New Innovations: The Good And The Not So Good

With the presidential elections underway, it seems as if there is hardly anything ever going on in the news that has to do with anything else. There certainly has not been much coverage recently of any interesting occurrences in the world of environmentalism, but since I find it hard to believe that the wheels of sustainability have stopped in the presence of this election, I decided to research the online blogosphere to see what people within the field are talking about amongst themselves. During much research, I quickly came to realize that there is an innumerable amount of information to cover. Breakthroughs and new innovations are constantly created on a daily basis. It would be impossible for me to even attempt to mention them all. As a result, I have chosen two different blogs I found to be of particular interest, each for their own unique reasons. The first post, Feelin' Bloovy, comes from the egglog website. Created as a blogging branch of the egg company website, egglog is a forum where members of the company can post about issues relating to marketing and sustainability. Egg is a brand communications agency "that focuses exclusively on sustainable brands and organizations." Although the post does not have any specific relevance to California, I felt that it was an important overarching issue that goes beyond the regional demographic. The second post I discovered had an entirely different kind of invention. With Los Angeles and Hollywood's obsession with all things luxurious and flashy, I felt that the post was much more fitting to a Southern California motif. Green Tech Gazette, a blog for both environmentalist and "techies", recently wrote, in their aptly titled post Rinspeed SQuba Underwater Electric Car, on a new type of electric vehicle called the Rinspeed SQuba. The purpose of choosing this second post is to exemplify the wide array of innovation occurring in the world of environmentalism and to also emphasize that not all are necessarily created with the intention of progressing the sustainability movement in a practical manner. My response to both posts may be found by clicking on the links provided but for your convenience I have included the comments below, beginning with the comment to egglog and followed by my thoughts to Green Tech Gazette.

egglog "Feelin' Bloovy"

Comment:

I commend you and your company for campaigning under such a worthy and notable cause. Issues of environmentalism and sustainability continue to grow and become more pressing with each day. I believe that changes being made in the marketing and business world will do well to set a precedent for others to follow in their footsteps. Your post on "blue" becoming the new "green" was of great interest to me. As a student at the University of Southern California who wishes to pursue a career in public relations, I find it intriguing how companies use environmentalism as a PR tool. It had never occurred to me, prior to reading this post, that there are still many negative connotations that are associated with "green" terminology and that this might deter businesses from using environmentalism as a publicity platform. "Feelin' Bloovy" made me realize that as far along as we have come in the realm of environmentalism, there is still a certain amount of fanatic and ultra-liberal implications that people attach to the word "green". This transition from green to blue is, in my opinion, an amazingly smart move for everyone involved. Any negative connotations that "green" might elicit in the minds of the public disappear and simultaneously the word "blue" gives the sustainability movement a fresh new look that is not only more versatile but also more palatable. I also agree with you that the term "blue" does a much better job of embodying what sustainability is all about. Many people still assume that environmentalism is about tree hugging and keeping the Earth green, when really it has become more about keeping the Earth clean and sustainable for our future progeny. Issues of this nature have become more than just a trend; it has now become a full on movement driven by a concerned nation and empowered by its youth. Organizations like the Energy Action Coalition, an alliance of forty six youth led organizations both in the U.S. and Canada concerned with clean energy, only go to prove how motivated the people of my generation are to improving the environment and how seriously they take this issue. My question to you is where exactly did this transformation from green to blue originate? I would be interested to know who was (or were) the creative mind(s) behind this process. Also, what do you believe is the best strategy for promoting this new "blue" term?

Green Tech Gazette "Rinspeed SQuba Underwater Electric Car"

Comment:

Your post on the Rinspeed SQuba was quite the interesting read! I think the video that was created to showcase this luxury car’s abilities does a very inadequate job of doing so due to poor production skills. However the main concept of the car comes through very clear: an electric scuba car! An amazing accomplishment indeed. But I must question why so much time, effort, money, and technology went into the creation of this car. Just from one look at the video, several things become blatantly clear. First and foremost would be the complete and utter impracticality of the vehicle. As far as I’m concerned, most people tend to only have a need for cars on dry roads rather than traversing through and under water. Secondly, from the features available in this car, even not including its underwater capabilities, it looks completely out of the price range of the average citizen, and in fact it is. I feel that innovations in technology, especially ones that are meant to be environmentally friendly, should keep in mind the everyday user. The best way for sustainable living changes to persist is if they can be easily incorporated into our daily practices. Driving would be a perfect example. The makers of Rinspeed had an opportunity to use their resources to create a great (and practical) electric car available for ordinary people such as myself. I currently drive a Honda Civic Hybrid and am constantly frustrated at the lack of vehicles hybrid drivers have to choose from, and I cannot even recall the last time I saw an electric car on the road! With rising gas prices and longer commutes, it seems that car companies would feel pressed to create more fuel efficient cars that people could actually purchase. The rapid and continued high sales of Toyota’s Prius show that there is a great demand for these kinds of automobiles. In all fairness, I realize that Rinspeed is a German company and European cars are mostly known as luxury vehicles, but the fact remains that there is a large, untapped market that no one seems to want to touch. Is it truly that difficult to create an electric car that can be affordable to the public? It does not necessarily mean it has to be cheap, but with the Rinspeed SQuba approximated at $1.5 M it is a luxury that many cannot afford. It seemingly caters only to those elite few whose only use for the car would be to efficiently drive it to their private beach front homes before driving it into their private beach front shores. If the Rinspeed cannot reasonably be made available for public purchase, then I at least hope that its creation will spark renewed interest in the field of electric automobiles and hopefully lead the way for future, more practical endeavors in that direction.

California Colleges: Leading The Way Or Falling Behind?

In a time when people are becoming more aware of environmental issues, it is no surprise to see college universities hitching their horses to the green bandwagon. The state of California has been a definitive front runner in this movement and has seen a myriad of environmental changes in the past few years. With so many different entities making the move toward greener practices, both government and private businesses alike, one would think that the leading educational institutions of our state would be quick to follow suit, if not be the ones leading the way. In reality, many of our most established universities have failed to show a strong commitment to sustainability, including my very own University of Southern California.

In a recent issue of the Daily Trojan, an article discussing USC's new sustainability committee made front page news. The Sustainability Steering Committee differs from the previous Operations Sustainability Committee in that it directly involves administrators of the school who have the actual authority to enact the changes prescribed by the committee. One cannot argue that this is indeed promising news, but it should not simply be taken at face value. Further analysis of why and what things are changing should be taken into consideration.

The Sustainable Endowments Institute, created in 2005, issues a report card every year of 200 leading educational institutions both in the United States and Canada based on their environmental and endowment practices. The 2008 report showed USC's grade to be at a C+, a significant improvement from its D grade in the previous year. The weakest area was the Endowment Transparency category, which should come as no surprise considering that USC is a private university that keeps most of its financial ongoings extremely private. Failure to make available details of their funds toward sustainability initiatives resulted in an F grading. However, USC scored highest in the Transportation category, receiving an A for their full-time rideshare program and use of electric and hybrid vehicles by the facilities department.

Improvement or no improvement, it is in my opinion that a university with the funds and resources of USC should not be receiving anything lower than a B grading. Issues of the environment have been a growing concern since the start of the new millennium and it seems that USC has been slow on the uptake to make any serious changes to their sustainability practices. In fact, I question whether any real significant changes would have occurred if it were not for the 2008 College Sustainability Report Card or the recent changes made by Stanford University.

A recent article by the Center For American Progress details the numerous green programs that Stanford already has in place. Much of Stanford's environmentally friendly practices are being led by The Initiative On The Environment and Sustainability which combines the expertise of researchers and scholars as well as leaders in the field to not only create a more sustainable campus, but a more sustainable world.

Not surprisingly, Stanford was named one of the 25 Campus Sustainability Leaders and received a B+ grade in the 2008 Sustainability Report Card, slightly lower from the A- they received in 2007. (sketch of Stanford's plan for a green dorm to the right)

So the question begins to emerge, are these recent changes in USC a genuine effort to make the campus more sustainable or a result of their attempt to become more like their competitors? As a school that touts itself as an institution equal to any ivy league school, most notably Stanford, it leads me to suspect that USC strives to become more green in an attempt to match their rivals. Change has to be about more then just a PR stunt to improve ones reputation in the eyes of the public. The college recruitment arena is a highly competitive realm that continues to get tougher with each passing year. Although many colleges and universities before Stanford have been employing green tactics, Stanford seems unabashed to let the world know just how green they've become. Is it the case that USC, too, would like to use their recent push toward environmentalism to garner more attention and possibly draw more students to the school?

Some may think that as long as changes are being made for the better, it should be of no consequence why they are being made to begin with. But I must argue that motives do indeed play a crucial role. They determine whether these new sustainable practices will actually be pursued and continued or remain nothing more then optimistic plans. Environmentalism is a hot topic now, but the public has a short memory. Would these changes persist if issues of the environment began to fade into the background as they have in the past? I have my doubts.

I do not doubt that there are many involved in the new Sustainability Steering Committee at USC who have great intentions to make the school a model of energy efficiency. What I question is the commitment of the administration to keep this school a sustainable entity. If it is the case that the school is simply following the green trend and making only half hearted attempts at real, substantive changes, then the future for an environmental campus seems short lived. If however, the administration sees the true benefits sustainable design has for the surrounding area as well as the school and continues to strive toward these goals despite the direction others around them may choose to go, then the potential for a green future seems limitless.