Juan Carlo Pascua's blogshttp://www.justmeans.com/editorials/climatechange/5.htmlFri, 25 May 2012 00:23:53 GMThttp://www.justmeans.com en hourly 1http://www.justmeans.com/New-York-Times-Climate-Blog-Summary--The-A-B-C-s-of-Limiting-Climate-Risk/45213.htmlSat, 19 Feb 2011 15:54:17 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua This will be a weekly summary of the most interested climate change article to come out of the New York Times climate change blog for the week. Afocus onThe New York Times (USA's most credible newspaper) is an attempt to limit the irrevelant, overly opinionated, and misinformed climate change news on the internet. Only relevant bullet points will be offered.APA Citation: Revkin, A.C. (2011) The A, B, C's of Limiting Climate Risk. (2011,February 16)New York Times.Degrees of Risk: Defining a Risk Read Full Article ]]> This will be a weekly summary of the most interested climate change article to come out of the New York Times climate change blog for the week. Afocus onThe New York Times (USA's most credible newspaper) is an attempt to limit the irrevelant, overly opinionated, and misinformed climate change news on the internet. Only relevant bullet points will be offered.APA Citation: Revkin, A.C. (2011) The A, B, C's of Limiting Climate Risk. (2011,February 16)New York Times.Degrees of Risk: Defining a Risk Management Framework for Climate Security, a new report from the Britain-based nonprofit group Third Generation Environmentalism, or E3GThe report is enthusiastically endorsed by Bill Becker,the head of the Presidential Climate Action Plan, in a guest post at Climateprogress.Reducing global greenhouse gas emissions to safe levels is a marathon, not a sprint.A growing body of evidence suggests that vulnerability to catastrophic climate impacts might be higher than expected.As it is not possible to adapt to some of the worst-case scenarios, it is vital to maintain a capability to implement a crash mitigation program should they occur.a crash approach, which necessitates precipitous changes in emissions and infrastructure, will be much more economically disruptive than a proactive approach which can be phased in over a longer time horizon.the report, in a big shift from 20th-century strategies, puts little emphasis on lofty but unrealistic approaches relying on global governance or carbon pricing as the means to transform the world's energy menu."A, B, C Framework"Specifically, the E3G team recommends an "A, B, C" framework for action focused on resilience and building the capacity to respond should worst-case outcomes start to look more likely:Aim to stay below 2C (3.6F) of warmingBuild and budget assuming 3-4C (5.4-7.2F) of warmingContingency plan for 5-7C (9-12.6F) of warming10 Core Recommendations:Limiting average global temperature increases to below 2C will require rapidly accelerated innovation and diffusion of clean energy technologies in both developed and developing countries.Public sector energy research, development and demonstration (RD&D) in major economies has fallen by up to half over the last 25 years. Nations should look to increase their clean energy RD&D spending by five times by 2020.In addition, they should designate a share - at least 10-20 percent - of increased RD&D spending to cooperative activity with developing countries and develop a range of international cooperation mechanisms to accelerate the development and diffusion of mitigation and adaptation technologies.Photo Credit:alextorrenegraJuan Carlo would like you to read the original E3G report.]]>http://www.justmeans.com/In-Search-of-the-Best-Climate-Change-Blogger/42621.htmlTue, 18 Jan 2011 02:21:26 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua In Search of the Ultimate Climate Change Blogger. Ever since the failed Copenhagen Conference of 2009 the topic of climate change has been put on hold. Scientists strive to continue their work in finding ways to repeat what they have been saying for years, the world is getting warmer. The world already has a line up of political champions and champion organizations dedicating their efforts to fight climate change. What needs mobilization is the general public and what better way than a trusty on Read Full Article ]]> In Search of the Ultimate Climate Change Blogger. Ever since the failed Copenhagen Conference of 2009 the topic of climate change has been put on hold. Scientists strive to continue their work in finding ways to repeat what they have been saying for years, the world is getting warmer. The world already has a line up of political champions and champion organizations dedicating their efforts to fight climate change. What needs mobilization is the general public and what better way than a trusty online blog?We need everyday citizens to be better informed; we need everyday heroes. We need to understand that it is a worthwhile effort to gain an education, however minimal, in the science of climate change. There needs to be open discussion on climate change as seen in popular blogs. When you read a news post on yahoo.com the comments section is filled with nonsensical rambling. At the very least every one of those hundreds of people actually read the post. If a climate change blogger could drive that much traffic to their blog and actually provide worthwhile information in a fun and easy manner, then we can mobilize more citizens with the correct information.Help, please post your favorite climate change blogs in the comments section below. Look at this picture from One Laptop per Child and I dare you to tell me you don't think education is important. If you're reading this, there is someone in your life that gave you valuable information that you couldn't put a price on. They taught you lessons: how to tie your shoes, how to use a keyboard, where to find the best information. For many today, a good blog is an easy way to stay informed, but where are the best climate change bloggers!?No it is not me. I see the incredible value in mobilizing citizen engagement through social media. I do hope to keep business minded and environmentally aware people updated and informed with the truth to distinguish themselves from the masses of misinformed climate change skeptics. There is a real struggle for the truth and if you can help in any way and share with us your favorite climate change bloggers we can start building a network of concerned citizens and feature them here on justmeans.Photo Credit: One Laptop Per ChildJuan Carlo is trying to not get too flustered by all the trash information out there on other blogs. Please help him by finding good climate change bloggers that we can network with and feature on justmeans. His hair has grown and will update his profile picture, someday, maybe. ]]>http://www.justmeans.com/The-Climate-Change-Tribe/38030.htmlMon, 22 Nov 2010 15:04:43 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua The people that care about climate change need a leader. According to Tribes, a book by Seth Godin, the tribe (a group of people that believe in an cause) needs a leader. The leader needs the tribe as much as the tribe needs her.When you think of leaders, you think of presidents and high-ranking government officials. In the United States you think of Barack Obama, or whoever the current US president is, as the "Leader of the Free World." In contrast, in the world of terrorism, the clear leader o Read Full Article ]]> The people that care about climate change need a leader. According to Tribes, a book by Seth Godin, the tribe (a group of people that believe in an cause) needs a leader. The leader needs the tribe as much as the tribe needs her.When you think of leaders, you think of presidents and high-ranking government officials. In the United States you think of Barack Obama, or whoever the current US president is, as the "Leader of the Free World." In contrast, in the world of terrorism, the clear leader one refers to is Osama Bin Laden. When you think of the phrase "Axis of Evil" you think of Nazi Fuhrer - Adolf Hitler. Leaders inspire dozens to millions of people to action. For climate change we have a million tribes and no clear leaders. We have government officials pointing fingers. We have empty words on a page.As one critical review on Amazon.com points out regarding Godin's book, "First off, we can't all be leaders. The math just doesn't work. If every one of us is to be a leader to one thousand, it means that we must also take time to be a follower for 1,000 other leaders who also need their "tribe." Each and every person that cares about climate change does have a leader: themselves. However, as much as we hope the green consumerism movement will solve climate change, and each of our small day to day decisions to be green will eventually turn the tide on the tsunami of growing carbon emissions, it is a strategy based upon hoping others will follow our example. It's like hoping other kids will study as hard as your kids do because of the example you being made. It's reminiscent of that great Mohandas Gandhi quote: "Be the change you want to see in this world." However, your influence unfortunately doesn't reach very far. For the climate change leader, her reach needs to extend around the globe, through different languages, through different cultures, and through different wants/needs/desires.Yes we need a symbolic leader of climate change. She needs to spread the narrative of Generation Just, or Generation Green, or whatever name she chooses, but she needs to be fluent in all languages and forms of communication. She needs to be a champion of science and the truth and a champion of the solutions. We need inspiration and guidance from one strong voice. The message is clear (climate change is a problem) and it is building into a bigger problem as we toil in language of misinformation. Recently I heard that "the answer is in the children." Well, we cannot wait, we're looking for the climate change leader now.Photo Credit: WonderlaneJuan Carlo is currently a student ambassador for the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance, which supports campus ventures that promote technology, benefit society, and are commercially scalable.]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Climate-Change-Progress-After-One-Year-of-Writing-for-Justmeans/36722.htmlMon, 08 Nov 2010 22:30:47 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua It has been about a year since I have been writing in the climate change and energy & emissions editorials. To sum the year for climate change: very little progress has happened.After the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit, COP15, the issue of climate change has dwindled. I sincerely believe that the biggest effort to combat climate change has been in the thematic message of James Cameron's Avatar, of "noble stewardship of the planet." Otherwise, this has been a disappointing year for fighting cli Read Full Article ]]> It has been about a year since I have been writing in the climate change and energy & emissions editorials. To sum the year for climate change: very little progress has happened.After the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit, COP15, the issue of climate change has dwindled. I sincerely believe that the biggest effort to combat climate change has been in the thematic message of James Cameron's Avatar, of "noble stewardship of the planet." Otherwise, this has been a disappointing year for fighting climate change . It is disappointing because we know what is going on, and we know what we need to do. We know the CO2 in the atmosphere is climbing at alarming rates. We know this leads to a warmer climate. We know the consequences of a damaged planet: a weakened economy, a shortage of food and water, mass immigration, biodiversity loss, and threats to our national security. We know all the problems and more papers show up with the same message.The solution is a concerted global effort of countries and binding legislation. Without it, we are hoping countries do the right thing, out of the goodness of their heart. We are hoping China would slow down its economic growth and wean off of fossil fuels. We are hoping India would not use its vast supply of coal, and invest in clean energy that it cannot afford on its own. We are hoping that the developed countries just pay for everything. We are hoping homeowners will just suck it up for the planet and pay for a solar photovoltaic installation on their roof. We are hoping commuters ditch their cars for bikes or skateboards. We can go on hoping, or we can get on with the action.6.8 billion people are counting on a few hundred legislators to be the leaders that we need them to be.Photo Credit: CIAT - International Center for Tropical Agricultu's ]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Working-in-Solar-Energy--Green-Job-Tips--Article-Review-/35545.htmlSun, 24 Oct 2010 13:16:02 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua In the Fall/Winter 2009 edition of "Get Started 2010," Solar Today Magazine's Liz Merry provides some tips about Working in Solar Energy. Here is the article in short form (accompanied by my commentary):Liz Merry's how to land a solar job tips:Liz suggests you first decide where you fit in based on your background: construction, sales, or administration. If you're a mid-career professional, you have a plenty of experiences probably dealing with permitting, local regulations, logistics, project p Read Full Article ]]> In the Fall/Winter 2009 edition of "Get Started 2010," Solar Today Magazine's Liz Merry provides some tips about Working in Solar Energy. Here is the article in short form (accompanied by my commentary):Liz Merry's how to land a solar job tips:Liz suggests you first decide where you fit in based on your background: construction, sales, or administration. If you're a mid-career professional, you have a plenty of experiences probably dealing with permitting, local regulations, logistics, project planning, etc.Second, Liz suggests you take a two-day hands on solar installation course. She suggests going upward from there from a two-year associates degree to a possible four-year degree, from accredited colleges. She does point out that most solar companies provide their own on-the-job training for most positions.Third, Liz suggests you get to know the solar industry. Attend trade show events, go to your local American Solar Energy Chapter and get involved. The purpose of it all is to stay informed about the policy mandates. Also checkout the Solar Energy Industries Association report (seia.org/galleries/pdf/Navigant%20Consulting%20Report%209.15.08.pdf)Juan Carlo's commentary on these solar job tips:The first tip, check your background and where it fits in the solar industry, is solid advice. Chances are you know yourself better than anyone and just because you want to break into a new industry doesn't mean you need to start from scratch. I would like to remind people that green jobs and the new green economy shouldn't scare anyone, it's just a new market to apply already mastered skills. So by all means dive right in!Secondly, the two-day hands-on solar installation course may be a marketing ploy. I find little value in for someone in sales or administration to get hands-on installation training. Of course solar installers should take the course, but you didn't need an article to know that. As far as the advanced solar energy degrees go, most programs are in the nativity. There isn't a recommended program that's been around for twenty years and unless employers are requesting them, it would seem regular education with solar energy certificates may be the way to go. This may be the case where industry is ahead of academia.Lastly, instead of knowing the solar industry, I suggest getting to know the solar customer. I've attended a couple of solar industry events (Intersolar North America and Clean Energy Summit), and I felt much of it was marketing and politicizing. For the real nitty gritty, you're going to have to sit down and read the reports from the source. But what you'll find everywhere are a bunch of facts and figures basically saying "Solar is growing, prices are dropping, there's no better time to buy/get into solar..." However, to provide value to your solar company, you may need to know what the customers around in your area require.[Liz Merry, 2009. "Working in Solar Energy" Solar Today Magazine: Get Started 2010!]Photo Credit: Solar TodayJuan Carlo Pascua is looking for green energy entrepreneurs to do interviews. ]]>http://www.justmeans.com/The-Two-Differing-Agendas-Regarding-Climate-Change/35202.htmlWed, 20 Oct 2010 18:57:30 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua There are two differing agendas regarding climate change: sex and food. In a previous post, I argued that the reason people do not tackle the issue of climate change is because the solutions (renewable energy, solar panels, energy conservation, fuel efficient cars, alternative/publictransportation, walking, etc.) are not attractive to potential mating partners.Suggest taking apublic bus totransport your dating partneraround New York City and you won't have a date for very long because actions th Read Full Article ]]> There are two differing agendas regarding climate change: sex and food. In a previous post, I argued that the reason people do not tackle the issue of climate change is because the solutions (renewable energy, solar panels, energy conservation, fuel efficient cars, alternative/publictransportation, walking, etc.) are not attractive to potential mating partners.Suggest taking apublic bus totransport your dating partneraround New York City and you won't have a date for very long because actions that make sense for the environment just do not bode well for mate selection.In a passing conversation with my solar professor, he disagreed with my progressive theory and suggested that the concerns of the heart and the libido were the concerns of the developed world. In a different, developingcountry, like India he said, people would do anything for food - dating is not even on the agenda.Being in a country and a city where one must do conscious work to avoid food, it is easy to forget that there are about a billion or so members of the world population that go hungry. Thousands die each year due to malnutrition and starvation. How do you get these people behind the issues of climate change? You can't if they are busy going hungry. The developing nations have an entirely different agenda altogether. If more energy consumption was seen as a way to end poverty, what better solution than to burn oil/coal, the cheapest solutions for energy on the planet?But we know the consequences of burning oil and coal on the environment. It leads to global warming and climate change, and that ironically will diminish the food supply. If we lose arable (good) soil to plant foodbecause ofwarmer temperatures, then there's less room to grow food.We all stand to lose a lot in a world of accelerated climate change. The developed world is slow to solve climate change because the solutions are not sexy. The developing world is slow to solve climate change because it doesn't feed enough people fast enough. Both sides are arguing and it is already likely nothing is to get done at COP16. This is why legislation needs to be enacted. The decisions regarding climate changethat will affect the future generations should not be based on sex and nor on food.Photo Credit: See-ming Lee]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Solar-Tour-2010-Revelations-on-Why-People-Buy-Renewable-Energy/33526.htmlMon, 04 Oct 2010 10:16:19 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua Why do people buy solar energy installations for their home? A solar energy system costs around $20,000 for 2 kilowatts of power and $40,000 for 5 kilowatts of power so the investment requires more thinking than typical purchases. One cannot simply try it out and return it within 30 days. There was a trend amongst the half dozen homeowners I had a chance to interview while on a solar tour.This past Saturday, Oct. 2 2010 I had the pleasure to visit several homes in my area as part of the 2010 Sou Read Full Article ]]> Why do people buy solar energy installations for their home? A solar energy system costs around $20,000 for 2 kilowatts of power and $40,000 for 5 kilowatts of power so the investment requires more thinking than typical purchases. One cannot simply try it out and return it within 30 days. There was a trend amongst the half dozen homeowners I had a chance to interview while on a solar tour.This past Saturday, Oct. 2 2010 I had the pleasure to visit several homes in my area as part of the 2010 Southern Nevada Solar Home Tour. There was not a whole lot of information on the website, but I'm glad I went. The way it works is you show up to a central location, for Las Vegas that location was the Springs Preserve. You fork up $15 ($10 if your car is a hybrid) and in return you get wristbands for your party, booties to cover your shoes, a giant map of the homes with directions and addresses, and finally a program with pictures and highlights of the renewable energy and energy efficiency installations of the home or business. You drive your own car to the different locations and are able to discuss with the owner their decisions to go solar or obtain other energy efficiency products, from Energy Star Appliances to advance glazing (window) technology.So back to the original question: Why do people buy solar energy installations for their home? Is it because they are tree hugging environmentalists? Was is because they were fighting climate change? Was it because of the many financial incentives that Nevada has?Surprisingly, all of the homeowners and business owners I got to talk to purchased solar energy because it was the cool thing to do. The cost of the installation was not much of a deciding factor. Typically they were the type of people that had enough money where tacking on an additional $12,000 to their purchase price was not a deterrent. Additionally, the most environmentally aware homeowner, who had her own bottle of environmentally friendly microbial bacterial home cleaner did not even believe in climate change. She simply had enough money to take her energy bill down to $10 a month for the utilities service charge.How did it happen? Were these people brainwashed? More or less many of these individuals had interactions with Solar NV, which when described to me was more or less a solar social club that meets once a month to celebrate solar energy and to hang out more or less. Call it American to put a premium on being cool, but the truth is that creation of solar communities is an effective way to spread solar energy.]]>http://www.justmeans.com/American-Recovery-and-Reinvestment-Act-of-2009-Provides-Energy-Incentives-for-Sustainable-Businesses/32428.htmlSat, 25 Sep 2010 16:22:29 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua During the Third Clean Energy Summit, the IRS had an information booth set up to help sustainable businesses understand theAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and how it provides Energy Incentives for Businesses. Word for word from one of their clean energy handouts:American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Provides Energy Incentives for Businesses The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provides a number of energy tax incentives for both small and large busines Read Full Article ]]> During the Third Clean Energy Summit, the IRS had an information booth set up to help sustainable businesses understand theAmerican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and how it provides Energy Incentives for Businesses. Word for word from one of their clean energy handouts:American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Provides Energy Incentives for Businesses The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) provides a number of energy tax incentives for both small and large businesses. Businesses and individuals who take advantage of these energy-saving steps this year may see bigger tax savings next year.Here are some of the major provisions that apply:1. Extension of Renewable Energy Production Tax Credit: This law extends the "eligibility dates" of a tax credit for business facilities that use wind, closed-loop biomass, open-loop biomass, geothermal energy, municipal solid waste, qualified hydropower and marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy. The "placed in service date" is now Dec. 31, 2012 for wind facilities and Dec. 31, 2013 for the other facilities.2. Election of Investment Credit in Lieu of Production Credit: Businesses that operate facilities that produce electricity from wind and some other renewable resources after Dec. 31, 2008 can now choose either the energy investment tax credit or the production tax credit.3. Repeal of Certain Limits on Business Credits for Renewable Energy Property: ARRA repeals the $4,000 limit on the 30 percent tax credit for small wind energy property and the limitation on property financed by subsidized energy financing for property placed in service after Dec. 31, 2008.4. Coordination with Renewable Energy Grants: Business taxpayers can apply for a grant in lieu of claiming either the energy investment tax credit or the renewable energy production tax credit for property placed in service in 2009 or 2010.5. Temporary Increase in Credit for Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property: Qualified property placed in service in 2009 and 2010 is now eligible for a 50 percent credit, and the per-business location limit increases to $50,000. Property relating to hydrogen remains at the 30 percent rate, but the per-business location limit rises to $200,000.In addition, there are several other energy credits available that small businesses should be aware of, such as: 6. Residential Energy Property Credit: The new law increases the energy tax credit for homeowners who make energy efficient improvements to their existing homes. The new law increases the credit rate to 30 percent of the cost of all qualifying improvements and raises the maximum credit limit to $1,500 for improvements placed in service in 2009 and 2010. The credit applies to improvements such as adding insulation, energy efficient exterior windows and energy-efficient heating and air conditioning systems.7. Plug-in Electric Drive Vehicle Credit: The new law modifies the credit for qualified plug-in electric drive vehicles purchased after Dec. 31, 2009.8. Plug-In Electric Vehicle Credit: The new law also creates a special tax credit for two types of plug-in vehicles certain low-speed electric vehicles and two- or three-wheeled vehicles.To all sustainable businesses, good luck with your energy goals. Photo Credit: Juan Carlo Pascua]]>http://www.justmeans.com/The-Third-National-Clean-Energy-Summit/31577.htmlSat, 18 Sep 2010 17:39:58 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua The Third National Clean Energy Summit was held on September 7, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the University of Nevada Las Vegas' Cox Pavilion. Co-sponsored by US Senator Harry Reid and the Center for American Progress Action Fund, the summit focused on accelerating investment in job-creating clean energy projects in NV and the USA. The program brochure summarized: "This summit convenes a select group o high-level leaders from government, business, labor, non-profit organization and academia to d Read Full Article ]]> The Third National Clean Energy Summit was held on September 7, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the University of Nevada Las Vegas' Cox Pavilion. Co-sponsored by US Senator Harry Reid and the Center for American Progress Action Fund, the summit focused on accelerating investment in job-creating clean energy projects in NV and the USA. The program brochure summarized: "This summit convenes a select group o high-level leaders from government, business, labor, non-profit organization and academia to discuss the transformation of our nation's energy infrastructure."About the sponsors: Harry Reid - as the Senate Majority Leader, Reid has a long history of supporting clean and renewable energy for the United States. He created 340 permanent clean energy jobs throughout Nevada with the passing of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008. The Center for American Progress Action Fund - is a "progressive think tank dedicated to improving the lives of Americans through ideas and action" (Summit Program). It is headed by John D. Podesta, former chief of staff to President William J. Clinton. "Along with their sister organization , the Center for American Progress, views solutions to the twin challenges of energy insecurity and global warming as an extraordinary opportunity to reinvigorate the economy thought investments in clean, sustainable, low-carbon energy sources."Some notable panelists and speakers included: Sharon Burke - Director of Operational Energy Plans and Programs for the Dept. of Defense. Philippe Cousteau - CEO of EarthEco International and Grandson of the famed Capt. Jacques Cousteau. Peter Darbee, Chairman of the Board, CEO and President of Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). John Doerr, Member of the Board of Directors for Google. Tom Donahue, president and CEO of the US Chamber of Commerce. Lynn Jurich, co-founder of residential solar finance company SunRun. T. Boone Pickens, founder and chairman of BP Capital Management, notable billionaire that has funded millions for wind energy to be produced in Texas.Some key statements made: Price on Carbon is required.$3.2 Billion invested in LEED Certified Buildings - Puon Penn of Wells Fargo Banks - Green Buildings are profitableFour of the 30 top renewable energy companies are in the USA. Imagine having Apple Google Microsoft & Intel overseas.Need to match great innovation with an advanced work force to take the lead in clean energy - Matt Rogers US Dept. Of Energy250,000 jobs to be produced by Home Star legislation - Harry Reid, NV Senator.If you were following me @jcspascua on twitter, I was providing a live tweetcast during the Clean Energy Summit 3.0. Fortunately, the Clean Energy Summit was captured on video and posted on the summit's webpage. Here's to a clean energy economy future for the US and the world!Photo Credit: Juan Carlo PascuaJuan Carlo has many pictures from the Clean Energy Summit, contact him via Justmeans messaging on how to obtain them.]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Redefining-Failure-in-the-Solar-Industry/30708.htmlMon, 13 Sep 2010 03:57:48 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua The Solar Industry needs to redefine failure as not maximizing solar energy to its fullest potential. There are too many residential and commercial rooftops that do not utilize solar energy. There are large tracts of land that could easily be used for solar installations. We know the economics and we see the value of solar, and yet the industry pats itself on the back for a job well done. It is failure, but few will admit it.Seth Godin, acclaimed author and entrepreneur recently wrote in the Sep Read Full Article ]]> The Solar Industry needs to redefine failure as not maximizing solar energy to its fullest potential. There are too many residential and commercial rooftops that do not utilize solar energy. There are large tracts of land that could easily be used for solar installations. We know the economics and we see the value of solar, and yet the industry pats itself on the back for a job well done. It is failure, but few will admit it.Seth Godin, acclaimed author and entrepreneur recently wrote in the September 2010 issue of the Harvard Business Review. He scathingly criticizes companies and individuals that avoid failure."One surefire way we've found to avoid failing is to narrowly define what failure is - in other words, to treat almost everything that happens as a non-failure. If the outcome of our efforts isn't a failure, there's no need to panic, is there?"There are some solar energy companies that have made a lot of money by charging their customers a large profit margin. They have viewed themselves as successful and in terms of dollar bills, they are. However, in terms of environmental benefit brought by solar energy or increasing the number of solar energy installations in the world, they have failed.Godin suggests redefining failure:"I think we have no choice but to aggressively redefine the concept [of failure] to include far more outcomes than our current definition does.Failure demands a response. But the status quo is embraced and, incredibly, protected."The global community should wholeheartedly respond and engage as many opportunities as possible to improve our economy, environment, and air quality by installing solar energy in as many homes and businesses as necessary. To us, it is a failure that every useful roof top is not utilizing solar energy. The task to grow solar energy is difficult, but there can no longer be excuses for failure.Photo Credit: JoiJuan Carlo is a student ambassador for the NCIIA, bolstering entrepreneurship, innovation and invention on campus. ]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Review--The-Tough-Realities-of-Renewable-Energy-Businesses/29877.htmlTue, 07 Sep 2010 03:31:44 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua Craig Shields of 2GreenEnergy.com published a mini-guide. His guide, The Tough Realities of Renewable Energy Businesses: Why Investors and Entrepreneurs are Struggling to Profit in Clean Energy. Because the guide is somewhat vague I'll put it simply: the tough reality of the renewable energy business is that it is hard to make a profitable business. This guide is directed more for entrepreneurs prepping green business plans for venture capitalists.It begins:The good news: The world's attention i Read Full Article ]]> Craig Shields of 2GreenEnergy.com published a mini-guide. His guide, The Tough Realities of Renewable Energy Businesses: Why Investors and Entrepreneurs are Struggling to Profit in Clean Energy. Because the guide is somewhat vague I'll put it simply: the tough reality of the renewable energy business is that it is hard to make a profitable business. This guide is directed more for entrepreneurs prepping green business plans for venture capitalists.It begins:The good news: The world's attention is riveted on clean energy solutions.The bad news: There are hundreds of mistakes that are easy for entrepreneurs and investors to make as they enter this space.I've renamed the tips to correspond with the Tough Reality they are trying to imply. If you read the original document, it can get vague and diluted, but it helped produce my interpretation of The Ten Tough Realities of Renewable Energy Businesses: - The renewable energy market is saturated by larger corporations. - If you want your renewable energy business to succeed find a less crowded market. - Larger corporations, among the Fortune 25, are fighting for the green market and they are your competition.- As a renewable energy entrepreneur, your resume better be impressive or you won't get funded.- Shields would rather see an A-team with a B-business plan. That is better than a B-team with an A-business plan.The basics of marketing must be understood or else you won't get funded. - Instead of trying to "build it, so your customers will come" understand your product to know who will buy it. If the product is compelling you will get funding, but you must do your market research!Understand the larger consequences of your product's necessary infrastructure or you won't get funding.The Government may damage your business plan if it relies on future initiatives and legislation.Funding requests for low technology readiness plans are unlikely to get funded.There is corruption that may effect your renewable energy business. - An easy example is the corruption that took place in California that saw the complete dismemberment of electric vehicle infrastructure. In that situation car manufacturers sued California for passing a law to lower car emissions, which supported the electric car. The head of the CA Air Resources Board yielded and outlawed the legislation so there would not be an incentive to produce my electric cars. Corruption at its finest.Big names and big money players will get more attention and funding than any other renewable energy entrepreneur.Investors will need to see attractive returns on investment or you won't get funded.You will need to ask for help.As a future renewable energy entrepreneur and a current employee of a renewable energy company, there are some tips that I wasn't made aware of that I found incredibly useful.Reference: The Tough Realities of Renewable Energy Businesses: Why Investors and Entrepreneurs are Struggling to Profit in Clean Energy]]>http://www.justmeans.com/One-of-the-Best-Magazines-for-Energy-and-Sustainable-Business--Sustainable-Industries/28775.htmlSun, 29 Aug 2010 23:47:15 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua The July issue of Sustainable Industries headlined: Energy Independence: New Investment Sparks District Energy and overall this magazine was one of the best reads this summer cycle of material. This issue focused on Clean Energy, but the layout is why I would recommend this to energy professionals and other like-minded and energy informed individuals.The best part was the Sector Round-Up in the final five pages of the magazine. There was a Sector Round-Up for Green Building, Energy, Food & Farms Read Full Article ]]> The July issue of Sustainable Industries headlined: Energy Independence: New Investment Sparks District Energy and overall this magazine was one of the best reads this summer cycle of material. This issue focused on Clean Energy, but the layout is why I would recommend this to energy professionals and other like-minded and energy informed individuals.The best part was the Sector Round-Up in the final five pages of the magazine. There was a Sector Round-Up for Green Building, Energy, Food & Farms, and Technology. In each Sector Round-Up a paragragph summary gives you a quick synopsis of an interesting or useful story important to that sector:In the Energy Round-Up, the best story was the one regarding Skyline Solar's new patent using the "fast-track" patent program implemented by the U.S. Patent and Trademark office in 2009. The patent, according to Skyline, was for "dual-trough solar systems that yield about 30 percent more energy with faster assembly... Eligible patents were required to focus on one of four areas: environmental quality, renewable energy development, energy conservation or greenhouse gas emissions reductions."In the Green Building Round-Up, the best story was the one regarding Haworth Inc.'s achievement of Gold LEED Rating for their New Construction using "carbon credits from a renewable energy project to achieve 'green' power credits rather than purchasing renewable energy credits... The company says it chose carbon credits instead of RECs because they offered assurance that renewable energy would be added to the grid" (Sustainable Industries, July 2010).The Food & Farms Sector Round-Up had an interesting story of a market shop called Napa Farms Market opening in San Francisco International Airport Terminal 2. The market shop seeks out local food providers and in choosing local farms a great deal of transporation emissions are avoided. Another plus is that the sustainable market is to be located in a terminal that is hoping to achieve a LEED Silver Rating.The Technology Sector Round-Up revealed a story of regarding Tesla Motors' plans to partner with Toyota to produce electric vehicles. Tesla purchased a vehicle manufacturing plant in Fremont, CA to produce its Model S car. "The company expects Model S production to create about 1,000 jobs. Tesla which was awarded $465 million in Department of Energy loans last year, has reported about $250 million in losses since its inception as of late 2009. And CEO Elon Musk is out of cash."Following the Sector Round-Ups is a section for book reviews. This issue reviewed "The Responsibility Revolution: How the Next Generation of Businesses Will Win" and "Energy-Wise Landscape Design". Both receieved four stars.The Events listing was on the final page that revealed some interesting events regarding sustainable industries throughout the US. Some of which were InterSolar, Hanson Bridgett's Sustainable Business Leadership Forum and the SolWest Renewable Energy Fair, among others. So far, Sustainable Industries is one of the Best Magazines for Energy and Sustainable Business that I've read.]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Introducing-PACE---The-Ultimate-Renewable-Energy-and-Energy-Efficiency-Financing-Option/27568.htmlSat, 21 Aug 2010 03:21:46 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua PACE - Property Assessed Clean Energy is a piece of financing model that would allow homeowners easily obtain loans for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects to their home.How it works. This six minute video from Clean Skies News professionally explains PACE. Basically PACE allows homeowners to get low interest loans for energy efficiency measures they install on their homes. They make payments to pay off the loan using the money they would normally pay for property taxes:As the video Read Full Article ]]> PACE - Property Assessed Clean Energy is a piece of financing model that would allow homeowners easily obtain loans for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects to their home.How it works. This six minute video from Clean Skies News professionally explains PACE. Basically PACE allows homeowners to get low interest loans for energy efficiency measures they install on their homes. They make payments to pay off the loan using the money they would normally pay for property taxes:As the video and a July Sustainable Industries' article revealed, the loans are not favored by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - America's mainstream home mortgage lender. These mortgage corporations gripe over a detail regarding homeowners that default on their home loans: "In the case of default, the lender of a PACE loan is paid before the holder of the mortgage. Such 'senior liens' prohibit Fannie and Freddie from purchasing such loans" (Sustainable Industries, July 2010). What this means is that should someone default on their loans, it is possible that the debt to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could be wiped off the slate. The mortgage corporations would then have to go after the debtor as opposed to being able to foreclose the home and put it up for sale. It's actually a pretty fascinating point and should be examined further.PACE is not currently being implemented in most of the nation. It has become popular in California, where it originated in Berkeley, but few other states have adopted the model. I know personally of individuals who have tried to convince their local, state, and federal government representatives to adopt the model, but more awareness and momentum is needed. To learn more about PACE, visit renewfund.com.It's no big secret that the best way to save energy is by retrofitting buildings with energy efficient windows, insulation, and renewable energy installations. However, as any that has ever tried to retrofit their home bathroom or kitchen, costs can range in the thousands. The savings are there, but over time and possibly many years. If the government could help out and create some law supporting PACE there would certainly be a boom in the green building and energy efficient building industry. A boom in the green building industry would mean a boom in green jobs to help out the economy; the bottom line is PACE is a winner for everyone.]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Is-a-Climate-Change-Major-Necessary/25868.htmlMon, 09 Aug 2010 08:30:19 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua Is a climate change major necessary? Familiar is the story of people just somehow discovering the issue of climate change and radically making efforts to make changes in their lives and in the world. Solar Today's "A Party Girl Awakens," by Paul Rogat Loeb shares the story of one such amazing individual, Angie De Soto. Angie in her own words: "I started out just an apathetic drunken party girl, with no clear path in my life... Now I'm implementing our campus sustainability plan. People change, a Read Full Article ]]> Is a climate change major necessary? Familiar is the story of people just somehow discovering the issue of climate change and radically making efforts to make changes in their lives and in the world. Solar Today's "A Party Girl Awakens," by Paul Rogat Loeb shares the story of one such amazing individual, Angie De Soto. Angie in her own words: "I started out just an apathetic drunken party girl, with no clear path in my life... Now I'm implementing our campus sustainability plan. People change, and even massive institutions can change." How did Angie begin with her journey to help against climate change? The spark came from her resources geology lecture course of her freshman year. A single course, that mentions climate change in a few chapters is often enough to spark a passion. But are there enough Angie's in the world to make a difference in climate change?As I mentioned before: at an undergraduate level, there is not a climate change major. I admit my resources are limited and invite anyone to provide further enlightenment in the comment box below. It is possible to study climate change as a focused area of study in graduate programs, such as University of Washinton's Program on Climate Change, but often people don't attain such higher degrees. The climate change scientists, called climatologists, are few and far between for such a large and global problem. Often times the solution to any problem regarding society is education. Well, where is the climate change education in our undergraduate institutions? For the largest problem we as a human race will ever have to face, we seem content with not following through by creating more climate change experts.What is needed of a climate change major? I asked peers from the University of California, Santa Cruz what their thoughts were on the climate change education despite ranking as a highly sustainable campus. One friend answered, "[People] have been talking about climate change for a long time, however what it was due to and what should be done about it is not talked about in class. I even took 'Our Changing Planet' and there was a lot of theory, meteorological, but not much practical stuff. Things like what laws should be put into place, what regulations should be put into place, how the public should be educated etc needs to be talked about more." He goes on to suggest that the science is much more multifaceted than just carbon emissions and "We need more classes devoted to just that subject."Prediction for the future. Right now we have scientists researching the effects of climate change and we have politicians that are working on much needed climate legislation. However, there is a gap in communication and understanding between the two areas of natural science and political science. The gap needs to be bridged by those educated in the art of climate science and the science of people. Perhaps someday we'll read job postings on Justmeans requiring a degree in climate change.Photo Credit: Miles GehmJuan Carlo is a surfer promoting renewable energy in the USA, just another guy trying to do some good work.]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Leveraging-Your-Climate-Change-Knowledge-for-Green-Jobs/24204.htmlMon, 02 Aug 2010 10:30:17 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua Believe it or not, there is not a dedicated climate change major at the undergraduate level at the University of California Santa Cruz. Environmental Science, one of the premier programs of the institution regularly covers much of the topics of climate change, but many other non-environmental science majors miss out on the discussion. To reach an in depth analysis, one must enter a graduate program. The Geology 290L course titled: "Topics in Climate Change" is only available to graduate students Read Full Article ]]> Believe it or not, there is not a dedicated climate change major at the undergraduate level at the University of California Santa Cruz. Environmental Science, one of the premier programs of the institution regularly covers much of the topics of climate change, but many other non-environmental science majors miss out on the discussion. To reach an in depth analysis, one must enter a graduate program. The Geology 290L course titled: "Topics in Climate Change" is only available to graduate students. Considering this particular university, which is considered one of the greenest in the nation and the world, it can be assumed that most universities do not even educate most of their students on the effects of climate change. What does this mean for the professional out there looking for green jobs? It means that if you can educate yourself on the issues and topic around climate change, you would be in much better position to get those 2 million green jobs America is trying to create.Where to start. Start here! A degree in Climate Change Science might be time consuming for most professionals just looking to upgrade their climate change literacy, however reading a few quick posts here and there around the internet would be good to prime your interest. Some posts of particular importance are [Signs of Climate Change: June of 2010 the Hottest on Record , Causes and effects of climate change in the Arctic, Climate change and American Policy Series ] to get you started. After you gain some insight into the natural science side of climate change, you're going to have to understand the unfortunately large political side of the climate change issues. We cover those as well. Of course I am biased, but the justmeans climate change section is targeted for professionals looking to gain more insight about climate change.Other places. The only other blogs I would suggest are the ones I read: BBC, The Guardian, and the New York Times. The BBC and the Guardian, however, often go off topic with and they end up covering topics in their climate change section which really belong in their environment and biodiversity section. The Times comes up with some great pieces, however, they do not come up on a regular basis and are covered by writers who report on climate change, rather than climate change individuals that so happen to write (yours truly, and the rest of the climate change team on justmeans: Brian, Paul, Nick, Richard).An example of why it is useful to be able to hold your own in a conversation regarding climate change -- a telephone interview. Recently, I had a phone interview and as always I am questioned about my work with Justmeans and climate change. It peaks interest because other than the recent BP Oil spill, it is the largest environmental problem we are facing. Interviews are meant to be short, so I was able to quickly go over the causes of climate change, the effects of climate change, and what climate change means to businesses, the interview went very well.Photo Credit: codepinkalertPost update Aug/3/2010: In a previous version, it may have been construed that UCSC does not have a climate change curriculum, which was inaccurate. The change in the wording was made: "there is not a dedicated climate change major." --Good looking out Amelia]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Celebrating-Energy-Heroes--Dixie-Viesca/24118.htmlFri, 30 Jul 2010 20:47:04 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua The Celebrating Energy Heroes Series is a way for everyday people to be recognized for their efforts in supporting clean, renewable energy for a green energy future. This post's Energy Hero comes from Las Vegas, Nevada. Her name is Dixie Viesca. I interviewed Dixie Viesca on a scorching 100+ degrees F summer day standing on a sidewalk outside the University of Nevada Las Vegas, where President Obama was addressing energy and economy in the region. She had a shirt that read "Make Our Energy Clean Read Full Article ]]> The Celebrating Energy Heroes Series is a way for everyday people to be recognized for their efforts in supporting clean, renewable energy for a green energy future. This post's Energy Hero comes from Las Vegas, Nevada. Her name is Dixie Viesca. I interviewed Dixie Viesca on a scorching 100+ degrees F summer day standing on a sidewalk outside the University of Nevada Las Vegas, where President Obama was addressing energy and economy in the region. She had a shirt that read "Make Our Energy Clean, Make it American" and holding a sign with the same text. She was a sweet lady, see the picture.Dixie Viesca is a nurse in the labor and delivery department. She was once a school teacher. She is proud to be a 45 year old mother of two, married. And she supports clean and renewable energy. Her statements on why she voted for President Barack Obama:"I voted for Obama because clean and green energy needs to do more... I like to see more federal subsidizing, for everything for reusable energy."Her statements on the BP Oil Spill:"Can we stop the offshore oil drilling because we've ruined the Gulf for the next 50 to 150 years... We don't have enough to fulfill our energy needs, but we need to start investing in green energy."Her statements on whether she would purchase a solar photovoltaic energy system for the roof of her home:"I can't afford it."In how many years would you like a solar energy system to pay itself back in initial cost in order for you to want to purchase one?"If you can show me a five year pay back, then sure... but 7-8 years and then you have to start worrying about always moving out your house."Her expectations for the United States:"If we are going to debt, I want it improving our infrastructure for clean energy, setting it up, making it, building it -- will create jobs.Interestingly enough, the University of Nevada Las Vegas is known for being one of the more apathetic schools in the nation. A professor once recalled anecdotally how some years ago a protest was started to oppose the Vietnam War. The protest was broken up by the students, who wanted to just go to class. To say that UNLV is not the best place for a protest may be an understatement. And yet, there she was, Dixie Viesca, a mother of two showing her support for clean energy.If you know someone that is doing their part to support clean and renewable energy, please send me a message on Justmeans so I may celebrate their efforts. Or even leave their story in the comments. In supporting clean and renewable energy we are supporting the many, many future generations.]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Intersolar-North-America--Trade-Show-Advice/23174.htmlWed, 21 Jul 2010 18:59:37 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua What is Intersolar North America? Intersolar North America is the largest solar trade show that is held once a year in North America; there are several Intersolar trade shows across the globe. They are scheduled for Europe, China, and India. About 20,000 visitors were expected to attend and 500 exhibitors were available to greet them. Companies showed off their latest and best technology. Intersolar North America was held last week in downtown San Francisco, CA in the Moscone Center.Some advice Read Full Article ]]> What is Intersolar North America? Intersolar North America is the largest solar trade show that is held once a year in North America; there are several Intersolar trade shows across the globe. They are scheduled for Europe, China, and India. About 20,000 visitors were expected to attend and 500 exhibitors were available to greet them. Companies showed off their latest and best technology. Intersolar North America was held last week in downtown San Francisco, CA in the Moscone Center.Some advice for future attendance:Come with clear goals and purpose - There is a lot to do, but most of it is not free. Several special conference sessions cost about $800 USD. It already costs $100 to just get up the stairs and talk to exhibitors about their products. Some people come from around the world: China, India, Europe - and those plane tickets are not cheap. Account for employee salary and hotel stay and it becomes an even bigger cost to attend. If you come with clear goals and a purpose you'll have gotten the most out of a once a year event packed with all the North American Solar distributors and companies.Register in Advance - If you register in advance, you waive the $100 entry fee. Press is free.Organize a comfortable carry bag for all the information you'll attain - Use a backpack! I had a single strap laptop bag that just grew more burdensome with every spec sheet and business card I collected. Keep one pocket for your business cards. Keep another pocket to stuff the business cards of other people. Keep one pocket to stuff the spec sheets and product data. Keep one pocket for note taking material. Bring pens, markers, and pencils. Bring water because you'll be on your feet all day.Dress professional - Business casual style was okay, but if you're out there to make a major deal, the players in the dark slacks and power tie really spark attention and demand respect.Take frequent breaks - There's nothing like going having your mind go blank in the middle of a conversation because you'll never know who you're talking to. You could be talking to the owner of the PV solar panel company you want to purchase from and since a lot of the business is based on quoting prices, you may make a better deal if your brain gets a chance to relax for a minute or two.Practice body language - It may be common sense, but I shook many a hand that felt like I was shaking a dead fish. There was a lot of poor posture. Do you really want to do business with someone that is unsure of themselves? Can you trust them with shipping millions of dollars of merchandise over land and sea? Can you risk it?Trim nose hairs - need I say more? A lot in business has to do with communication and poor facial grooming signals "I cannot take care of my personal grooming, so I may not be able to take care of your money and our contract." Personal grooming is important, indeed.Regardless, Intersolar North America was an amazing experience and a great trade show. The solar energy industry is vibrant and everyone feels like they are saving the world, which they are. If you think there is something missing in this list, let's hear it in the comments below.Photo Credit: Intersolar]]>http://www.justmeans.com/New-Solar-Initiative--US-Senate-Majority-Harry-Reid--Interior-Secretary-Ken-Salazar--and-Energy-Secretary-Steven-Chu/21824.htmlThu, 08 Jul 2010 13:56:51 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua Not two hour ago US Senate Majority leader Senator Harry Reid, US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu held a press conference to unveil a new solar energy initiative in the state. In front of a group of 50 members from the media each gave their praise and promise for Nevada to become the solar energy epicenter of the United States. Behind them were four solar panels, the American and Nevada flag. Above them, about 100 feet high, were an impressive array o Read Full Article ]]> Not two hour ago US Senate Majority leader Senator Harry Reid, US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu held a press conference to unveil a new solar energy initiative in the state. In front of a group of 50 members from the media each gave their praise and promise for Nevada to become the solar energy epicenter of the United States. Behind them were four solar panels, the American and Nevada flag. Above them, about 100 feet high, were an impressive array of 960 solar panels (estimated 2 Mega-watts) installed to power the Greenspun Hall at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. The solar initiative announced the Solar Demonstration Zone Project, which they promised would lead America and the Nation into the renewable energy future it must realize.Energy Secretary Steven Chu was praised by Senator Harry Reid for his dedication to promoting renewable energy, his long history as a physicist and as a Nobel winning scientist. Energy Secretary Chu, as a member of the Obama Administration's Cabinet, has been an advocate for renewable energy to combat climate change. The most memorable portion of his speech was the importance the private sector is in adopting the many great technologies that universities, such as UNLV, are making in solar, wind, and other renewable energy technologies.Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar was praised by Senator Harry Reid for being one of his best friends and having come from a marginal background from a poor ranch house with no electricity. Salazar's parents worked hard to put him and five other siblings through college. Despite humble beginnings Ken Salazar has become a leader and advocate for renewable energy and displacing fossil fuel. As of late, Interior Secretary Salazar and Energy Secretary Chu have been working hard for the past 75 days on the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf. The most memorable portion of his speech was describing Nevada as a spear to lead the renewable energy industry, bringing in businesses and opening solar manufacturing facilities to create hundreds of new green jobs.US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has tirelessly advocated solar and Nevada as the place to do it. "Nevada stands to be the leader in solar power production and technology development, especially with this kind of positive support from our federal partners. I am working on additional policies in the Senate to enhance Nevada's economy and create jobs through the production and export of clean renewable energy. The Nevada Test Site can and should be a proving ground for new ideas and for attracting new clean energy industries that will help our state and country compete globally"The Solar Demonstration Zone will have 25 square miles of testing space in one of the most solar abundant areas in the nation. Nevada has over 300 days on average of sunny days. Clearly, these three great men, Harry Reid, Ken Salazar, and Steven Chu are in the right place to make an announcement on the solar and renewable energy industry.Photo Credit: Juan Carlo PascuaJuan Carlo Pascua is currently an Associate of Development at American Patriot Solar Community. "Energy independence... One rooftop at a time." tm]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Climate-Change--Psychology--and-Sex--Wasteful-Thinking/21102.htmlThu, 01 Jul 2010 01:58:39 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua Do I have your attention? Yes, this post is about climate change and sex, but mostly the psychology of human behavior and the mind. I will assume you are all adults looking to advance your understanding of climate change and how it is not just a technological phenomenon, but also a human phenomenon. We have the technology to turn climate change around and yet we do not do it. Why? I propose the possibility that it is because of our human desire to mate.You'll notice I'll probably use the word "I Read Full Article ]]> Do I have your attention? Yes, this post is about climate change and sex, but mostly the psychology of human behavior and the mind. I will assume you are all adults looking to advance your understanding of climate change and how it is not just a technological phenomenon, but also a human phenomenon. We have the technology to turn climate change around and yet we do not do it. Why? I propose the possibility that it is because of our human desire to mate.You'll notice I'll probably use the word "I" a lot in this post. It is common practice in psychology to use the word "I" when relating ideas that come from a mind, and in particular for this post, my mind. That is to distinguish the fact that this post is mostly theoretical and I am basing many of the assumptions off of evolutionary psychology and a recent book I read "It's Not You, It's Biology" by Joe Quirk. There Quirk is talking about mating and sex in general, however, here we're talking about climate change and sex.The key quote: " All living things are conservative, efficient, safe, and drab until it's time to breed, at which point they become extravagant, wasteful, risky, and beautiful" (Quirk, 2010). Often questions arise regarding logical solutions to climate change that no one undertakes: Why don't people recycle more? Why don't they ride the bike? Why don't they buy organic? Why don't they put solar panels on their roofs? According to this quote, it's because such things are not sexy. In the 1980s Ronald Reagan took down the solar panels off the White House. Some say he "declared war on the sun." In effect, he created a culture value that saw such a solution as uncool, and therefore unsexy. No one wants to be the uncool kid. And who better to follow than the leader of the free world?Why don't we all bike to work? Because it is not sexy. It doesn't convey status. I tried walking to work and when I couldn't make it, I took the bus. It's not the most pleasant thing in the world in 100 degree temperatures and there are some really shady characters that you sit with. I was on a bus with an ex-cop who was also an ex-Vietnam pilot and he accused everyone on board of being some low life felon. He was right about one thing, it was the cheapest mode of transportation.Cheap means poor and for the most part poor is uncool and unsexy. People want the riches and the fame because, according to evolutionary psychologists, on some subconscious level this dictates healthy genes worth procreating with. If one mates with a person of higher status, their offspring and also more importantly, their genetic code gets passed on to the next generation. Going back to climate change - a major issue is waste. We waste oil. We waste food. We waste water. And we waste (more oil and coal doing it) because we're trying to impress and be sexy - we worsen the climate change situation in the process.Photo Credit:Roland]]>http://www.justmeans.com/Climate-Change--Psychology--Communication--Part-3---Make-the-Message-Concrete/21065.htmlThu, 01 Jul 2010 01:14:52 GMTJuan Carlo Pascua Part 3 of the Climate Change, Psychology, and Communication Series for effective communication Step 1 is to know your audience. Step 2 is to frame your message accordingly. Step 3 is to make the message concrete. When discussing climate change, the people in the know (climate change researchers, climate change campaigners, and regular citizens concerned over climate change) tend to convey the alarm of climate change consequences with the data in mind. Five degrees increase. The amount of carbon Read Full Article ]]> Part 3 of the Climate Change, Psychology, and Communication Series for effective communication Step 1 is to know your audience. Step 2 is to frame your message accordingly. Step 3 is to make the message concrete. When discussing climate change, the people in the know (climate change researchers, climate change campaigners, and regular citizens concerned over climate change) tend to convey the alarm of climate change consequences with the data in mind. Five degrees increase. The amount of carbon dioxide is exponential. If we added six billion panels in the desert. They then ask people to look at the data themselves! Numbers and data require interpretation skills that even those in the know have difficulty dealing with. If you take it from the perspective of evolutionary psychology there was no point point in learning symbols and their interpretation if there was a large predator that would kill you if you stopped to draw your thoughts on a stone wall. Back in those times we were focused on survival. Now that we've evolved beyond that we had time to develop data interpretation, which is relatively new in our millions of years of brain evolution (see cerebral cortex). The authors describe two brain processing systems: " the experiential processing system, which controls survival behavior and is the source of emotions and instincts (e.g., feeding, fighting, fleeing); and the analytical processing system, which controls analysis of scientific information" (CRED, 2010). They suggest that the most compelling way to convey climate change and cause action is by speaking to the experiential processing system and make the message concrete. Get back to the basics (in brain evolution), and make the message something that everyone can interpret quickly and easily.Get back to the basics means use a picture. Pictures and visuals are how we learn 70% of the time, how we take in information on just about anything, including climate change. Without visuals you end up like that sophomore in the front row of a literature lecture, bored and zoned out. Don't just use a graph! Use something that makes sense to people, something they've tangibly (touch) experienced. When I talk about carbon emissions and parts per million, I use the example of a glass of water. 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide is comprised in the atmosphere, the worry is that around 400-500 parts per million and our quality of life on this planet really decreases. Now, I say consider your drinking water. Say 350 parts per million of rat poison is exposed to your water supply, would you want to drink it? For an even greater in depth perspective on making your message concrete, see chapter 3 of Made to Stick, a 2007 book by the Heath brothers.Climate change effects, carbon emissions graphs, energy efficiency percentages, any and all sorts of data. However, none of it is concrete in your mind. It's all abstractions and symbolic of something, but that added step of interpretation may lose a lot of people. A good picture that conveys the same message in one snapshot is much easier to learn with vs. a 60 page article on climate change effects (believe me, I've been there - you don't want to be there, so just keep reading up on climate change here ;-).Reference: Shome, D. & Marx, S. (2010) "The Psychology of Climate Change Communication" Columbia University. Photo Credit:Roland]]>