cleantech

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Excellent list of books on Greentech, Energy, and Sustainability – from the Harvard Business School Greentech and Sustainability Club

GreenBookA friend of mine from Harvard Business School passed along the following list of books to aid one’s understanding of greentech, energy, and sustainability.  This list was shared with members of the Harvard Business School Greentech and Sustainability Club earlier this week, and I’m pleased to share it with readers of Sustainable Ink:

General

Energy

Food

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Report on New England clean energy firms

necec-logoI had the opportunity to hear Nick d’Arbeloff, president of the New England Clean Energy Council, give a talk on Thursday, April 23, titled: “The Case for Energy Transformation: Climate Change, Energy Security, and Global Fossil Fuel Supply.”

d’Arbeloff extensively discussed the causes of global warming and the need for more sustainable energy supplies.  Near the end of his presentation, he highlighted some of New England’s leading clean energy firms, in a wide range of categories.  I thought this list was highly-targeted, and wanted to share it below, along with links to the various firms’ websites:

  1. A123 Systems – batteries
  2. Aircuity – energy efficiency
  3. Aspen Aerogels – advanced insulation
  4. EnerNOC – demand response for utilities
  5. Evergreen Solar – vertically integrated solar PV
  6. FloDesign Wind Turbine – turbine technology
  7. General Compression – energy storage (nacelle technology)
  8. GreenFuel – algae-based biofuel
  9. Konarka – thin film solar
  10. Mascoma – cellulostic ethanol
  11. ORPC – marine turbine techology
  12. Protonex – Fuel cells
  13. Qteros – cellulostic ethanol
  14. Ze-gen – waste-to-energy

d’Arbeloff concluded by explaining that despite the dire environmental trends (coupled with unstable energy prices and finite fossil fuel supplies), there will be a bright “green” future.  He said this will be made possible, first, by the right policy, which will unleash innovation and free markets to solve our energy problems.

The event was hosted by Goodwin Procter LLP, and organized by my high school, BB&N.  A special thanks to my friend, Jonathan Shapira, author of the Cleantech Investing in Israel blog, for making it happen.

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Snapshot: Environmental League of Massachusetts Corporate Council meeting with Governor Patrick

elm_with_wordingAs a member of the Environmental League of Massachusetts Corporate Council, I had the privilege of participating in a private meeting with Governor Patrick and his environmental team last Friday to discuss a wide range of issues.

I was struck by the willingness, openness and accessibility of the Governor and his Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Ian Bowles, to new, fresh and bold ideas, and their commitment to making Massachusetts a state in which there will be incentives, rewards and opportunities for companies and organizations to do the right thing from an environmental standpoint.

I was especially encouraged, despite the tough economic times, by the Governor’s commitment to make the necessary investments to enable Massachusetts to become a national and international “green” hub for sustainability, cleantech and other environmental innovations.

Here’s a list of the other members of the corporate council (in addition to Grossman Marketing Group):

To read more about the council:

  1. Please see the December 2008 Boston Globe article
  2. Please see the council’s member page on the ELM site
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Grassroots is the way to go: a look at GoGreen Somerville

ggsom_web_header_resize_new1My firm has become involved over the last several months with GoGreen Somerville, a coalition of businesses and non-profit organizations that leverage relationships, knowledge, and resources to green the Somerville businesses community.  I wrote a bit about this organization in May when it got a positive write-up in the Boston Globe.

GoGreen Somerville, where my firm is headquartered, is run by Vanessa Rule, who is very impressive.  She is motivated, talented and knowledgeable, an excellent combination.  I was excited to get involved in this effort, especially because it is on the grassroots level.  By building a laboratory of sustainability in our home city, this organization can possibly create a scalable model for helping other markets become more environmentally responsible.

Also exciting is that it includes a broad coalition of businesses: including bakeries, food manufacturers (chocolate), as well as a cleantech engineering firm and a wind power specialist.  It is a testament to the depth and breadth of talent in a small city that such best-in-class organizations spanning a wide range of industries have volunteered their time and resources to help make our city a more sustainable one.  It’s important to note is that if Somerville can become a case study for good environmental stewardship, it will help attract investment, new businesses, and talent; not to mention make it a better place to live and work.

I’m sure I’ll write more about this effort down the line, but I wanted to share this today, as GoGreen Somerville just launched its new website.