
RMI Outlet
Plug Into New Ideas

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.

Helping to Shape the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders
While you may be more used to hearing about RMI’s work with an automaker or building owner, a recent RMI partnership has a very different flavor. This summer, RMI is collaborating with Catawba College’s Center for the Environment on an upcoming program, “Redesigning Our Future: A National Environmental Summit for High School Students” July 20-24, 2011. We interviewed RMI Senior Consultant specializing in sustainable communities and campuses Michael Kinsley on what RMI brings to the education table.