Events
Green Chemistry and Clean Energy
In December, the University of Massachusetts, Boston (where I work) hosted three leading proponents of green chemistry for a panel discussion of the potential and challenges of the field. John Warner, widely considered the father of green chemistry, is a former chair of the UMass Boston chemistry department and is currently the president and chief technology officer of the Warner Babcock Institute of Green Chemistry. Berkeley “Buzz” Cue, an alumnus of UMass Boston, retired from his position with Pfizer in 2004 as vice president at Groton R&D Laboratories. He has since founded BWC Pharma Consulting, focusing on green chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences. Richard A. Liroff founded the Investor Environmental Health Network in 2004, where he serves as executive director, following a twenty-five year career at World Wildlife Fund. The event was co-sponsored by our University’s Center for Green Chemistry and the Center for Sustainable Enterprise and Regional Competitiveness.
The speakers discussed the potential for green chemistry to make production processes and final products safer in a variety of sectors, and to reduce waste and the use of toxic substances. At the same time, green chemistry can save companies money by reducing the need for costly chemicals, reagents and solvents, lowering insurance and legal costs, reducing waste disposal costs (which can exceed $5 per kg for some toxics), and saving energy. In the pharmaceutical industry, Buzz Cue noted that the ratio of waste to final product, called the E-factor could often reach 50 or 100. Applying green chemistry principles has the potential to cut this by a factor of 5 or 10. Pfizer has reduced the E-factor for Viagra from 108 to 8. Given that more than 1 billion kgs of pharmaceutical drugs are produced each year worldwide, the savings can quickly mount into the millions of dollars.
John Warner has developed a set of 12 principles that have become the cornerstone of green chemistry, and there are at least three common elements with the potential for substantial environmental benefits and cost savings: (1) simplifying the overall process, reducing the number of steps, and hence the need for solvents and reagents, and the attendant risks and energy use for heating and drying at each step (2) switching to safer processes and chemicals, frequently based on aqueous (water) solutions instead of organic chemicals (3) continuous process production with real time monitoring and control and (4) recycling chemicals used in the process.
UMass Boston hosts screening of Carbon Nation, a documentary about climate change solutions, with Director and Producer, Peter Byck.
On October 11th, the Center for Sustainable Enterprise and Regional Competitiveness hosted a Boston area exclusive screening of the documentary film, Carbon Nation. The director and producer, Peter Byck, flew in to introduce the film and lead the question and answer session. The event attracted an audience of more than 200 students and environmental professionals and advocates from the community. The film weaves together the stories of business pioneers from all walks of life, from military leaders to community organizers, from cotton farmers to research scientists. These individuals differ broadly in their backgrounds and political views; however, they have all found creative ways to incorporate clean energy into viable business models. A farmer in Texas helped develop contracting mechanisms for wind turbines that suited smaller farms, providing a more steady source of revenue that offsets the economic hazards of agriculture. The US military developed a method of insulating tents in Iraq with foam, not just saving energy and expense, but also dramatically reducing the need for vulnerable fuel trucks to resupply bases.
These stories convey the challenges but also vast opportunities as our business climate reacts to the changes in our ecological climate. Carbon Nation is a refreshingly positive dose of creativity and innovation that breaks from the “doom and gloom” tradition of climate films, which can leave viewers feeling hopeless. At the same time, it doesn’t pull punches regarding the scale of the challenge of addressing climate change, given our global appetite for fossil fuels for energy and transportation, and deforestation to open land for development and agriculture.
Following the film, UMass Boston students, faculty, and community members engaged in a lively Q&A session with the film’s director and producer, Peter Byck. Mr. Byck has been travelling the country for the past 18 months to promote this film, and has actively been trying to bring his message to as many audiences as possible. His vision for the movie was hatched after watching Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, but his approach to the topic is distinctly different. Although Byck stated clearly that he stands with the 98% of climate scientists who understand that humans are causing serious and potentially irreversible disruption to our planet’s climate system, the film is positioned to appeal to everyone, whether they “believe” or not. He simply wants to inspire people to DO something about it, and points to some ways to capture economic benefits. He also acknowledged that national policy to put a price on carbon is needed to accelerate the pace of change. Above all, the film highlights that addressing climate change is not just a matter of finding the right technologies or enacting specific policies. In fact, much of the technology needed already exists. Rather, we have to find innovative ways to incorporate these low-carbon technologies and practices into our ways of conducting business and lifestyles, to save money and reduce emissions.
The event was organized in partnership with the Department of Environmental, Earth and Ocean Sciences, the Center for Governance and Sustainability, and the Collaborative Institute for Oceans, Climate and Security at the University of Massachusetts, Boston and the New England Clean Energy Council, and sponsored by ML Strategies.
Dan Reicher, Google’s (former) Directorof Climate Change & Energy Initiatives, speaks at UMass Boston
Dan Reicher, until last week Google’s Director of Climate Change & Energy Initiatives, told a UMass Boston audience of several hundred people that the US needs to do much more to “invent the future of clean energy”, using a combination of smart policy, technology, and finance. Reicher told the Wednesday night gathering, “We’re not going to get to where we want to go without taking a more integrated view. Otherwise we’ll miss the biggest economic opportunity of the 21st century.” In an interview with the Boston Business Journal at the event, he noted that “even when there are good technological advances, there aren’t policy signals or adequate capital to make changes.”
Reicher’s appearance celebrated the launch of UMass-Boston’s new interdisciplinary professional education programs in clean energy and sustainability, which include an MBA track, a graduate certificate, a Professional Science Masters, and an undergraduate certificate and minor. These programs have been developed by the Center for Sustainable Enterprise and Regional Competitiveness (SERC) with funding from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, and represent a collaboration between the College of Management and the Department of Environmental, Earth, and Ocean Sciences (EEOS). These programs will equip “green and white-collar” professionals, policymakers, and business managers with the skills and knowledge needed for the transition to a clean energy economy.
Reicher’s presentation emphasized the need to address systemically and comprehensively the global energy and climate challenge—which means advancing energy efficiency, developing and deploying renewable energy, addressing economic and financial barriers, aligning policy goals, and preparing ahighly skilled workforce. “We welcome Dan Reicher to UMass Boston because he understands deeply the interrelated dimensions of the transition to a vibrant clean energy, low-carbon economy,” said Prof. David Levy, Chair of the Department of Management and Marketing and SERC director. “Success depends on developing partnerships among government, business, policymakers, and universities in promoting the clean energy economy.”
Reicher is now leaving Google to become Executive Director of Stanford’s new $7 million Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, a collaboration of Stanford Law School and the Graduate School of Business. Reicher plans to continue his life’s mission from this new position. "U.S. and global energy systems are plagued by serious economic, environmental and national security problems”, said Dan Reicher. “In their resolution lie vast opportunities for job creation, pollution control, and reduced international tensions. The successful integration of policy and finance is key to addressing these problems and seizing the unprecedented opportunities. We need smart policy to set the stage for fundamental change in our energy systems and innovative finance to make things happen – from early stage innovation to the broad-scale deployment of clean energy technologies.”
UMass Boston celebrates new Center for Sustainable Enterprise and Regional Competitiveness (SERC) with “Green Education for the Next Generation” events
On May 1st, 2010, UMass Boston celebrated the launch of our new Center for Sustainable Enterprise and Regional Competitiveness (disclosure – I’m the director) and other sustainability initiatives on campus with a gala dinner featuring keynote speaker Gina McCarthy, a graduate of UMass Boston and currently the EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. In this capacity, she directs EPA’s policy on climate change.
Gina McCarthy gave a powerful and passionate talk, highlighting the EPA’s achievements on clean air, energy efficiency, and climate change, while pointing to the challenges ahead. She also discussed the important role played by UMass Boston in her own education and now in training the next generation of environmental leaders. Ms. McCarthy put climate policy in the context of the huge oil spill near New Orleans and federal approval last week for the Cape Wind project. More than two hundred people attended the event in the new Campus Center, which offers stunning views over the Boston harbor.
David Levy, director of SERC at UMass Boston, talks about green jobs on NECN
UMass Boston part of new international research project on corporate climate strategies
The transition to a global low-carbon economy will require the large-scale mobilization of financial, technological, and organizational resources. With government coffers depleted, the vast majority of these resources will have to come from the private sector. Understanding the decision processes behind corporate strategy is therefore essential. Exxon’s recent $41 billion investment in unconventional gas is a case in point (see Climate Inc. blog on this). We need to know the factors that lead some companies to invest billions of dollars to develop new low-carbon products and technologies, which sectors they are choosing, and how policy can best leverage these investments. In light of current concerns about green jobs and regional competitiveness, it’s also important to know how companies choose where to invest.
The Center for Sustainable Enterprise and Regional Competitiveness at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, is part of a new international comparative study of corporate climate strategies in energy intense industries, a project designed to tackle these important questions. The research is a collaboration among Oxford University’s Smith School for Enterprise and Environment, the University of Western Sydney, and UMass Boston, and is funded by a AUD300,000 3-year award from the Australian Research Council under the National Competitive Grants program. We’ll be examining corporate strategies in several energy-intense sectors, including oil, utilities, automobiles, chemicals, and metals, in the US, Germany, the UK, and Australia. We will also be looking at the influence of governmental policies and NGO strategies on corporate strategies.
UMass Boston awarded $187,000 for Clean Energy Workforce Training
The University of Massachusetts, Boston was awarded $187,000 for a program entitled Business and Professional Education for the Clean Energy Economy. The project will be coordinated through the Center for Sustainable Enterprise and Regional Competitiveness (SERC) in the College of Management at the University, in collaboration with the Department of Environmental, Earth, and Ocean Sciences.
The initiative will provide the skills and knowledge needed for professionals, policymakers, and business managers to be more effective in the clean energy economy. New interdisciplinary degree and certificate programs will be developed that build on existing campus strengths in the science, business, politics, economics, and policy dimensions of clean energy and climate change. The core programs are being designed for students and returning professionals seeking focused, compact, and low-cost career development.
For more information, see Training the “Green and White” Collar Workforce and the official announcement on Sept. 1, 2009 of nearly $1 million in grants for educational programs to enhance training for the state’s burgeoning clean energy industry.
Climate Inc. - A New Blog on Business and Climate Change
SERC director David Levy recently launched Climate Inc., a blog devoted to discussion of business and climate change. Climate Inc. will examine the risks and opportunities created by climate change, the steps business can and should take, and how public policy might affect corporate strategy. It will bring together the views of academics, business managers, policymakers, journalists, professionals, and other thought leaders on climate change. Guest contributions are welcome.
Center for Sustainable Enterprise and Regional Competitiveness hosts workshop on Carbon Leadership Strategies for the Financial Sector
The new Center for Sustainable Enterprise and Regional Competitiveness (SERC) at UMass Boston’s College of Management, hosted its first major event Friday, May 8, 2009 on the topic Carbon Leadership Strategies for the Financial Sector. Nearly fifty attendees from finance, accounting, consultancy, law, the policy world, and academia gathered at the impressive UMass Club overlooking the harbor in downtown Boston to wrestle with the challenges and opportunities that climate change presents to business and the financial sector, in particular.
The overarching message of the workshop was that business is going to inhabit an increasingly carbon-constrained economy in which emissions will carry a price tag. Indeed, climate change could well be the single most important strategic issue facing business this century. Despite considerable uncertainties regarding the pace of climate change, the regulatory response, or the rate of innovation in low-emission technologies, it is clear that climate change is going to transform entire industries. Markets for renewable energy and clean technology are growing rapidly, and will benefit from the ‘green’ character of federal stimulus funds. However, nearly every sector will be challenged to redesign processes and products to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The financial services industry holds center stage because of its key role in allocating capital, valuing assets, measuring performance, and assessing risk. Banks need to find new ways to incorporate carbon risk into their loan portfolios, accounting firms need to develop expertise in counting carbon, equity analysts need to incorporate climate change into their asset valuations, and venture capital firms need to channel funds to promising clean technology companies. Large numbers of new “green and white” collar jobs will be generated and the Boston region should benefit if local firms respond to the challenge. A focused dialog on some of these topics will continue online using the 2degrees networking platform.
Speakers at the event included David O’Connor, Senior Vice President for Energy and Clean Technology, ML Strategies; Donald Reed, Chief Financial Analyst, PricewaterhouseCoopers; Daniel Goldman, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of GreatPoint Energy; and Helen Sahi, former Senior Vice President in Bank of America's Environmental Services Department.