U.S. expe- we’d do well to emulate the Germans. A high percentage of projects we visited rience of unchecked sprawl, we practi- According to Blue Angel (Blauer Engel), a were capped with green roofs (rooftop cally wore out our cameras taking broad alliance of German social and eco- gardens). Limited buildable area in pictures of well-designed projects . nomic institutions has recently pledged to Europe has been a driving force for years, In general, Europeans seem to under- work together to introduce “permanent” so many brownfield properties are being stand better and employ more regularly sustainable consumption (see www.blauer- reclaimed. We visited a variety of projects the principles of integrated design, engel.de/Englisch/index.htm). A similar in the enormous IBA Emscher Park recla- whole-systems thinking, smart growth, U.S. movement based on Natural mation project stretching approximately and life-cycle costing. The conventional Capitalism principles would stimulate 60 miles along the Ruhr River. wisdom is that Europeans expect and are major leaps forward toward responsible While much excellent research on indoor willing to spend more for higher quality purchasing and consumption patterns. RMI air quality and low impact materials and longer life in their buildings. We cer- looks forward to joining others to create comes from Europe, we were struck by tainly saw evidence supporting these such a movement in the United States. several disconnects. In one naturally ven- higher quality expectations. We are part of the way there already. Two- tilated building we noticed distracting The reasons for these important differ- thirds of U.S. consumers (according to a levels of street noise, automobile exhaust, ences are neither clear nor simple. 1999 study cited in Business Week) would and cigarette smoke from the exterior. In Debate about them is feeding ongoing switch to a brand or company backing a another we choked on paint fumes in a discussion, research, and presentations as good cause if price and quality were equal. freshly painted stairwell. One highly we try to determine the value of the The Wirthlin Report (1999) found that 56% innovative and conscientious environ- many ideas we saw demonstrated. Who’s of Americans are sympathetic to environ- mental engineer we visited challenged more efficient? Why? Which parts are mental concerns while only 4% say they are the “American focus on materials,” as if they especially good at? Can we get “unsympathetic.” People around the world water and energy were the only issues. better at those parts? dislike waste, want to leave a viable planet Europeans harvest wind energy in a big Most importantly, how can we combine for their children, and understand that we way. Clusters of wind turbines as large as the best of European practice with our aren’t close to being sustainable now. With one megawatt spin beautifully and best to provide valuable new insights into luck (and the hard work that creates it), silently in all the countries we visited, green development? We are continuing Natural Capitalism may one day become often with modern turbines adjacent to to work on it, reinvigorated by our expe- the basis for a majority of consumer ancient windmills in a natural evolution riences on this incredible trip. choices, big and small, near and far, organi- of the technology. zational and individual.

page 23 Spring 2001 JOHN TODD: WATER DOCTOR continued from page 15 tified laboratory and awaited the results. most of the metals had been stored. They knew then that, in the long run, the purifi- They were better than we had dared hope. have an affinity for—tend to stick to and be cation of waters would not come about incorporated into—algal mat communities through mechanical, or chemical, or nar- that formed on the tank walls. If our tanks rowly-based biological approaches or tech- at Harwich had not been clear-sided, the nologies. The transformations of the Earth’s algal mats would not have formed and we waters could only come about through a might have been less effective at removing new human partnership with Nature. This metals. Thanks to my contained ecosys- partnership would consciously substitute tems, I was learning fast. the ecological information and intelligence We further learned that coliform bacterial that is housed within the plants, animals, counts, which are indicators of human and microbes, for today’s energy-, chemical-, sewage contamination, plummeted from and hardware-intensive technologies. the tens of millions in the beginning to The Harwich experience changed me for- fewer than two hundred counts in the ever. I felt less helpless in the face of the Harwich Facilities operator Ruth Ann Fletcher with one of the many effluent from our system. We were environmental crises caused by contempo- water samples. achieving water standards for bacteria rary society’s lack of respect for the natural photo: John Todd collection above swimming standards. Other nutri- world and all the non-human beings with After eleven days in the system, the water ents, including nitrogen, were also reduced which we share the Earth. I became confi- flowing out the far end of our ecological to very low levels. In fact, most nutrient dent that there is an alternative path to the technology was incredibly clean. The pri- levels of our effluent met advanced waste- present industrial/technological mindset. I ority organic pollutants had been a hundred water standards. Receiving this data was knew that the sustainable paradigm must percent removed—with one exception, made all the sweeter knowing that it was be ecological and all-encompassing. which was 99.9 percent eliminated. The our first attempt to work with high-strength Perhaps most importantly, I learned that it heavy metals that had entered in high con- and toxic wastes. is possible to do good things in bad places. centrations had been sequestered some- By late that fall, as the first experiment at And that for me was a start. where within the system and were absent the Harwich dump was ending, I found the from the effluent or final product. After sev- insight for which I had been searching. I eral years of research, we learned where

New RMI Staff RMI has recently added a number of new people to the staff. Pictured at right are (clockwise from lower left): Julie Jacob, Ken Wicker, Eliza Eubank, Amanda Ayres, Jill Randall, Randi Lowenthal, Chris Page, Jessica Hood, Dale Levy, Cameron Burns, David Payne, Kate Parrot, Thammy Evans, Joanie Henderson, and Ben Boyd.

page 24 A LETTER FROM OZ BOARD SPOTLIGHT continued from page 9

Minister of Environment and Heritage, the Michael Edesess Hon. Rod Welford (for whom Amory and I RMI Board Chair had established a deep appreciation during our July visit), aim to transform Brisbane How to reconcile a fascination with just opened in Golden, Colorado (now the into a world-renowned hub of sustainable technology with the desire to preserve wild National Renewable Energy Laboratory). business practice and know-how. They’re nature? There he became one of the few world spe- focusing on Natural Capitalism for inspira- Like many of us associated with RMI, cialists in salt-gradient solar ponds. tion and practical advice. Board Chair Michael Edesess spent his He returned to investments, maintaining a Who can go to Queensland without getting early years roaming wild places and appre- side interest in energy, environment, and out in the bush, if only for a weekend? My ciating both nature’s perfect design and international development. In 1995, he friend Frank Barram, of Integrated Energy people’s place within it—in his case, he was a co-founder of a new firm, Lockwood Services, kindly offered me a trip to Fraser spent his youth hiking, winter moun- Financial Group, which continues to grow, Island, a four-hour drive north of Brisbane, taineering, and rock climbing in New and recently (“finally,” he says) became to see one of his stand-alone electric instal- Hampshire’s White Mountains. profitable. lations powering a small resort in this After earning a Ph.D. in mathematics in Because of these dual backgrounds, arcing 100-by-20-km island National Park. 1971, Edesess expected to head toward the Michael’s activities have ranged from The island is also a World Heritage site for hard sciences or technology, but they writing on the stock market in The Wall its remarkable “perched lakes.” Freshwater “seemed to have only negative conse- Street Journal and appearing on CNBC, to lakes are possible in this and a few other quences, like bombing people back to the spearheading projects in Brazil to process sandy islands in the world due to the thick layer of compressed organic material (rem- nants of rainforest detritus) underlying the island. Hence dozens of clear (although some are tea-colored from the leaching of organics) lakes abound between the rain- forest-clad dunes in the center of the island, and water is either seeping or running in creeks across the thundering beach. The 1933 wreck of the Maheno, the “champagne” tide pools, scrawny dingoes, and a heart-soaring white sea eagle topped off my visual experiences. There are no roads, but Australians, like us Westerners, love to blaze off-road trails, much to the chagrin of conservation-minded Michael Edesess Queenslanders. Australia showed me a lot of wonderful Stone Age and polluting rivers,” he says. nuts and fruits in small Amazonian villages. things, but my visit confirmed perhaps the “So I took a job applying mathematics to But he still remains an avid hiker, mountain most important element of what we do one of the softest of ‘sciences,’ namely climber, and cross-country skier. here at RMI: to create change, you need a finance and investment.” “Chairing the RMI Board sure helps the culture and a nation that agrees with your But soon, driven by a desire to find a way reconciliation process,” Michael said. “The message, and wants to be influenced. In to use technology to preserve and improve Institute is in the business of reconciling Australians, I think we’ve found both. the environment, Edesess took a job at the technology with the environment and is, Solar Energy Research Institute, which had perhaps, the foremost leader in it.”

page 25 Spring 2001 INSTITUTE SUPPORTERS RMISolutions RMI Solutions is published three times a year and distributed to more than 20,000 GENERAL SUPPORT DONORS readers in the United States and through- out the world. Our sincere appreciation Maxwell O.B. Caulkins The Philanthropic Collaborative, Inc. ©2001 Rocky Mountain Institute, all is offered to these friends Yvon Chouinard Vera C. Pratt rights reserved. who have contributed to Sandy & Albert Christensen Caroline & Nelson B. Robinson RMI between 1 September David Cole Diana & Jonathan F.P.Rose and 31 December 2000. Letters to the Arthur & Barbara M. Crocker Sarah & Edwin M. Roth Numbers in parentheses Editor Mary & Myron Curzan Susan & W. Ford Schumann indicate multiple dona- We want to hear your comments, criti- tions. Please let us know Earth Share Arent H. Schuyler Jr. cism, or praise. Please address all corre- if your name has been Michael Edesess & Dyan Zaslowsky Abigail Seixas & Mark Horowitz omitted or misspelled so Environment Foundation Andrew Shaw spondence to: it can be corrected in the Fanwood Foundation Adele Simmons Editor next issue. Marshall Field Alice & Fred Stanback Rocky Mountain Institute The Justin Brooks Fisher Foundation Bradford G. Stanback 1739 Snowmass Creek Road BENEFACTORS Fox Family Foundation & Shelli Lodge-Stanback Snowmass, CO 81654-9199 $10,000+ G.A.G. Charitable Corporation, Inc. Donald Strachan (970) 927-3851 Allen-Heath Memorial Foundation Donna & Bernard E. Grauer Cathie Sullivan fax: (970) 927-3420 Mary I. Caulkins Jerry Greenfield & Elizabeth Skarie Paulett & Ganson P.Taggart The Coca-Cola Company [email protected] Hildegarde & Hunter Hannum Elizabeth & Michael J.Thele The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation www.rmi.org John Hirschi Fund of Wichita Falls Andrew Tobias Environmental Protection Agency Area Community Foundation Bill Turner, in honor of Joe Turner About the Institute Vira I. Heinz Endowment The Thomas D. Hormel Trust Joanna Underwood Rocky Mountain Institute is an entrepre- J.M. Kaplan Fund, Inc. Stephen H. Johnson Charles Veley neurial nonprofit organization that fosters The Kleh Family Foundation Robert E. Jones Betty,Tom,& Justin K.Wagner Susan & Doug Linney Sara & Bill Joy James V.Walzel the efficient and restorative use of Amory Lovins Moira & Ward T.Kane Christopher K.Watson resources to create a more secure, pros- Office of Naval Research Erin & Gordon K. Kapes Stephen F.Wilder, perous, and life-sustaining world. The Cissy Patterson Foundation Charles Kaplan in memory of Eric Konheim Our staff show corporations, communi- The Prentice Foundation, Inc. Brian Williams Inga & Nicholas J. Karolides ties, individuals, and governments how Jane Sharp-MacRae Kautz Family Foundation David Douglas Wilson & Duncan MacRae & Melody Wilder to create more wealth and employment, Kathi M. Kerr, protect and enhance natural and human Turner Foundation, Inc. in memory of Frances D. Kerr John B.Wing and in honor of John Denver Suzanne & R. James Woolsey capital, increase profit and competitive PATRONS Colleen & Bud Konheim, advantage, and enjoy many other bene- $1,000–$9,999 in memory of Eric Konheim SPONSORS $100–$999 fits—largely by doing what they do more Anonymous (5) Ann M. Lawler Anonymous (12) efficiently. A Charitable Trust - Agent 36 Elaine & Robert Le Buhn Joan Abrahamson Our work is independent, nonadversarial, The Airport Business Center Charles W. Lemke & Jonathan Aronson Foundation Ann Lennartz Peter B.Adler and transideological, with a strong Joshua I.Arnow Diane Leonard-Senge & Peter Senge Dorothy & David S.Allen emphasis on market-based solutions. The Edward L. Bakewell, Jr. Susan & Arthur S. Lloyd Henry E.Allen Founded in 1982, Rocky Mountain Family Foundation Christine Loh Daniel Alpert Institute is a §501(c)(3) /509(a)(1) public Currie & Tom Barron Hunter Lovins Amfac Parks & Resorts charity. It has a staff of approximately 45 Annie & Mac Stewart Bell Dr. and Mrs. John R.Anderson Laura P.Maggos full-time, 48 total. The Institute focuses Betsy Brown Mr. and Mrs. Henry P.McIntosh, IV Stuart H.Anderson its work in several main areas—business Susanne B.Bush Barbara Mitchell, M.D. Susan & John Anderson practices, climate, community economic Nancy & Robert H. Campbell & Robert Boyar Dorothy H.Anderson Marion E. Cass & Stephen J.Doig Kevin J. Moriarity Prof. Clinton J.Andrews development, energy, real-estate develop- Caulkins Family Foundation Theodore Papalexopoulos Peter Andreyuk ment, security, transportation, and John N. Caulkins Louise & William Pape AR7 Hoover Desmond Architects water—and carries on international out- David I. Caulkins Peninsula Community Foundation Lloyd Arnold reach and technical-exchange programs. page 26 The Sandler Family DONOR SPOTLIGHT Supporting Foundation Challenge Grant

Herb Sandler and his family can be a pretty chal- lenging group. But we like them that way. Last April Herb and Marion and their son Jim and his wife Gretchen visited RMI and apparently liked what they saw. So in June, they extended to RMI a challenge grant through the Sandler Family Supporting Foundation. The Sandlers challenged RMI to raise $200,000 from new donors of $10,000 or more during calendar year 2000. If we could meet that goal, then Herb and his family would match that From left to right: Directors of the Sandler Family Supporting Foundation are Alan Stein, Phyllis Cook, Susan Sandler, Jim amount with an additional $100,000. Sandler, Marion Sandler, Herb Sandler, and Robert Friend. Of course, everything we do at RMI is a challenge of some kind By 28 December, our total toward the challenge was $185,000, or other, but this one was important in another way. It made us just $15,000 shy of the $200,000 goal. With only two working go out and find people who believe our work is compelling days before the deadline, a like-minded soul, Eric McCallum of enough to donate $10,000. We were very pleased at the results. Anchorage, Alaska, learned the status of our efforts and, with his After a long chat with Amory, Josh Mailman from New York City wife Robin Smith, immediately committed $16,000—enough to contributed $50,000; the Overbrook Foundation, also in New meet Herb’s challenge. We even had a little breathing room to York City, learned of our new work in Brazil, and made a first- spare. Whew! time donation of $50,000. Likewise, the Washington DC-based Our sincerest thanks go to these five donors, who helped RMI Summit Foundation made a first-time foundation grant of meet the wonderful Sandler Family Supporting Foundation chal- $75,000, also for RMI’s work in Brazil. Atlanta-based Coca-Cola lenge, and we look forward to more challenges that might be Company donated $10,000. dreamed up in the coming year.

Barbara A.Askin & J. Kevin Roche Mr. and Mrs.Allen L. Boorstein Jean & John B.Cobb Jr. Dale Djerassi Arthur H.Atkinson, Jean Booth Pieretti Hilary & John Cole Christopher Donahue in memory of Ken Atkinson David W. Bostrom Sy Coleman Trudy Dujardin Arthur A.Atkinson Laurie A. Brittain Anita & Taylor Collings Mrs. Charles B. Edison, Jill & Walt Auburn Sheila & Brian Brown Ferdinand Colloredo-Mansfeld in honor of Farley Sheldon Thomas Babcock William D. Browning, George Comstock & Anne Hillman Brian Edwards Catherine Badgley in memory of David Tice George Allen Cook Priscilla Elder & Robert M. Lorenzen II Walter S. Baer & Jeri L.Weiss Shelley Burke Anne S. Cooke Thomas D. Erickson Edward M. Bakwin Louise & Thomas G. Burns Jonathan Corbet & Laura Compagnoni Jane & John E. Fisher Judith Barnard & Michael Fain Stephen Burns Janet & William Cordua Ted Flanigan & Pam Wicks Jacque Battle & David Frank William D. Busick Brownlee Cote Donald J. Fleisher E. Richard Baugh & Jane C.Avera-Baugh Barbara & David Butler Dr. Ewen Coxworth Elizabeth Fleming Carol & William Beale Julie & Peter Butler Cathryn & Thomas F.Crum Nancy E. Flint Greene & Joseph W. Greene Jonathan Becker Nancy & Harry Byrd Lisa & Daniel Culhane Karen Florini David & Ruth Becker, Judith A. Byrns & Joe L. Bergquist Gregory W. Cumberford in honor of Jon Becker & Lynn Israel Joan & Rob Carne & Katie Sue Birchenough Penney Floyd & Chuck Lakin Cecelia & William A. Bennett Barbara & Bruce N. Carney Beth Dalton Gloria & Robert F.Fox Kathleen Beranek Ralph Cavanagh & Deborah Rhodes Julie & John S. Daniel John C. Fox Carol Bertucci Spindler Bruce M. Chetty Beth & Jon Paul Davidson Josephine K. Fox & Henry Carlton Spindler John Andrew Chewning Martha Davis Martha & Ralph E. Frede Sandra & Archie L. Bickling Dan Chiras Mary Alice DeBolt Karen Marie Fredrickson William C. Blake Heidi J. Christiansen Thelma & Ernie Delmonte Karen Freedman Roger E.Weisberg Daniel M. Blankstein Atlee F.Clapp Design Group Architects Judi & Louis A. Friedman Joan & Kevin Bockman Anne K. Clare Robert H. Dickson, Jr. Fred Fritschel & Carol R. Langner

page 27 Spring 2001 Colleen & R. C. Frojen Donald R. Houze Lynn Marek & Richard Stout Jean & James F.Pletcher Edith Mary & Williamson W. Fuller Deborah & Fisher Howe Miriam & William A. Marshall Dale L. Ponikvar, Walter Ganz Eric W. Howland & Julianna Shaull Dale Mason in memory of Eric Konheim Robert H. Gardiner, Jr. James B. Huffman Karen & Steven L. Mast Harriet & Edward Everett Post Gardner Family Foundation William A Hughes, Susan & Robert J. McCarty Simone & William B. Potter Elizabeth Geise Dale & W. Norris Dale, Jr. in memory of John Denver Elizabeth Anne McCleary Dr. and Mrs. Robert H. Potts Jr. Karen & Kendall A. Gerdes Margaret & William D. Hummon & W. Michael Fagen Rebecca R. Pritchard Marian & A. Robert Gerecke, Jr. James Hunt Jean & Joel E. McCormack Helen & Daniel J. Quinn Ray V.D. Gerhart Sandra & David W. Hunter Roger McDaniel & Joan F.Morgan Frances M. Rehwald Helmut Gieben Michael P.Hydro Ira & Nion McEvoy Andrea & Kelly Reiman Theresa & Ben Gleason John Irwin J. Michael McGean Sharon Kay Ricketts Rebecca Gmucs & Jonathan Howard Dana Jackson Laurie McMillan Thomas F.Riesing Cheryl & Steve Goldenberg Dennis Johnson, Warren McNaughton Kathleen & Marc Ringel in honor of Agnes L. Johnson Mr. and Mrs. Roger A. Goldman, Brian T.McNeice Linda L. Ritter in memory of Eric Konheim Roger L. Johnson & Jennifer M. Ramstetter Anita E. Russel Cynthia & Frank Goldsmith Diane & Kurt Johnston Linda & Jonathan A. Menkis Monica L. Russell Barbara A. & Howard N. Goldsmith Florence & R. Michael Jones Annette Mercer & Alexis P.Wieland Frank Russell Richard H. Goodwin Maggie Jones Shelly & Jay G. Merriam Ann Marie & Gary D. Sabula Ted L. Goudvis Denise A. Jurgens & Kevin Margarita & Donald J. Metzger Ruth Salzman Adams Messerschmidt Graham Contracting, Inc. Candice Miller & Kevin L. Markey & Robert McCormick Adams Michelle A. Kahan & Robert M. Fagan Linda Cleek & Thomas O. Gray Nancy Milliken & Sergei Smirnoff, Jr. Hope J. Sass Richard Kaplan Daniel Greenberg Helen & James T.Mills Barry Satlow, P.C. Marion & Alexander G. Karczmar & Philip and Phylis Morrison Deborah Greenspan Pamela Moffat Lester Kau & Mark Martin Linda & John Sawyer Marie A. Grosshuesch & John Mead Money/Arenz Foundation, Inc. Kathleen & John D. Kauffman David A. Schaller Richard L. Grossman Benjamin C. Moore Ann & Gerald C. Kerr Meyer Scharlack Sarah Groves Betty & Kenneth Moore Ruth & Robert A. Kevan Shelley & Greg H. Schlender Margaret B. Gruger Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth F.Mountcastle Jr. Bernice & Charles C. Klosterman George L. Schloemer Michelle Gustin-Jones & LeRoy A. Jones David Muckenhirn Ruth Komanoff Underwood Rita J. Schnipke Kay & Robert T.Haines Johnny M. Mullen, Bernard W. Konrady,Jr. in memory of Benjamin M. Mullen Lavonne & Vernon R. Schulze Margie & John Haley Patricia & Douglas A. Kramer, M.D., Reuben Munger Cathleen & Peter Schwartz Bruce Hammond in honor of David Brower Stephen & Robin Newberg Paul B. Scott Hancock Family Trust Deborah Kurelik & John Connolly Scott D. Newman Sherman Selden Susie Harrington & Kalen Jones Lori & Mark C. LaCroix Bonnie & Joel Neymark Stephen Semanchuk John A. Harris IV Jean & Walter Lamb Georgiana & Kenneth Nielsen Jerome L. Shain W.Taylor Hart Carol & Thomas M. Lamm J. Normanly,M.D. & Ardis Naur Normanly Marcus B. Sheffer Elizabeth B. Hart & Chris Coulling Witt & Beth I Langstaff, Jr. Joan & Carter Norris Charlotte Shoemaker Irene T.Hedstrand Le Jeune Investment, Inc. Patricia & Paul O’Connor Dan Sinton Susan & Robert L. Helm James P.Lenfestey Avis R. Ogilvy Anne Marie Siu Yuan & Peter Bacchetti Wava & Reese H. Henry Ann & George K. Levinger Open Door Foundation Jane & Kent Slaughter Joe Henry Linda & Dale F.Levy Michael Opitz Mark P.Smith Emily & Numa C. Hero, III Dianne & Jim Light Chris Osborne Tim Smith Molly K. Hiatt John P.Linderman John Osgood Stephen & Jacqueline Pearson Smith Steven Hilton,The Hilton Family Trust Darcy & Steven Lober Karl J. Ottenstein & Karen Ososki Douglas J. Smith Nancy Hirshberg Ann Lockhart Jon Owens Elsie & Henry Sorgenfrei Darcy Hitchcock & Dale Graham Dianna Lopez Barnett & John W. Barnett Edwin B. Parker Susan Stayton Olivia & Harrison Hoblitzelle Frances & Robert F.Ludwig Carol & Richard A. Parrish Steamboat Architectural Associates, P.C. Melinda J. Hodge Robert F.Lussky,Jr. & Melissa Wafer Cindy & C. Patrick Patton Dee Strack Katharyn & Roland Hok Michael L. MacDonald, David S. Payne Douglas K. Swartz & Karen Spencer Jim Holland dba Mobil Wax Systems Peak Experiences Int’l, Inc. Michael E. Sykes, Jr. Margaret & Charles A. Hollowell Joseph D. Maheady Glenda C. Pehrson & Nicola Peill Harry Teague Architects Jan & H. Richard Holt Ladjamaya & Bill Mahoney Nancy A. Perigo Kendall J. Martin Arthur J.Thomas Carolyn B. & John B. Holton Michael J. Mangan Claire & Eugene M. Perricelli H.Virginia Thompson Laurel W. Horne Andrew P.Duncan Myron A. Mann Susan S-H Phillips Grant P. Thompson

page 28 INSTITUTE Linda & John A.Thornton Scott M.Weber, DDS Caryn Y.Torikawa & Michael S. Morton Douglas & Lynda J.Weiser SUPPORTERS Christine & Dudley Tower Margaret & William E.Westerbeck Gary Tuthill David K.Whitney Janie Arnold Thomas A. Bell John C.Twombly Judson V.Wilder, Jr. Beverly Arredondo & Marc Bonem Bernadette Bell & Kenneth Wachter Anna Ruthe Tyson, Bette & Perry R.Wilkes, Jr Nancy & Tom Atchison Joseph J. Bell in honor of Bonny & Ken Lewis Frances & Randall B.Williams & Marvina Lepianka & Charles Jaffe Jennifer Atlee Thomas G. Bender Phoebe Williams Cheryl L.Vallone Joyce & Wayne L.Attwood Jane & Jerry Bender Dorothy & John Wolfe Willem H. van den Berg & Nancy Parks Daniel A. Bach Kurt G. Benedict Shane Woolbright J. Jeffrey Van Ee Peggy Backup Mildred & Edward L. Bennett Carol Woolfe Sally & John H. van Schaick Dan Bakal Clurie W. Bennis Michael Wright Monty Villere Joan & Thomas W. Baker, Jr. Carolyn & Daniel Berger Barbara & Gilbert Wynn Marilyn & Harry A Wall Shelley Baldridge Gould Barbara & Lyle E. Bergquist Conradine G. Zarndt Frieda & Peter J.Wallison & Robert C. Gould Barbara & Geoffrey Berresford Debra & Peter J. Zauner Wendy B.Walsh James Barclay,in honor of James Barclay William & Margaret Berry John S. Zinner Jeremy Warbug Russo Suzanne F.Barker & Tim Sebastian Laura & Joseph Bianchi Paul Barnes Elaine & Everett Warner ASSOCIATES $1-$99 Lisa Bianco Susan Barr Chuck Blair Louise O.Warner, MD, Anonymous (20) in memory of Gale and Jack Warner Thomas J. Barry John Bliese Sandy & Daryl Abraham Barbara Warren Paul Bartch, Esther & Francis L. Bligh Peter & Lynn Accorti in memory of Deborah Weld Brewer Thomas Warren Rene & Delane Blondeau William T.Achor Eleanor & Albert A. Bartlett Nina & Kenneth M.Warren Stuart Blood & Li Shen Christopher D.Adolf Wendy Barton Barbara Warren Jerry Bober Olga & Chris Ahrens Mary Louise & Joseph C. Bates Susan & Tom Wasinger Jim, Regina, & Becky Bock Mattew Amend Mary Catherine Bateson Penny & Raymond D.Watts Stephen J. Bonowski Audrey B.Anderson & Pauline A. Hoopes Rex L. Bavousett & Jan A. Moore Susan & Seward Weber Susan Bonsall

Semmer mother. “He would just do it.” Endowment Phillip would have been comfortable here at RMI, because we share a similar way of RMI’s deepest condolences doing things: just do it, keep doing it, learn go out to Phillip and Joan Semmer of quickly. Wayzata, Minn. Last summer, their son In honor of Phillip, the Semmer family has Phillip, 21, died in an automobile accident created an endowment at RMI called the while visiting Australia with his best friend. Rocky Mountain Institute Phillip Austin Phillip was an intelligent and compas- Semmer Memorial Internship Fund. Family sionate young man. He was about to start and friends of Phillip have already con- his senior year at Northwestern University, tributed or committed almost $89,000 where he was studying industrial engi- toward the Internship Fund. This includes neering. He was concerned about the fate matching funds from General Mills, where of the earth, and was driven to seek solu- Phillip’s father works. The $100,000 tions. Phillip had hoped, after graduation, endowment will be used to support one to work here at the Institute. We wish he intern for three months each year, assisting Phillip Austin Semmer had had that opportunity. with housing and food expenses and a first such intern will be selected in the But perhaps the most telling thing about modest monthly stipend. Each intern will spring and should be working here during Phillip was his approach—his life motto assist in research projects that advance the the summer months. came from Yoda, of Star Wars fame: “Do or mission of RMI. We hope to select young RMI is grateful to the Semmers for the do not; there is no try.” people for the Phillip Austin Semmer lasting impact this Internship Fund will Memorial Internship who, in their own “He wouldn’t just put his toe in the water have not only on the Institute but also on way, share many of Phillip’s dreams. The and try it,” said Joan Semmer, Phillip’s our planet.

page 29 Spring 2001 James A. Boorstein Olha & Ralph della Cava Sandy Gold Charles R. Kane, II Paula Bowker Bernadean & William T.Delong Stuart Goldman Theodore R. Keiser Roberta Brooks Joseph Daryl Delsignore Bobby Grayson Sybil Kelly Katherine & Russell K. Brown Mabel Dennison Nancy & Dean A. Grover Jerry Kent Dennis J. Bryant Stephen D. Dent Joyce & Paul D. Gudat Robert A. Kerns, Jr. Mary Buck Marilyn & Robert A. Derrickson, Jr. Shari J. Gullo Joseph A. Kestner, Jr. Irene & Clark W. Bullard, III Mike Derzon Patricia R. Hackney SatGuru Kaur Khalsa Patti & Jules D. Burgevin, Alison C. & A. Gardner Dee DeWitt, III & Donald R. Dunhaupt Jean T.Killpack & Mark D. Samolis in honor of Thomas Berry Jon Dieges Kelly J. Hamilton Teresa & Charles Kimbell Mary & Timothy J. Burke Eric D. Dodge Kelly L. Harris Lynn Kipnis Paula & Steve Busey Jocelyn A. Dohm Joanne V. Hart Jane & Lynn Kircher Maria & Anthony T.Buzzoni David C. Dorman Marian & Glenn Head Dolores & Tarver A. Kitchens, Jr. Mary Byrne David J. Dunning Edward H. Helm & Dora H. Chu, Peggy Klein in memory of Edward L. Helm Michael F.Caffrey, Betty M. Dunwoodie & Richard L.Tindell Ellen & Bill Klenn in memory of William P.Caffrey Marilyn & Monty Hempel D.T.Durnell & Susan Kerns Durnell James B. Kless Richard W. Calhoun Carol & Tony E. C. Henderson Judith Duvall Ruth Knott Hapgood & Norman Hapgood Ruth & Ralph N. Calkins Mary & Jim H. Hendrick Donald H. Dyall Eugenica Kochergin Bradley W. Cameron Jane U. Henry Ebsco Industries, Inc. Emily & David Koester Beverly A. Campbell Robyn & Andrew Hidas Carol & Chris Eisenbeis Debora & Neil Kolwey Tom Cannarella Gloria & Bennie L. Hildebrand Kelly Elliott Elizabeth & David P.Koos Timothy Carrigan Richard Hirsh Thomas L. Elmore Katherine & John Koschwanez Ron Cascio Allen Hirsh Marion & Merritt Elmore David Kosiur Karen J. Casey Thomas E. Hitchins Claudia Elsner & Daniel J. Ridgeway Shellie Rae Kovaleski Michael Cercone, Art Hobson Dorothy May Emerson Sibella Kraus & Christopher Polk in honor of Bill Browning Roberta & Douglas Holmen Bill Erickson Colleen & Michael Kunkel Peter Chapman Steve Holstad Mark G. Ericson Frances F.Kuyper Cheryl A. Chipman Robin & Jack B. Homer Peggy Ann & David R. Erskine Victoria & Vernon M. Ladd Dione Christensen Joanne E. Horton, Joann & Stephen Estabrook Jay Lane David N. Church in memory of Richard Johnson Kim & Marshall Evans Dr. and Mrs. Richard K. Lange Victoria & John F.Clancy John Hoskyns-Abrahal Linda B. Fabe Thomas E. Larson Theresa & Rodney K. Clary Molly & Lou Houck Donna Feiner Lyle Latvala Laura & Norm Clasen Rebecca & Eric A. Houghton J.Allen Feryok Peter Lavigne Jane & Roger G. Clausen Richard J. Hruby Elizabeth & Mark D. Feuer Judith & Robert G. Layton Jonathan A. Clemens Patricia A. Huberty Stephen Finn Marion Layton Mann Ilene & Daniel R. Cohen W. Scott Huffman Frank Fish Robert H. Leenerts Russell A. Cohen William Hurrle Leon Fisk Robin S. Leenhouts Virginia & Roy W. Collier George A. Huston James Fitzpatrick Eleanor & Jerry Leeper William L. Collins William A. Huston Newell Flather Timothy E. Lehane James R. Conner Tom Ickes Tony Fleming David B. Lehr Linda & Jay T.Connolly Eleanor & Raymond C. Ingersoll Ann & Neal Forsthoefel Marion & Lee Leiserson Deborah F.Corr Mary Alice & Rollin C. Ives Henry D. Fowler Marion & Warren P.Leonard Paul Cote Marye Jackson Kevin K. Frank Geoffrey H. Lester David Crane Sue K. Jackson & Robert M.Tanabe Kirk L. Fry Cheri & Dave Levenson Dianne Isabelle Cristian Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth A. Jacobson Amanda Galtman Barbara & John A. Lewington Margaret Cruise Jamie Kay Jamison Anita L. Gambos, G. R. Lewis R. Gordon Dailey,Jr. Mason Jensen in honor of Jeanie & Fran Bengtson Geoff Lewis Kooch & Victor Daniels Melinda & Scott Jiusto Elizabeth & Paul D. Gehris Franklin D. Lincoln Steve Darrow Liz & Marty Johnson Amy Gerber & Mordie Weintraub Deanne R. Lindstrom Cecile & Lawrence A. Davino Marileen & J. Donald Johnson Mary & Mark F.Giorgetti David N. Little Luan & Donald D. Davis Peter F.Johnson David Gladstone & Melinda Roberts- Elizabeth A. Littler Elizabeth & W. Mark Day,in memory of Gladstone Sharon & Michael Johnson-Cramer Andrew Woodhouse Valentine Kit Loekle Alice Jean & George E. Gless Frances & Eric L. Jorgensen Carol, Edward, & Kelsie DeFrancia Patricia Logan & Karl Citek Marshall Glickman Dr. Debora & Keith Kaback Elizabeth & Robert M. Delaney Daniel B. Lucachick Robert K. Gloy Harvey Kallick

page 30 Rae Olin Luskin Carol & Richard Oakes Anna & John Roberts Ellen M. Stapenhorst Jim Lutz Kathy Oberle & Cecil H.Hall Alan Rolston Dale W. Steffes Ann & Alfred Mackay Naomi & Eric J. Olson Nancy C. Rose Vaughn E.Ullman PJ & Jim Stentz Sara & David P.Macpherson Yevrah Ornstein Marc Rosenbaum Kathy & Martin Stern Patricia & Donald R. Malberg Janet & Peter Ostrowski, Jr. Brenda & Dick Ross Vicki or Donald G. Stevenson Michael J. Manetas Suzanne & Douglas K. Owens-Pike Paul Rothkrug Dale Stille Michael Maniates Robert F.Paashaus Marc Rowley Matthew Stine Randall L. Mann Byron Anthony Papa Ellen Rubinstein Steve Stodola Gregory Manter Joel Papo Barbara & Eli Rubinstein Edna J. Stokes Nomi Martin Virginia M. Parker Barbara Rullan Dahlberg Mark Stutman Victor Martino Bev Payne & Kenneth A. Dahlberg Charles W. & Cathie L. Sundry Dave Mason, in honor of Dave Mason Arthur Payne Laurie & John W. Rush Sunheart Hank Masterson Alison Peck & Milan Pipersky Renata E. Sack Elyn Sykes Dortch, Stephen S. Matter Gregory K. Penniston Jim Sander in honor of Mike Sykes & Anne E. Kraus Matter C. Mary & Ivan Perisic Lorrie & Stephen Savage Lisa W. Symons Sheryl & Michael A. McCloud Hugh Perrine Marshall E. Saxe Judith A.Tandy Susan & Gregory McCormick Michael & Patricia Petelle W. Ralph Schaefer Tay Tanya & Stanley Whiteside James R. McCrea Lisa Lee & Clifford Peterson Kerry L. Schaefer James & Beverly Taylor Julie & David McCulloch Donna M. Petrangelo Judith & Mark S. Schaffer Paul J.Taylor Margaret & Alden T.McCutchan Diana & Gary G. Phelps Jonathan Scheuer & Cami Kloster, David H.Temme in honor of Rev.Fritz Fritschel & Katina Skedros-Temme Don McLean Edith & Steven J. Pierce Mark Schlanger Joan M.Theroux, Jean & Joseph McMahon, Jr. Rick Pietrusiak Kurt A. Schmitz in memory of John Denver Brian T.McNeice & Jennifer M. Kathy Pillsbury Ramstetter Marlene & Raymond H. Schneider Beverly & Edward M.Thomas Marci & Lance S. Pittleman Robert S. Means Jared Schneider Donald K.Thompson John Platt & Lisa Heilbron Rosemarie & Nicholas L. Mendes Paul Schneider Toki & David C.Thompson Steven R. Plotnick Larry & Jacqui Menkes Daniel J. Schreffler Beth & Richard Thompson-Tucker Roseanna & Drew F.Pontz Sylvia & Sam Messin Nick Schroeder Collin J.Tomb Irwin L. Post Nation Meyer Doug Schwartz Stephanie Truesdale Kathryn Ann Preston Theodore Michals Elizabeth & Gary M. Schwarzman Marianna E.G.Trzeciak Geoffrey Pritchard Paulette B. Middleton & Dave Renné Grace & Cyril J. Scripps Helen & Avery V.Tucker Charles Purvis Barbara & John B. Miller James F.Senn & Rosemary Cseh-Senn Beth & W. Henry Tucker Barbara J. Quigley Clare F.Moorhead Barbara Shoemaker & Bob Larkin David Tupper Nan & Andrew Quiroz V. Joe Morice Steve Shull Darla M.Tupper Philip & Rosemary Rasori John Morse Carolyn & John Shurman Leah & Ed Tuter Gregg M. Raymond Alan Mountjoy-Venning Matthew Simon Mary & John C. Urbach John R. Reed Jeanne Mueller Carol & Ted G. Skowronek Lee Valentine Kenneth Regelson Cheryl & David A. Mulder Joy Sleizer Marie Valleroy & Alan Locklear David J. Reich Robert C. Murphy & Georgia E. Foster T.K.Smith Blake Van Roekel Patricia Ann & William Reilly Linda A. Muschenheim Janet M. Smith Carol & William B.Vance Helen & Arthur Reimer Louise & Erik K. Nelson Doug Smith Elizabeth & Mark VanderSchaaf Jill & Charles N. Reiter Edward J. Nelson, Jr. Debra L. Smith June R.Velasquez Janet M. Reitler Alan Ness Mary & Peter A. Smith Amy Vickers Wolfe Reitz Sonya Newenhouse Tomika & Robert H. Sollen Lynn & S. George Vincentnathan Neil Rest David Newman Cindi & John SomdeCerff Pete Wagner Ruth & Lawrence O. Reynolds Jonathan K. Niermann Peggy Spencer Behrendt Erika D.Walker & Donald Weinshenker Marion Richards Jennifer & Philip O. Nubel & Timothy Hume Behrendt Josephine & Eugene Walkowiak The Honorable Rachel E. Richards Connie & John W. O’Brien Geraldine St. Onge Lisa & John L.Wallace Catherine & David A. Richie Patricia O’Brien Jeremiah St. Ours Suzanne E.Walsh & Joseph Montuori Eric Ridley Patrick E. O’Dell Renee Justice Standley William R.Walters Linda M. Rightmire William S. O’Donnell, Jr. Elaine V. Stannard Joyce C.Ward Richard Riseling Anne O’Leary Leslie & Patrick J. Stansberry Russell D.Ward, Jr. Peter B. Ritz & Carrie Macklin Ritz Joseph & Joyce O’Neil Thomas S. Stanton Tim Wardell Kristil & Jeff Robarts

page 31 Spring 2001 Jerry Warlop Joe Sherman (2) Janet & James M. Hester Jane & Gary K. Kipling Kate S.Warner Mitchell Smith (2) Janina & Charles Issawi John S. Knapp Liz Washburn Karen & Donald Stearns (2) Marjorie & Arthur J. Levenson Susan & Richard C. Krueger Steve Webster The Honorable and Betty Krutzig Wendy & Richard Weeks ASSOCIATES $1-$99 Mrs.William McCormick Blair, Jr. Gloria J. Kubly Martin Weiss Gregorio M. Camacho, II (2) Elise M. O’Shaughnessy Anne, Billy,Tony,& Phyllis Lauinger James H.Welch Rafeal Gonzalez-Vizoso (3) Mr. and Mrs. Charles Pugh Dennison Mary & James A. Lawrence Leslie Wells & Mark Rousseau William E. Griffith (2) Laura & William Riley Mary & Thomas J. Lee William H.Wheeler Carl L. Henn (2) Charles L. Rojer Siri S. Marshall & Marsha B. Levin-Rojer Gerald R.Whitcomb Genevieve & Morris J. Nicholson (2) Kathy & Randy A. Mayer Elizabeth M. Sanford Timothy White Barbara & Jerry F.Smith (2) Susan & Edward J. McConville Louise Smoluchowski C. Kenneth Whitley Sharon & Michael J. Meinz Eugenia & Robert C.Tucker Osgood & Barbara Whittemore We also want to thank those Annette & Kurt F.Mueller William A.Waldron Mark S.Wiger individuals who have con- Ellen J. Newcomb John M.Woolsey,Jr. Vicki Willis tributed to RMI through Kathleen M. O’Keeffe & Craig A. Shafer Robin Willits Earth Share, the Combined Carolyn & Ronald M. Oakman Federal Campaign, and Kathleen & Dave F.Winters Tina & Peter Olson other workplace charitable IN MEMORY OF Katherine & Russell Wortley Jodi Pedersen & G. Finn programs. If you would like PHILLIP AUSTIN David B.Wristen to have RMI as a charitable SEMMER Nyla & Randy J. Pettinger Geoffrey M.Young option in your workplace TO ESTABLISH THE Joyce & Karl Pokorny Linda Faye Zerfing campaign, please contact ROCKY MOUNTAIN Rick, Becky,& Marisa Rogoway Holly A. Zimmerman RMI’s Development depart- INSTITUTE PHILLIP Pamela & David A. Rustad ment. AUSTIN SEMMER Janet & William C. Schaeder MEMORIAL Barbara & Albert F.Schewe FREQUENT GIVERS Within the last few months, INTERNSHIP FUND Joan & Phillip G. Semmer Rocky Mountain Institute Edie Sherk BENEFACTORS $10,000+ received numerous gifts Deborah J.Antonelli Suzanne Simonett Rachel & Adam Albright (2) given in memory of William Patricia & Kamel Aossey Susan & R.A. Stringer, Jr. Eric A. McCallum & Robin Smith (2) Putnam Bundy, a distin- Nancy & James H.Asselstine Benjamin H. Swanson The Overbrook Foundation (2) guished public servant and Sandra & Daniel W. Beedle Nancy & Curtis A.Vansickle former editor of Foreign Ted Braggans Eleanor E.Velie PATRONS $1,000 – $9,999 Affairs, and Phillip Austin Shelley & Terrance J. Brown Steven Waller John B.Gilpin (3) Semmer. These two individ- uals believed in the goals of Rita & Edward H. Buntje Kim F.Walter Charles Jaffee & Marvina Lepianka (2), RMI, and as such, their loss with love and deep appreciation for Nancy & Michael E. Carr Valerie & H.Andre Wanzenried our family and friends. is our loss. We thank their Reatha Clark King & N. Judge King, Jr. H.L.Ward families, Mary Bundy, and Virginia L. Cunningham Andrea & Michael Wehrung Joan and Phillip Semmer, SPONSORS $100 – $999 Kirstin J. Currie Judy Wendt and their many friends and Mrs. Rosamond A. Dean (2), in honor of associates, who found some Elizabeth & Nicholas G. Dolphin Kathleen & Michael R.Wenger Mr. & Mrs. Jonathan Dean, respite by supporting the Mary & David A. Dunn Yoplait - Colombo Mr. & Mrs. Richard Neel, work of the Institute. We are Michele & Mark G. Dvorak Linda Zeis George Hoguet & family, and James Arthur honored. Joan H. Egstrom Lois-Ellin Datta (3) Edna & Duane E. Fenske Barbara & Peter B. Fleming (4), IN MEMORY OF Carol Pettitt Friendly & Ian R. Friendly SECURING THE in memory of John Denver WILLIAM PUTNAM General Mills Foundation FUTURE DONORS Tom Franks & Katherine Hayes (2), BUNDY Jolee & Richard H. Hanson in honor of Pam Franks Janice & John Hedberg Dale L. Gray (2) Katharine L.Auchincloss Victoria V. Henry PATRONS $1,000 – $9,999 Carolyn & Peter T.Johnson (2) Mr. and Mrs.Theodore L. Cross Margaret Lee Hoff Mary & Myron Curzan Barbara & Irwin Linden (2), G. d’Andelot Belin Mary & Michael M. Holm Helen & James T.Mills in memory of Aaron Golub Susan & Daniel I. Davidson Chuan-Chieh & Show-Jane Hsu Diana & Jonathan F.P.Rose Ethel Lossing & Randy Reynolds (2), Judith & Frank Di Meglio Carolyn Hutt Ringhofer in memory of David Tice Jane & Charles W. Gardiner & Charles R. Ringhofer SPONSORS $100 – $999 Craig Melby,The Melby Group, Inc. (3) Nancy & Louis Hector Mary & Thomas L. Johnson Anonymous Richard C. Goodwin

page 32 Donna & William H. Izlar Barbara and Peter B. Fleming, Elaine S. Hansel, Ralph J.Wrons & Susan Reinhart-Wrons in memory of John Denver in memory of John Denver Denise A. Jurgens & Kevin Angela & Wesley A. Houtz, ASSOCIATES $1 – $99 Messerschmidt in memory of the life, contributions, and vision of John Denver Jean Harrington & Allan Beek Todd Klein & Ellen M. Smiga-Klein, in memory of John Denver William O. Keith Barbara J. Hibbard Kirk Mudgett Vicki E. Knudson, Dear RMI Readers Demi & James W.Versocki The National Arbor Day Foundation in memory of John Denver and Supporters, Debra Sanderson, Katrina Lichtenfels, In an effort to update the infor- in memory of John Denver in loving memory of John Denver mation that you receive, RMI Betty,Tom,and Justin K.Wagner Patricia J. Liddic, recently upgraded its database. WINDSTAR LAND in memory of John Denver; his music, CONSERVANCY his message, and his love We apologize if you received ASSOCIATES $1 – $99 DONORS Mary Jane Maas, your copy of RMI Solutions at Nancy A. Barish, in memory of John Denver the wrong address, or if you in memory of John Denver Ann Marie & James McCrone, requested an e-mail notifica- Annalisa M. Berns, in memory of Robert Scott tion and instead received a SPONSORS $100 – $999 in memory of John Denver Kerry & Ricki Newman, in memory of hard copy in the mail. Please, Anonymous, Philip A. Boucher John Denver and his dreams if you would like changes in loving memory of John Denver Diane & Joe A. Brownlee, Elizabeth K. Richards (2), made in your mailing address Anonymous, in memory of a great man in memory of John Denver in memory of John Denver and in honor of his birthday or in how you receive RMI Diane & Frank J. Busateri, Jr. (4) Julie Slagle, in memory of John Denver Gracy & Bryan T.Bailey (9), information, contact Ruth Carol, John, & Johnny Demetrio, Renee Justice Standley in memory of John Denver in memory of John Denver Klock at 970-927-3807, or e- Barbara & Gerald B. Christenson Charles W. & Cathie L. Sundry, mail her at [email protected]. Iris Feldman, in memory of John Denver Mr. & Mrs. Cotnoir in memory of the sister of Marge Thank you for your patience Desiree S.Willis (2), MacDonald with our evolving process. Bette & Philip Danse, in tribute to John Denver in memory of John Denver Karier Gaby,in memory of John Denver Cynthia & Lawrence Woytowicz (2), Martina Eder, Polly A. Hahne, in loving memory of John Denver in loving memory of John Denver in memory of John Denver staff spotlight Ken Wicker

Most RMItes are big on formative experiences. study Spanish and learn SCUBA diving. Ken Wicker—an RMI Associate—is no exception. In fact, his In the fall of 1993, Ken followed up an whole life has become one. interest in renewable energy and earned After growing up in Kansas, Ken ran for the hills: in his case, a a Certificate in Energy Management and summer of mountaineering with the National Outdoor Leadership Design at Sonoma State University. He School in Alaska, in 1988. After earning a B.A. in Environmental then became an energy consultant Studies in 1989 from the University of Kansas, Ken was hired to working on contracts for PG&E, the Salt research the breeding biology of sparrows in the Canadian Arctic. River Project, Arizona Public Service, and While there, he also tracked caribou, musk oxen, grizzlies, and Houston Light & Power. Several careers later, he earned his wolves. “I can remember sitting on top of a hill looking down Master’s Degree—in Environmental and Energy Policy—from the upon the vast stretch of wilderness and making a commitment to University of Delaware. always work on environmental objectives,” he said. In 1995, Ken followed his dream to join the Peace Corps and In winter 1991, Ken moved to Wisconsin to restore Whooping spent two years living in the Pacific island nation of Tonga, where Crane habitat for six months, then it was on to Colorado to he implemented and managed installation of several large-scale become an Outward Bound instructor, which he did for three years solar photovoltaic projects on the outer islands. To date, he has while teaching environmental education in Northern California worked on renewable energy and solar projects in Bhutan, India, during the winter. Thailand, Mexico, China, Sri Lanka, and the United States. And if he hasn’t been there on a working trip, he’s likely trekked or Ken’s formative experiences didn’t end there. In the early ’90s, cycled through it. Ken now lives in Aspen and enjoys being back Ken headed south. One winter saw him climbing Mexico’s volca- on the Western Slope of Colorado. noes, one was spent hitchhiking to Guatemala and Honduras to

page 33 Spring 2001 The following excerpts were and all the philosophy and tools of princi- “Which is more valuable, the moon or the delivered by Amory and L. Hunter Lovins at David pled effectiveness. sun?” He replied, “Why, the moon, of Brower’s Memorial Service, course!” “And why is that, great mullah?” Dec. 2, 2000, in Berkeley, I [Amory] didn’t meet Dave until 31 years California. ago, when he was four years older than I “Oh, because it shines at night, when we am now. Yet his infectious dedication need the light more!” Dave shone at night. OME WISE BIOLOGIST, PERHAPS quickly pried me loose from an academic The more hopeless the cause seemed, the E.O. Wilson, remarked that Sbees, ants, and termites, though not very smart individually, display high intelligence collectively—while people seem just the opposite. Yet every now and then, the search for intelligent life on earth turns up a promising specimen—a much higher primate who, by logic and love, by humor and passion, awakens the rest of us to our potential and responsibility to enrich our habitat and each other. Such a rare creature was Dave Brower—our genera- tion’s Thoreau or Emerson or Muir. His death has left many of us feeling lost, bewildered, and adrift. But Dave himself

remembering more he lit it up with faith, David Brower hope, and clarity. The greater Amory B. Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins the challenge, the more he

David Brower at Lake Baikal, in southeastern Siberia. photo: Michael Kinsley empowered us all to impro- vise, innovate, and rise to seemed to lack such concerns, quoting career studying things that were interesting the occasion. from Robinson Jeffers in the Exhibit Format but not important. As his envoy in London, Dave kept the precious gifts of hope and Series book on Big Sur, Not Man Apart: I was free to do whatever needed doing, wisdom moving through the generations by “. . . And we know that the enormous however I chose—just so it was honest and teaching the design genius of 3.8 billion invulnerable beauty of things fun and got results. Of course, it was also a years of life, in which whatever doesn’t Is the face of God, to live gladly in perpetual adventure: when Dave came to work gets recalled by the Manufacturer. His its presence, town, it was important to bring along a awe for life rested on a conviction that, as And die without grief or fear knowing toothbrush and passport, because there was Alphonse Nagourney put it, “I’ve seen the it survives us.” no telling where he’d unexpectedly whisk past, and it works.” me off to. Dave was a manager, but more We are just two of the thousands whom Dave spoke to the earth, and in his elo- importantly, he was an extraordinary Dave inspired to join his movement to save quence the earth spoke back through him leader, and he taught us all the difference. the world, then mentored in how to do it, as a prophet. He spoke of the earth and for His free-form, intuitive, even anarchic style have fun at it, and not take ourselves too the earth. Like the Lorax, Dave spoke for of recruiting and liberating talented people seriously. Charismatic and reflective, funny the trees. Like Wendell Berry, what he was exhilarating; the people it attracted and profound, Dave taught a floating stood for was what he stood on. were exceptional; and so were the results. world-class graduate seminar in everything. In one of Dave’s last interviews he noted He instilled strategy and stamina, quality Someone once asked Mullah Nasruddin, a Gretchen Daily’s estimate that nature’s and integrity, diversity and connectedness, fictional wise fool of the Sufi tradition, services are worth at least $34 trillion a

page 34 year, and he added: “There is no program of the Earth paid us about to pay nature back. Before too long nature enough to pay the phone bill. will say your credit is no damned good.” We made our living running But by teaching millions of us why and about the earth on Dave’s how to commit ourselves irrevocably to the missions, speaking, con- brave and necessary agenda of global sulting, and laying the foun- restoration, Dave made a big down pay- dations for what is now ment. Dave’s legacy is the inspiring RMI’s work in Natural example and the realistic hope that the rest Capitalism. But Amory and I of us will carry on. [Hunter] agreed that it would be nice to have a title. So we asked, “What “Dave spoke to the would Dave do?” The obvious answer is that The Archdruid with two members of his tribe at earth, and in his he would create a the Bioneers Conference, October 1999. photo: Dave Kupfer new organization. So eloquence the earth we did. Dave was RMI’s first Special sible failing of evolution that a species like spoke back through Advisor, and remained so for the ours could come to be, that it would evolve rest of his life. And of course he cre- to have a consciousness that can grow, that him as a prophet. He ated his own organization, too, can spend a lifetime learning, as Dave did, Earth Island Institute, in his own how to be effective, and then have the indi- spoke of the earth and uncompromising image. Dave will viduals of that species die in such a way for the earth. Like the remain a part of the many great that all that is lost to the universe?” organizations he helped to create. Dave will always be with us. He is a part of Lorax, Dave spoke for A member of the Steelworkers the pelicans that used to come watch him Union, thinking that there might be and Anne at Sinbad’s as they all had lunch the trees. Like some way in which the issues of jus- together. His great spirit is what Robinson Wendell Berry, what tice and the environment over- Jeffers wrote of in the “Inscription for a lapped, once asked for Dave’s Gravestone” that Dave’s Big Sur book he stood for was what guidance. When they approached quoted: Dave and said that they needed to I admired the beauty he stood on.” talk to him, Dave answered: “Not as While I was human, much as I need to talk to you.” That now I am part of the beauty. conversation inspired the creation of I wander in the air, the Alliance for Sustainable Jobs and the Being mostly gas and water, For us at Rocky Mountain Institute, there is Environment. Dave influenced not only and flow in the ocean, little choice. We exist because of Dave. steelworkers, but a world’s worth of Touch you and Asia Nineteen years ago, Dave was in one of his people, from politicians to journalists, from At the same moment, periodic fights with his Board of Directors artists to miners, from ranchers to environ- have a hand in the sunrises at Friends of the Earth. Some beleaguered mentalists. And through his many writings, And the glow of this grass. member pleaded, “Dave, be reasonable.” Dave will continue to inspire generations to I left the light To which he replied: “Reasonable people come. precipitate of ashes to earth have never accomplished anything!” By Dave is now a part of each of us who knew For a love-token. early 1982, it was clear that Dave was and loved him, studied under him and going to lose that fight, and we, who had served him. As Walter Link, an-industrialist- committed our lives to Dave, would be turned-social-and-financial-entrepreneur, fired as well. This was not the financial said of Dave, “Wouldn’t it be an implau- catastrophe that it might seem, as Friends

page 35 Spring 2001 Rocky Mountain Institute/volume xvii #1/spring 2001 RMISolutions newsletter INSIDE: • Transportation: Hypercar Makes Its Move • Energy: Alaskan Oil’s Threat To National Security • Reflections: Remembering David Brower • Natural Capitalism:The Nat Cap “Consumer”• Water:The Evolution of a Water Doctor • Climate:A Letter From Oz • Green Development: Building Up Our Knowledge • Ask Rocky: Recycling Computers, Hydrogen Versus Solar, Hemp Hypercars?

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