So back in November it was announced that Al Gore was made partner of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. KPCB is one of Silicone Valley's oldest and most-leveraged venture capital groups. (www.kpcb.com) Gore will be heading up their climate change solutions group.
In Inc.com's February issue (www.inc.com), the magazine for entrepreneurs asked a group of five business leaders what they would like to see from Gore's involvement with KPCB. The first four answered reasonably, yet typically.
1. Invest in H2O (water is a limited resource)
2. Invent the Electrinet (the electric grid is not optimized well through technology - adding more coal and gas-fired plants is the current solution)
3. Focus on Micromanufacturing (biocomposites, soy-based polymers, etc.)
4. Think as Big as Big Oil
But the last response was the most interesting. Shayne McQuade is the CEO of Voltaic Systems (www.voltaicsystems.com) a company that makes back packs witht solar cells that charge hand-held electronic devices. "Alternative energy is the right place to start. Solar, wind, and wave all need to be pursued. But really, I just want Al Gore to make a fortune, because if he does, a lot more resources will flow into the industry... There's this sense that the environmental movement is supposed to be not-for-profit, and I disagree with that. We need Gore to get righ, and then we'll end up with even the Bush family investing in businesses that make ethanol from switchgrass."
I couldn't agree with that more.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
British Airways Carbon Offsetting
I haven't done any air travel in a little while, so this post is prefaced by saying this may not be news. But I haven't heard of any American airlines doing this...
I am looking to book a flight to England and I see that British Airways allows you at check out to "offset" the carbon emissions of your flight by making a monetary donation towards UN certified emission reduction projects. For my flight it would cost $32.12US. The Q&A below is from ba.com.
"How does carbon offsetting work?
The money you pay to offset the emissions from your flying is used to buy and cancel carbon credits that will have been registered and verified through the United Nations Kyoto Protocol. These carbon credits balance the effect of your CO2 emissions by funding projects that reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.
Where does your money go?
Your money goes towards supporting projects in developing countries and typically focus on providing new sources of renewable energy and in promoting energy-efficiency schemes. In addition to balancing your CO2, the projects we have chosen must also bring social and economic benefits to the communities in which they are based and often bring health benefits from improvements to local air quality.
What are the projects?
Morgan Stanley funds emission reduction projects in developing countries across the world and maintains a portfolio of carbon credits on behalf of British Airways customers."
http://www.britishairways.com/travel/ba6.jsp/carbonoffmoreinfo/public/en_us
I am interested in learning more about the mechanisms that allow the funds to flow through Morgan Stanley and then be reallocated to Morgan Stanley selected projects. I am also interested to see if any American companies have instituted similar programs. More research and findings to follow.
I am looking to book a flight to England and I see that British Airways allows you at check out to "offset" the carbon emissions of your flight by making a monetary donation towards UN certified emission reduction projects. For my flight it would cost $32.12US. The Q&A below is from ba.com.
"How does carbon offsetting work?
The money you pay to offset the emissions from your flying is used to buy and cancel carbon credits that will have been registered and verified through the United Nations Kyoto Protocol. These carbon credits balance the effect of your CO2 emissions by funding projects that reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere.
Where does your money go?
Your money goes towards supporting projects in developing countries and typically focus on providing new sources of renewable energy and in promoting energy-efficiency schemes. In addition to balancing your CO2, the projects we have chosen must also bring social and economic benefits to the communities in which they are based and often bring health benefits from improvements to local air quality.
What are the projects?
Morgan Stanley funds emission reduction projects in developing countries across the world and maintains a portfolio of carbon credits on behalf of British Airways customers."
http://www.britishairways.com/travel/ba6.jsp/carbonoffmoreinfo/public/en_us
I am interested in learning more about the mechanisms that allow the funds to flow through Morgan Stanley and then be reallocated to Morgan Stanley selected projects. I am also interested to see if any American companies have instituted similar programs. More research and findings to follow.
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