RMI Outlet
Office of the Chief Scientist

Big Pipes, Small Pumps: Interface, Inc. Factor Ten Engineering Case Study
This story of Interface Inc.’s Shanghai plant illustrates the pitfalls of the conventional design process—and the remarkable gains that are possible by rethinking basic assumptions. This paper describes how the lead designer Jan Schilham created a radical new layout with shorter, fatter pipes and smaller pumps to save nearly 90…

Renewable Energy’s Footprint” Myth”
Many nuclear advocates argue that renewable electricity has far too big a land ‘footprint’ to be environmentally acceptable, while nuclear power is preferable because it uses orders of magnitude less land. If we assume that land-use is an important metric, a closer look reveals the opposite is true.

Applied Hope: Commencement Remarks to the Natural Science School University of California at Berkeley
Amory Lovins interwove themes about Applied Hope and Imagine a World in this commencement address to the University of California at Berkeley’s Natural Sciences graduates on 15 May 2011. An amateur video of the speech is available on the RMI Outlet.

Reinventing Fire Industry Sector Methodology
This document provides RMI’s methodology for the analysis of the industry sector in Reinventing Fire.

Soft Energy Paths for the 21st Century
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked Amory Lovins to outline his reaction to the Fukushima disaster and his suggestions for Japanese and U.S. energy policy for its house magazine Gaiko (Diplomacy). An abridged version was published 30 July 2011 in Japanese and is cited in this unabridged English version. It’s…