RMI Outlet
Plug Into New Ideas
Ten Surprising Facts About Our Energy Landscape
Today, America relies on oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear to power our country. But, our aging infrastructure demands refurbishment to meet 21st century needs. By Reinventing Fire, efficiency and renewables can end our addiction to fossil fuels, create the core industries of the new energy era, generate $5 trillion in new economic value, and enhance resilience and security. The best news: businesses who are ready to lead this transition can become more profitable and resilient.
A Giant Passes: RMI Trustee Ray C. Anderson
Ray C. Anderson was the most visionary, inspiring, and effective green industrialist of the late 20th and early 21st century if not of all time. A brilliant Georgia Tech engineer and entrepreneur with the competitive drive and leadership qualities of an ex-quarterback, he created Atlanta-based Interface, Inc. and led it to unique success in turning green into gold.
Cars 2: Disney Brings Electric Cars & Biofuels to Our Kids
As a mother of two young children I work hard to instill strong values and good behaviors. So teaching them the preciousness of our natural resources and how to use them wisely is something I take seriously. That’s why I was so pleased with the plot and new characters in "Cars 2", Disney’s second movie of the successful franchise. The story introduced an electric car, the concept of solar power, and the use of biofuels to mobilize the beloved Radiator Springs crew.
Reality Check: Honest Assessments of Our Energy Future
At long last, scientists, governments, and significant elements of the business community are in agreement that we can build a low-carbon, sustainable, global energy economy. That was the finding of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which released its Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources last month, stating that 80 percent of global energy needs could come from renewable energy by 2050. The constraint in making this a reality is not technology, land area, or resources, but willpower. The IPCC found that what is required is the leadership to coordinate the needed policy measures.
Solutions Journal: Spring 2011—Integral Group’s Vision (Interview with Peter Rumsey)
RMI fellow Peter Rumsey discusses deep green engineering, the Amory Effect and how the building industry is undeniably changing for the better. RMI Senior Fellow Peter Rumsey leads the West Coast office of Integral Group, which is responsible for the mechanical engineering on the retrofit of Caltech’s LEED-Platinum Linde + Robinson Laboratory. He has collaborated with RMI on the design of the Caltech lab and on dozens of other projects since the mid-’90s, and works regularly with RMI’s RetroFit initiative, which aims to make deep energy savings in retrofitted buildings the new norm.
