May/June 2015

MAY/JUNE 2015 Rs. 20

The

Green Internet

Wiser Power Plants LEED-iing the Way Art and Climate Change

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The United States and India, 1783-1947

Photographs by RAKESH MALHOTRA

mbassador Richard R. Verma inaugurated the “Kindred Nations: The United States and India, 1783-1947” exhibition at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi on March 12. The exhibit, which was later displayed at the American Center in April, will travel to other cities in India.

Curated by Meridian International Center, Washington, D.C., with support from the U.S. Department of State, “Kindred Nations” presents historical images that recall tales of remarkable people—some well known, others awaiting rediscovery. These stories convey the range of U.S.India interactions across many domains. Although the photographs and documents capture individual experiences, each narrative offers insight into crossfertilizations between the United States and India that helped shape both countries. “The images in this exhibition—of leaders, merchants, immigrants, artists, educators and students—show that the friendship between both nations is built on a foundation of shared respect,” Ambassador Stuart Holliday, president and CEO of the Meridian International Center, said in a message on the exhibit.

Above: Visitors look at the historical images on display at the exhibit.

Right: Ambassador Richard R. Verma (from left); David Mees, Cultural Counselor, U.S. Embassy; and Rajiv Sethi, chairman and founder trustee of The Asian Heritage Foundation at the inauguration.

“The affinity shared between the United States and India is profound. It extends back over 200 years, encompassing independence, civil rights, education and philosophy. Many of these elements have become deeply embedded in our respective cultures. This interchange has influenced our world views...

“Kindred Nations” is a testament to the historical depth of our ties and the profound admiration our two countries have for one another,” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in his message on the exhibit.

Above: Ambassador Richard R. Verma speaks at the inauguration of the “Kindred Nations” exhibit in New Delhi.

Left: A photograph displayed at the exhibit, which shows American sympathizers arrested for picketing the British Embassy, in Washington, D.C. in 1943.

www.meridian.org/kindrednations

May/June 2015

http://span.state.gov

CONNIE ZHOU/Google

V O LU M E LV I N U M B E R 3

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Out of the Landfill and Into the Future

By Candice Yacono

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LEED-ing the Way

By Anne Walls

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Where Legends Meet Nature

By Paromita Pain

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Wiser Power Plants

By Jason Chiang

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Power Walking

By Carrie Loewenthal Massey

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Leveraging Data to Save Energy

By Kimberly Gyatso

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Serving the Planet

By James L. Perry and Wesley Teter

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Q&A With Jennifer L. Turner

By Steve Fox

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Publisher Walter T. Douglas

Editor in Chief David Mees

Editor Deepanjali Kakati Associate Editor Suparna Mukherji Hindi Editor Giriraj Agarwal Urdu Editor Syed Sulaiman Akhtar Copy Editor Shah Md. Tahsin Usmani Editorial Assistant Yugesh Mathur

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The Changing World of Energy

By Georgette Jasen 

News Scape

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Art and Environmental Action

By Michael Gallant

38 Courtesy Resa Blatman

Upcycling

Clean Energy

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Art

The Green Internet

By Steve Fox

Courtesy Looptworks

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© Getty Images

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Travel

4

© Getty Images

Renewable Energy

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Reviewing Editor Branden L. Young

Art Director Hemant Bhatnagar Deputy Art Directors Qasim Raza, Shah Faisal Khan Production/Circulation Manager Alok Kaushik Printing Assistant Manish Gandhi Web Manager Chetna Khera

Front cover: At Google’s Mayes County, Oklahoma, data center, hundreds of fans funnel hot air from the server racks into a cooling unit to be recirculated. Photograph by Connie Zhou/Google

Research Services Bureau of International Information Programs, The American Library

Published by the Public Affairs Section, American Center, 24 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110001 (phone: 23472000), on behalf of the U.S. Embassy, New Delhi. Printed at Thomson Press India Limited, 18/35, Delhi Mathura Road, Faridabad, Haryana 121007. Opinions expressed in this 44-page magazine do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Government.  Articles with a star may be reprinted with permission.

Those without a star are copyrighted and may not be reprinted.

Contact SPAN at 011-23472135 or editorspan@state.gov

Right: In July 2014, as part of its campaign for a green Internet, Greenpeace flew a thermal airship over the East Bay area near Oakland, California.

Below: Aerial view of Apple Inc.’s data center in Maiden, North Carolina, which is powered completely by renewable energy.

© JASON MICZEK/Greenpeace

© GEORGE NIKITIN/Greenpeace

Below right: Energyefficient blue LEDs on a row of servers at Google’s Douglas County, Georgia, data center.

The

Green Internet

By STEVE FOX

W

Major tech companies are working to power the Internet with

ithin the next year, about 60 new wind turbines are scheduled to begin whirling above flat farmland in the state of Indiana, generating roughly the amount of electricity 46,000 American homes use annually. However, that electricity won’t run televisions or dishwashers.

Instead, the wind farm’s energy will be used by Amazon Web Services, which provides cloud computing services to Fortune 500 companies; popular websites such as Netflix, Spotify and Pinterest; and, a number of government agencies.

The Indiana facility advances Amazon’s commitment “to achieve 100 percent renewable energy usage for the global Amazon Web Services infrastructure footprint,” says a company spokesperson. With it, Amazon has joined Apple, Google, Facebook, Salesforce, Rackspace, Microsoft and other major tech companies working to completely power the Internet with renewable energy. This is known as the “green Internet.”

The Internet has transformed the way we live. However, there has been a significant environmental cost in terms of the enormous amounts of electricity required to power the data centers and telecom networks that make up the “cloud.” Much of that electricity is generated by burning fossil fuels that emit substantial amounts of carbon To share articles go to http://span.state.gov MAY/JUNE 2015 5

RENEWABLE ENERGY

Photographs by CONNIE ZHOU/Google

renewable energy.

Right: Google purchases renewable energy from a wind farm nearby to run its data center at Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Far right: Google salvaged an old paper mill and used the pre-existing infrastructure to build its data center in Hamina, Finland. The site sits on the Baltic Sea and uses raw sea water, piped through a pre-existing tunnel, to cool the servers naturally.

Below: Plumes of steam rise above cooling towers at The Dalles, Oregon, Google data center. Visible water vapor means that humidity and temperatures are low, and that the cooling towers are at their most efficient.

Below right: At The Dalles Google data center, Mike Barham swaps out a motherboard. When server parts break, Google first tries to repair them. If it can’t, it breaks them up into raw materials (steel, plastic, copper, etc.) and recycles the components.

Photographs by CONNIE ZHOU/Google

dioxide and other greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

One indication of the Internet’s environmental impact comes from a 2014 study by Greenpeace International, “Clicking Clean: How Companies Are Creating the Green Internet,” which estimates that the “rapid growth of the cloud and our use of the Internet have produced a collective electricity demand that would currently rank in the top six if compared alongside countries; that electricity demand is expected to increase by 60 percent or more by 2020 as the online population and our reliance on the Internet steadily increase.”

While equating the energy usage of the cloud and the Internet to one of the world’s largest countries may seem startling, a comprehensive tally would be even bigger, says Gary Cook, lead author of the “Clicking Clean” study.

“The sixth largest country estimate counts just the data centers and the telecom networks that connect each of the data centers—what we’re loosely calling the cloud,” says Cook. “That does not include devices. If we were to add the energy use associated with devices into

MAY/JUNE 2015

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JOE RAVI/Courtesy Wikipedia

LANCE ALBERTSON/Courtesy Flickr

CONNIE ZHOU/Google

Clicking Clean: How Companies Are Creating the Green Internet http://goo.gl/mqGr4a

Google Green https://www.google.com/green/

Amazon Web Services

Environmental Responsibility at Apple https://www.apple.com/ environment/

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ELAINE THOMPSON © AP-WWP

Green on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/green

WWP ERIC RISBERG © AP-W

http://aws.amazon.com/aboutaws/sustainable-energy/

CONNIE ZHOU/Google

Top: Google purchases energy from a wind facility to power its data center in Mayes County, Oklahoma.

Above left: Solar panels at Facebook’s Prineville data center in Oregon. The data center requires 52 percent less energy to operate than a comparable facility built to code requirements and is LEED Gold certified.

Above: Apple’s headquarters at Infinite Loop in Cupertino, California, is powered by 100 percent renewable energy.

Above right: At Google’s Hamina, Finland data center, Mitch Fleming tightens a valve coupling to ensure seawater from the Gulf of Finland is kept in the appropriate cooling pipes.

Left: Apple CEO Tim Cook (left) with the new MacBook at an event in San Francisco in March 2015. The new MacBook weighs less than one kilogram, and Apple claims it is the world’s most energy-efficient laptop.

Below left: Control technician Ray Nichols monitors energy usage in real-time at Microsoft Corp.’s operations center in Redmond, Washington. Microsoft has been analyzing real-time data on heating, cooling and other systems in its buildings to save energy and reduce carbon emissions.

the overall mix, the energy use would almost double, so we’d be talking about a much bigger country, energy-wise.”

Tech companies have adopted a number of renewable energy initiatives, with the “Clicking Clean” study singling out “six major cloud brands—Apple, Box, Facebook, Google, Salesforce and Rackspace—(that) have committed to a goal of powering data centers with 100 percent renewable energy and are providing the early signs of the promise and potential impact of a renewably powered Internet.” Apple has built four solar farms and now runs all of its data centers on renewable energy. Google minimizes electricity usage at its data centers by locating them in areas where natural climate resources can offset the heat produced by its computer servers. For instance, a Google data center in Hamina, Finland, is cooled by seawater drawn from the Gulf of Finland.

Google, which has been carbon neutral (no net emissions) since 2007, also provides detailed information on its energy efficiency and renewable energy efforts—something Greenpeace considers vital.

“We feel companies are serious when they announce a new project and, at the same time, also announce how they are going to meet that additional energy demand with renewable energy,” says Cook.

The “Clicking Clean” study has also praised Facebook, noting that the company “continues to prove its commitment to build a green Internet, with its decision to locate a data center in Iowa driving the largest purchase of wind turbines in the world.” The study also cited joint efforts by Apple, Facebook and Google that resulted in the largest utility in the United States, North Carolina-based Duke Energy, adopting policies that opened the market to renewable electricity purchases for large-scale customers.

Individual Internet users can also make a difference, says Cook.

“There certainly are things consumers can do,” he says. “You can choose products that are energy efficient, and really think about whether you need a new model every two years. It’s also important that consumers keep pushing companies to do more with renewable energy.”

Steve Fox is a freelance writer, former newspaper publisher and reporter based in Ventura, California.

MAY/JUNE 2015

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Wiser Power

By JASON CHIANG

Courtesy Professor Kripa K. Varanasi

Professor Kripa K. Varanasi (below) says that applying DropWise’s waterrepellent coating (right) at just one steam-driven power plant would reduce yearly emissions equal to taking 4,000 cars off the road.

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ith over 62,500 power plants operating around the world, the balance between global energy production and environmental sustainability has become more crucial than ever before. Thanks to a new technology, steam-driven power plants, which generate more than 85 percent of the world’s power, can be transformed to ensure cleaner energy production, reduced water consumption and less carbon emissions.

Kripa K. Varanasi, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his colleagues at DropWise Technologies Corp., have developed a breakthrough water-repellent coating that makes power plants more efficient and environmentally sustainable, while saving millions of dollars in annual costs.

Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels have radically increased over the past 100 years. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, emissions increased over 16 times between 1900 and 2008, and 1.5 times between 1990 and 2008. Professor Varanasi says that applying DropWise’s new coating at just one steam-driven power plant would reduce yearly emissions equal to taking 4,000 cars off the road. Power plants using the new coating could also save up to half a million dollars per year on fuel cost.

“From Day 1, our team’s goal was to focus on improving an existing process, rather than reinventing the wheel,” says Professor Varanasi. “We saw a huge opportunity to realize efficiencies that would have a profound effect on global energy.”

All steam-driven plants are powered by condensers. Fuel—nuclear, coal, natural gas or solar thermal—is burned to produce steam that spins a turbine. As steam surfaces, it is suddenly cooled down and condensed back into water, generating a powerful suction

force that helps propel the turbine and create energy.

During the process, however, it is common for a film of water to build up on the walls of the condensers, slowing the cooling procedure and making the method less efficient. A water-repellent coating could reduce the inefficiency in the steam condenser. “Solving this materials challenge was our first obstacle,” says Professor Varanasi. “We’re talking about a coating that is 2,000 times thinner than a piece of paper, yet strong enough to withstand years of harsh usage in a power plant.”

After years of testing at MIT’s research labs, DropWise is now prepared for the commercial launch of the product. The startup was officially formed in late 2014, and has been busy lining up strategic investors.

DropWise will deploy the water-repellent coating through a patented vapor-phase process, now capable of forming a durable bond on a variety of complex industrial parts.

Professor Varanasi estimates that power plants would start using the coating within the next two years, which would immediately deliver a 3 percent efficiency gain in the plants’ output. Thermal power plants are the second largest consumer of water on the planet, and the improvement in condenser efficiency would have a huge effect on global energy production and environmental sustainability.

DropWise’s unique coating could significantly improve the global energy outlook. Professor Varanasi says DropWise’s goal is to see their product make the world a better place. “We don’t want to stop at writing papers about our research; we want to scale things up and completely change the paradigm.”

Jason Chiang is a freelance writer based in Silver Lake, Los Angeles.

Illustration by HEMANT BHATNAGAR, photographs courtesy Professor Kripa K. Varanasi, © Getty Images

A breakthrough water-repellent coating aims to drastically reduce carbon dioxide emissions in power plants.

Plants

www.drop-w wise.com

Kripa K. Varanasi http://goo.gl/fAeMLV

Varanasi Research Group

http://varanasi.mit.edu

INNOVATION

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DropWise

SolePower makes shoe inserts that provide clean,

Photographs courtesy SolePower

renewable energy.

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H

©Getty Images

Power Walking

By CARRIE LOEWENTHAL MASSEY

channels, says Davit Davitian, who works in business development at SolePower.

“We see the launch of our EnSoles as the first step toward growing into a company with a worldwide-recognized brand and a variety of innovative products that help solve daily problems for people in all parts of the world,” says Davitian.

One of the solutions SolePower hopes to provide is an “on-the-go power source” for “current and future mobile devices,” says Davitian. The company also aims, in the long run, to bring energy to people in need and reduce pollution around the globe.

“The biggest environmental impact the SolePower EnSoles can have is through their potential to provide clean, renewable power for LED lights to those living without electricity in developing regions,” says Davitian.

“SolePower’s energy harvesting technology can be embedded in low cost sandals which, after one day of walking, can power an efficient LED light for the whole night.”

The ability to fuel these LEDs is crucial for the environment. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, 250 to 500 million households worldwide depend on fuel-

Above: EnSole’s mechanism is activated by heel strikes.

During every step, a small generator spins to create electricity.

A cable transports the generated power to the PowerPac, an external storage component which can be placed inside a fabric holster that integrates with the shoelaces.

Left: Mobile devices can be charged by connecting them to the PowerPac’s USB port. Almost any device that can be charged using a computer USB port can be charged by the PowerPac at the same charging speed.

CLEAN ENERGY

ow can you help save the environment and charge your mobile phone at the same time?

It’s simple: just go for a walk.

The mechanical engineers behind SolePower, an entrepreneurial venture based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, have developed an insole that harvests the kinetic energy generated by walking. Each time a walker’s heel hits the ground, the motion activates a rotary electromagnetic generator inside the insole. The generator spins as fast as it can, for as long as it can, and the power it creates is stored in an external lithium battery pack.

Walkers can use this power to charge their electronic devices whenever they want.

The shoe inserts have been named EnSoles, short for Energy Insoles, and fit into a variety of shoes. SolePower expects to launch EnSoles’ online sales this year, pending positive product tests and the establishment of distribution

MAY/JUNE 2015

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http://solepowertech.com

Carnegie Mellon’s Project Olympus

Hahna Alexander (left) and Matthew Stanton, co-founders of SolePower.

www.cmu.edu/olympus/

Photographs courtesy SolePower

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SolePower

AlphaLab

http://alphalab.org

“

SolePower’s energy harvesting technology can be embedded in low cost sandals which, after one

day of walking, can power an efficient LED light for the whole

”

night.

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based lamps, with kerosene as the predominant fuel, which releases black carbon into the atmosphere and causes global warming.

“One kilogram of black carbon, a byproduct of incomplete combustion, produces as much warming in one month as 700 kilograms of carbon dioxide does over 100 years. However, when the source of black carbon is removed, the warming it causes drops rapidly, unlike greenhouse gases,” says Davitian.

SolePower’s environmental contributions will depend on the reach—and walking endurance—of its customers. Upon completion of product trials, the company plans to market EnSoles first to outdoor enthusiasts. In the United States, this demographic includes about 35 million hikers, backpackers and campers, who travel into the wilderness with no access to power other than the batteries they bring with them. After building its brand with this niche consumer group, SolePower hopes to focus on general consumers and global markets.

SolePower originated out of a class project at Carnegie Mellon University in 2011. Hahna Alexander, co-founder and chief technology

officer, and Matthew Stanton, co-founder and chief executive officer, were part of a group instructed to develop a product that would benefit their fellow students. The group designed an energy-harvesting shoe that powered embedded LED lights, enabling wearers to travel safely in the dark. When the class ended, Alexander and Stanton expanded on the prototype and built a company around it. They ran a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2013 and partnered with Carnegie Mellon’s Project Olympus, along with AlphaLab, a Pittsburghbased startup accelerator program, to raise the funds necessary to develop EnSoles.

As EnSoles near their mass-market debut, Davitian, who learned about SolePower through AlphaLab, is excited to help the business “expand the scope of energy harvesting by making human power a practical method of generating electricity.”

But, the real fun will be seeing how that human-generated energy changes lives and helps clean up the planet.

Carrie Loewenthal Massey is a New York Citybased freelance writer.

Leveraging

SaveEnergy

Š Getty Images

Data

to

By KIMBERLY GYATSO

Chicago-based

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Root3 Technologies provides small-scale energy operators with precise data on optimal amount of energy requirement.

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t a time when energy efficiency is at the top of global priority lists, it’s no wonder that companies around the world are taking innovative approaches toward the issue. One such company is Root3 Technologies, which is offering independent energy operators a solution to efficiently manage their energy usage.

Using patented cloud-based software, Root3 provides clients, including hotels, universities, hospitals and corporations, with precise data on how much energy their facility needs to operate optimally.

Welcome to the new face of modern environmentalism: big data analytics.

To share articles go to http://span.state.gov MAY/JUNE 2015 15

Go Online Root3 Technologies

What makes Root3’s work stand apart? “It’s a significant bottom-line benefit” that helps clients cut their costs of generating power by up to 30 percent, says Gupta in a New York Times article, “Harnessing the Net to Power a Green Revolution.” http://www.chicagobooth.edu Root3’s products go a step further than traditional energy management systems by using advanced Root3’s founders noticed that a data-driven algorithms and business and engineering rules approach to sustainability existed in the larger to improve the efficacy of energy systems. This arenas of the energy industry, but not for is done by leveraging the existing data, so smaller-scale, independent energy generators, there is no new capital cost for the client. who don’t always install sophisticated manGlobal investors poured $1.2 billion into agement systems. In 2013, there were 24,000 “cleanweb” ventures in 2011 alone, highindependent power plants in the United States. lighting the demand for economically efficient Archisman “Archie” Gupta, Root3’s technology like Root3’s software. “All the co-founder and CEO, has a master’s degree in data is already there,” explains Gupta in the electrical engineering from Clemson UnivNew York Times article. ersity, South Carolina, and has previously held “We are taking the data and converting it various engineering, business development into actionable information, and this is actionand leadership roles at Schneider Electric and able information hour by hour. What do you ITC Holdings. He and co-founder Allison need to do? What do you need to turn on?

Hannon came up with the idea for Root3 How much do you need to produce?” Root3 Technologies while working on their MBA’s at uses prescriptive analytics to provide operators the University of Chicago Booth School of and engineers with forward-looking instrucBusiness. It’s no surprise then Root3’s first tions and applies predictive analysis to client was the founders’ alma mater, the simulate their clients’ energy profiles with new University of Chicago, where peak winter equipment, operational practices or market natural gas costs reached $1 million. considerations in a fraction of the time Root3’s pilot ran at the university in June required by typical consulting firms.

2012 and was a success. “After running the By doing so, Root3 not only saves its beta for a month, they saved nearly 10 percent clients significant costs, but also helps the on their overall energy costs,” says Gupta in environment by reducing energy usage. an Ecopreneurist blog, “GreenStart’s Fall 2012 It seems that Root3 Technologies has come Demo Day Launches 4 Cleantech Comup with a winning formula: use data analysis panies.” The University of Chicago signed on to best understand systems and empower the as a full-time client. client to make informed decisions in order to Since then, Gupta has gone on to win the operate as efficiently as possible.

Innovaro Strategos Award for Most Innovative Business Model and a Gallup Award for Innovative Go-To Market Strategy for the Kimberly Gyatso is a freelance writer based in San Francisco.

Gallup WorldView product.

© Getty Images

www.root3tech.com

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business

“

We are taking the data and converting it into actionable information, and this is actionable information hour by hour. What do you need to do? What do you need to turn on? How much do you need to produce?

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”

the Planet

© Getty Images

Serving

Education and career opportunities in public and environmental affairs.

By JAMES L. PERRY and WESLEY TETER

School of Public and Environmental Affairs

https://spea.indiana.edu

The Progressive Era http://goo.gl/dDHrS8

and only one degree program. Today, it is home to more than 100 faculty, 1,500 undergraduate majors, 500 master’s and Ph.D. students pursuing dozens of distinctive degrees.

Another facet of the recent trends is the range of programs and degrees offered by U.S. universities is becoming more comprehensive and diverse. Students may pursue generalist degrees in areas such as public administration and public policy. They may also secure more specialized career preparation in specific service areas such as environmental health, sustainable development and natural resource management.

U.S. universities offering public affairs programs cover the spectrum: from Ivy League institutions like Harvard, Big Ten like Indiana and Minnesota to midsize public universities like University of Southern Indiana and small private colleges like Mills College. The diversity of program, price, delivery mode and university setting means that there are many options to satisfy the preferences of most prospective students.

It is difficult to describe the people who usually pursue public and environmental affairs careers because their diversity makes any simple characterization seem like a stereotype. But, they do possess some attributes with frequency.

People who pursue these careers are looking for a challenge, sometimes of monumental proportions. Transforming a polluted slum into a livable community or cleaning air and water so they can sustain life could be extraordinary challenges but are the type that draw people to public life.

James L. Perry is distinguished professor emeritus at the Indiana University, Bloomington, School of Public and Environmental Affairs and visiting distinguished scholar, Faculty of Social Sciences, The University of Hong Kong.

Wesley Teter is a former regional director of EducationUSA in India and Central Asia, supported by the U.S. Department of State.

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EDUCATION

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arge, modern democracies like India and the United States are often crucibles for debates about the proper roles of politicians, citizen advocates and public servants. One factor about which we have little dispute is that great nations demand an unwavering commitment to service.

Whether leading the public charge to protect the planet or researching critical issues affecting ecosystems, public and environmental affairs professionals are at the heart of interdisciplinary challenges that require deep commitment and a sense of purpose. Confronting issues at both local and global levels, students and professionals in these areas represent diverse academic fields. From a Bachelor of Arts in environmental and sustainability studies to a Ph.D. in environmental science, there is a wide range of degree programs that can shape students’ interests and passions into a career focused on improving public life and the environment.

Effective government and environmental policy depend on many factors. One of the most obvious is the quality of public service. For young people and civic activists looking to build careers and make a difference, pursuit of public service can provide a lifetime of engagement in building and reforming institutions. The United States’ obsession with good government, dating to the Progressive Era marked by the presidencies of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, has fueled vibrant, high-quality public affairs programs in U.S. higher education. Formal attention to preparing people for public service and public affairs has grown enormously in the United States during the last 40 years.

The School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) at Indiana University illustrates the growth. When the school was founded in 1972, it had a handful of faculty and students

Photographs courtesy Woodrow Wilson Center

Jennifer Turner

By STEVE FOX

Jennifer L. Turner has been director of the China Environment Forum at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. for 13 years. Her current research focuses on environmental activism in China and how water use and energy

are inextricably linked.

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What is the China Environment Forum?

My project—the China Environment Forum— prides itself on being the “go-to” source for information on energy and environmental issues in China. We create meetings, exchanges and publications that create dialogues on a broad range of issues, from clean energy development to pollution and biodiversity challenges. Most recently, we have explored China’s energy-water confrontations in our multimedia reporting and by convening the initiative “Choke Point: China.”

Tell us more about Choke Point: China.

We began this project five years ago with Circle of Blue, an NGO founded by journalists and scientists that produces reliable and actionable on-the-ground information about the world’s resource crises, particularly water. With Circle of Blue, we were the first to report on the significant thirst of China’s coal sector and a very energy-intensive water sector. We used our reporting to hold workshops with key policy, research, NGO and business communities in China as well as in the U.S., which also faces considerable

water-energy nexus challenges. Our work catalyzed China’s top energy think tank and the Ministry of Water Resources to start investigating the coal-water nexus. What was most exciting was to see how the U.S. and Chinese governments agreed to create a new Water-Energy Program as part of the November 2014 clean energy and climate agreement.

What implications do China’s problems with pollution have for the rest of the world?

China is the world’s factory and at least 20 percent of the country’s electricity, which is mainly generated from coal, is used to create products for export. So, the world’s hunger for cheaper products clearly plays a role in China’s pollution challenges.

China’s pollution mainly impacts Chinese citizens but, of course, neighboring countries are also impacted. China is now the world’s number one emitter of carbon dioxide. That said, China has been taking major steps to start shifting away from coal and has become the world’s leader in clean energy investments and installed wind and (soon) solar power.

What will you be speaking about during your upcoming visit to India?

I will be talking about water-energy-food confrontations in China, offering comparisons with similar trends in the U.S., Australia and India, where we have also worked with Circle of Blue to do water-energy-food

Jennifer Turner

www.wilsoncenter.org/staff/ jennifer-l-turner

reporting. I will talk about the pollution challenges in China, but I will also highlight some of the impressive shifts that are occurring in China to really address the problems.

What lessons can India draw from China’s experiences of dealing with environmental challenges?

China and India face many similar challenges—big population and massive and growing energy hunger.

India is now the number one importer of coal. It is striking that China is where we are seeing a push to unseat “King Coal” and shift away from the “pollute first/clean up later” mentality. There are clearly plenty of enforcement gaps in China, but it is encouraging to see how the pollution problem has pushed some very promising reforms, such as information transparency and decisions to make local officials more accountable in delivering on pollution targets. I am looking forward to having conversations in India to learn more about the energy-pollution dynamics there.

Steve Fox is a freelance writer, former newspaper publisher and reporter based in Ventura, California.

POLLUTION

Is the international community engaged with China in addressing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions?

Yes, China has been expanding bilateral programs with the U.S., Europe and other countries to address pollution and energy challenges. Very important have been the U.S. environmental and energy NGOs and foundations that have worked to help build the capacity of the government, researchers and NGOs to improve policies, regulations and transparency around pollution and energy issues. They likely played a key role in helping the government take some very impressive steps to shift the economy to being more energy-efficient and dependent on cleaner energy.

China has now committed itself to limit coal consumption. Public pressure to fix the air pollution problem is pushing this as well.

Go Online © Getty Images

Left: Jennifer Turner at a panel discussion on the Chinese environmental documentary, “Under the Dome,” which racked up over 175 million online views within 48 hours, at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.

To share articles go to http://span.state.gov MAY/JUNE 2015 19

Out of the Landfill and Into the

Future

By CANDICE YACONO

Go Online Looptworks looptworks.com

TerraCycle www.terracycle.com

Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Collage by HEMANT BHATNAGAR, photographs courtesy TerraCycle

www.habitat.org/restores

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Upcycling

companies help corporations reduce their ecological footprint.

A

TerraCycle has developed recycling processes for everything from cigarette butts, chewing gum and diapers to candy wrappers, chip bags and drink pouches.

UPCYCLING

discarded aluminum drink pouch.

A nearly new bathroom sink, ripped out of a redecorated home.

Forty-three acres of airline seat leather. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that Americans create more than 251 million tons of trash each year. Of this, 164 million tons end up in landfills and incinerators, damaging the land, air quality and water supply.

As waste generation continues to escalate, many novel alternatives to landfilling have risen in popularity, including recycling, reuse and upcycling, or the conversion of waste material into new, desirable products.

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22 MAY/JUNE 2015

Courtesy Looptworks

Examples of reuse and upcycling may be as small as a family using a plastic disposable grocery bag as a bin liner, or as large as multinational corporations committing to produce zero net waste. For instance, Walmart, the American discount retailer, has announced an aspirational goal of zero waste and claims that more than 80 percent of the materials that flow through the company are diverted from landfills.

Upcycling- and reuse-focused companies partner with corporations to help them reduce their ecological footprint.

For instance, in Portland, Oregon, Looptworks partners with a diverse group of companies, including clothing manufacturers and airlines, to repurpose their scrap material into high-end bags and luggage. New Jersey based TerraCycle solicits trash, like protein bar wrappers and bicycle chains from landfills, to make everything from birdfeeders to picture frames. Habitat for Humanity ReStores receive usable material donations from renovations and demolitions, as well as overstock construction supplies, which they offer to bargain hunters at a substantial discount.

The seat of the issue Looptworks was founded by two people working in the shoe and apparel industry, who saw 40 billion pounds of unused material going to waste each year.

Looptworks produces cases and bags from excess belt and shoe leather. Its Hoptu Collection is made from excess neoprene, the material used for making wetsuits.

The company became a darling of the fashion world when it partnered with Southwest Airlines to upcycle 43 acres of leather from more than 80,000 seats that were being removed from Southwest planes. The resultant blue-and-tan bags make up the LUV Seat collection.

“There is a really good mix of customers,” says Looptworks co-founder Scott Hamlin. “We definitely have the customers that wanted a piece of Southwest memorabilia. We have customers that just loved the idea of a bag made from an airline seat; the customer that supports the upcycling movement; and then, the customer that simply thinks it’s a really cool bag.”

“By using upcycled leather, as opposed to virgin leather, the LUV Seat products save up to 4,000 gallons of water per bag,” he adds. “On average, by using upcycled materials versus virgin materials, one can conserve approximately 70 percent of the carbon emissions.”

Left: Looptworks repurposed 43 acres of leather from Southwest Airlines’ seats into totes and duffel bags.

MAY/JUNE 2015 23

Photographs courtesy Habitat for Humanity International

Right: A Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Austin, Texas.

Far right: The ReStore in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Below: TerraCycle’s office in Trenton, New Jersey, was created with upcycled, recycled and reused materials.

Below center: The conference room at TerraCycle’s office, called “The Bowling Alley,” has tables made out of old bowling alley lanes.

Bottom: TerraCycle’s Drink Pouch Brigade collects used pouches for recycling and upcycling.

Photographs courtesy TerraCycle

Very real threats “Simply put, people are becoming more environmentally conscious than ever before,” says Albe Zakes, TerraCycle’s global vice president of communications. “Consumers are reading labels and are pressuring manufacturers to make products more ecofriendly. Corporations are making sustainability a key component of operation, and government entities are starting to take environmental concerns more seriously with stronghanded legislation. Resource depletion and unsustainable shortterm growth are very real threats to our future on the planet, and the world is finally waking up and pressing for action.”

TerraCycle strives to take everyday waste products out of the path to landfills by transforming them into desirable goods. “The best part of TerraCycle’s versatile business model is that no waste, product or packaging is beyond recycling. We have developed recycling processes for everything from cigarette butts, chewing gum and diapers to candy wrappers, chip bags and drink pouches,” says Zakes.

Some of the world’s largest manufacturers, including companies like Kraft, Colgate-Palmolive and L’Oreal, partner with TerraCycle.

Do-it-yourselfers’ dream The first Habitat for Humanity ReStore in the United States opened in 1991. They now operate across the country. Habitat for Humanity 24 MAY/JUNE 2015

ReStores not only accept individual donations, but also solicit corporate partnerships. Products can include tools, construction materials, furniture and appliances.

“Habitat ReStore outlets started as a way to resell excess home-building products instead of sending them to landfills,” says Deondai RandolphColquitt, ReStores marketing manager.

“Proceeds from the sales are used to help Habitat for Humanity build more homes locally, in partnership with low-income families. As the concept grew, we began accepting material donations to support the mission.”

“From do-it-yourselfers and treasure hunters looking for unique pieces to homeowners looking to improve their home for a fraction of the cost, Habitat ReStore is the place to shop for home products that fit both a shopper’s needs and budget,” says Colquitt.

Looking ahead “We need to be pushing industry in the direction of sustainable development, where renewable materials are favored over finite and unsustainable resources, and where products and packaging are designed with the intention of being reused or recycled,” says Zakes. “Resource depletion is a real threat to long-term development on our planet, and we should be protecting the resources we already use instead of resigning their fate to a landfill.”

Candice Yacono is a magazine and newspaper writer based in southern California.

STEVE HALL © Hedrich Blessing

The Reflecting Pool at the Grand Rapids Art Museum, which is part of its water recycling system.

LEED-ing the Way

By ANNE WALLS

Exploring some of the

most ecofriendly

in the United States.

GARY POPE/Courtesy Flickr

Courtesy Greenhouse Loft Photography

Right: Rapid Operations Center.

Center: Green Exchange.

Far right: Majestic 12 movie theater.

KRISTEN DUNN/The Rapidian

A Tennessee movie theater. A Michigan art museum and a bus terminal. An Illinois business park.

These public buildings in the United States may seem like a random group, much like the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion in “The Wizard of Oz.” However, behind the wizard’s curtain, these structures have one thing in common—they are all green. Not Emerald City green, but ecofriendly.

These buildings are all LEED-certified. According to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED, Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a “green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices.” To receive LEED certification, buildings and other projects need to meet a series of prerequisites and earn points to achieve different levels of certification, like Silver, Gold and Platinum.

According to the Chicago Tribune, “by using less energy and water, LEED-certified buildings save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community.”

GREEN BUILDINGS

public buildings

Rapid Central Station, Michigan

DAVE MACKENZIE

Courtesy Birdair, Inc.

https://www.ridetherapid.org

Rapid Central Station and Rapid Operations Center, Michigan A busy urban bus terminal, chockablock with 40-foot vehicles, might not be the most ecofriendly place imaginable. But in Grand Rapids, Michigan, there’s just such a place, called The Rapid, which includes Rapid Central Station and Rapid Operations Center.

Rapid Central Station was given a LEED-certified rating in 2004, making it the first LEED rating for a public transit facility in the United States.

In 2012, The Rapid opened its operations center, renovated and expanded at a cost of $31 million. It has earned a Gold rating, the second-highest LEED certification.

The operations center is where all of The Rapid’s hundreds of buses are maintained, and employees are trained. It also houses a

26 MAY/JUNE 2015

dispatch center. The main green features of Rapid Operations Center are:  A bus wash water reclamation system that saves nine million gallons of water annually.  A 40,000-square-foot green roof.  Increased natural light and natural ventilation.  Radiant floor heating in the bus garage.  Energy-efficient high-speed garage doors.

Green Exchange, Illinois The Green Exchange business park is aptly called “A timeless building ahead of its time.” The 272,000-square-foot former factory has been converted into an ecofriendly office space that earned LEED Platinum certification in 2013.

Above: Rapid Central Station features Birdair Inc.’s custom tensile fabric membrane, which helps reduce the need for electric lighting.

Above right: Aerial view of the green roof on The Rapid.

Left: A wall of perennials at Rapid Central Station.

Right: Housed in Green Exchange, Greenhouse Loft has many sustainable features, including energyefficient windows, natural lighting, an organic sky garden and 120-year-old reclaimed wood floors that reflect natural light.

Right and below right: The lobby of Green Exchange, which flaunts its LEED Platinum certification, has many green features, including an escalator that uses 30 percent less energy than a traditional escalator.

DAVE MACKENZIE

Green Exchange, Chicago

U.S. Green Building Council http://www.usgbc.org /LEED

Photographs courtesy Greenhouse Loft Photography

http://www.greenexchange.com

MAY/JUNE 2015

27

Photographs by STEVE HALL © Hedrich Blessing

Left: Grand Rapids Art Museum is considered the world’s first LEED Gold certified art museum.

Below: The museum’s landscape design is highly water-efficient.

Bottom left: The museum uses recycled and recyclable materials.

Bottom right: The building has efficient insulation for concrete and glass walls.

The building is one of Chicago’s architectural gems, first housing an undergarments factory over a 100 years ago, and later, the Cooper Lighting Company. Energy-guzzling lighting has been eschewed at the new, green iteration of the space.

The LEED-awarded structure now features a sky garden with a future on-site restaurant, as well as expansive meeting and event spaces, available to both tenants and the public.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Green Exchange earned its accolades for “energy use, lighting, water and material use, as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies,” which includes “a state-of-the-art green roof, an organic garden, a chicken coop, a 41,329 gallon rain cistern to allow water to be captured and reused, energy-efficient windows, an energy-efficient escalator, and much more.”

The businesses that are housed within Green Exchange are equally eco-conscious: Greenhouse Loft, a sustainable meeting and event space; WeFarm America, which offers customized organic gardens for homes and businesses; Rainforest Learning Center, an environmental art-based pre-school and infants program; and Ale Syndicate, an environmentally-conscious microbrewery, among others.

“It is such a high honor to be recognized by the USGBC and to become LEED-certified,” says David Baum, president of Baum Development, the 28 MAY/JUNE 2015

company that developed Green Exchange. “We are creating a collaboration—a platform that allows individuals and businesses to ‘exchange their green ideas’ and learn from one another in a positive way.”

Photographs by SCOTT MCDONALD © Hedrich Blessing

Grand Rapids Art Museum, Michigan Grand Rapids, Michigan, has one of the highest concentrations of ecofriendly and awarded buildings in the United States.

In 2012 alone, a brewery, a college and an office building were added to the LEED list. According to Mayor George Heartwell, “Grand Rapids is known to have the highest number of LEED-certified projects per capita.”

In 2008, fine art joined the green team in the form

of the Grand Rapids Art Museum. The 125,000square-foot museum, which occupies a full city block, was designed to be as beautiful on the outside as the works of art within.

The new building of the Grand Rapids Art Museum was designed specifically with LEED Gold certification in mind. Making a museum ecofriendly is especially challenging because, unlike other structures, it has to maintain a specific temperature, 24 degrees Celsius and 50 percent humidity, in order to keep the delicate artworks in good shape. Museums expend energy maintaining that balance.

According to Inhabitat.com, Grand Rapids Art Museum’s climate “is controlled by excellent insulation and building materials (20 percent of

Grand Rapids Art Museum, Michigan

Left: The museum uses certified wood flooring.

Top: The museum’s galleries, including Level III Galleries, have energy-saving skylights.

Above: Natural light enters the museum’s Wege Pavilion through triple-layered glass and adjustable louvers.

http://www.artmuseumgr.org/building MAY/JUNE 2015

29

STEVE HALL © Hedrich Blessing

GARY POPE/Courtesy Flickr

Left: Rain and snow water is stored and recycled for plant irrigation in the museum’s courtyard.

Below: Carmike Cinemas’ Majestic 12 uses solar power and recycled water.

Majestic 12, Tennessee http://goo.gl/IQExbR which are recycled) and a high-efficiency HVAC, heating, ventilating and air conditioning, that features an ‘energy recovery wheel’ system (as warm air is cycled outside, heat and humidity are transferred to incoming air, regulating temperature). The structure is also designed to receive 70 percent of its light from natural sources, and water-efficient fixtures complement an onsite rain and gray water reuse system that reduces water consumption by 20 percent.”

According to architecture website ArchDaily, the museum’s design “stresses both the symbolic need of a museum to be a civic icon within the city, plus fulfilling humanistic needs for people to have their own experience with art. It is grand in its presence, and intimate in the experience, working in harmony.”

Carmike Cinemas’ Majestic 12, Tennessee When you think of a luxury movie theater, you most likely imagine the lights going down as you settle back into a plush seat and feast on buttered popcorn, while the opening credits roll. What you don’t imagine is that the movie screen is being lit up by solar power. Also, the water you just washed your hands with in the bathroom was collected through rainwater harvesting. Even the walls of the theater are made of recycled material.

Majestic 12, a premium movie theater in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is out to change the perception 30 MAY/JUNE 2015

that entertaining can’t be ecofriendly. The 12-screen, 2,500 seat theater is part of the Carmike Cinemas chain based in Georgia. But, it is a little different from the rest. Built for $12 million in 2010, Majestic 12 is the first movie theater in the United States to receive a LEED Gold certification for not only its use of solar power, but also its low-energy lighting and use of recycled rainwater in bathrooms and for landscaping.

According to MotherNatureNetwork.com, Majestic 12 also boasts of “the use of low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints, finishes, carpets and adhesives; the use of recycled content and local building materials; a high percentage of recycled construction waste; and a public transit-friendly location right off a stop on Chattanooga’s electric bus line.”

Other movie theaters have tried to implement similar ecofriendly attributes. For example, in 2004, the Palm Theater in San Luis Obispo, California, became the first completely solar-powered theater in the United States. In 2011, the AMC Randhurst 12 in Mount Prospect, Illinois, joined Majestic 12 by receiving a LEED Silver certification.

But the 70,000-square-foot Majestic 12 remains the first of its kind to implement such advanced ecofriendly modifications. Now that’s simply majestic!

Anne Walls is a writer and filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California.

Where

Legends

Nature Meet

By PAROMITA PAIN

TRAVEL

MATTHEW PAULSON/Courtesy Flickr

Devils Tower in Wyoming is an interesting mix of Native American legends and natural history.

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D

DAVID KINGHAM/Courtesy Flickr

evils Tower in Wyoming might not feature on glossy tourist brochures, but it’s one of those hidden gems of natural history visitors are nearly always glad to see. “What stays with you is the fact that it’s completely natural,” says Matt Franzblau, an avid traveler who has visited 47 of the 50 states in the United States. “It’s a huge structure of lava and volcanic remains, with nothing man-made or artificial about it.” The whole formation, about 1,267 feet tall, is America’s first National Monument—declared by President Theodore Roosevelt under the Antiquities Act of 1906.

Chance discovery

“

It’s a huge structure of lava and

volcanic

remains, with nothing man-made or artificial about it.

32 MAY/JUNE 2015

MIAOMIAO WANG/Courtesy Flickr

“While planning a trip to Yellowstone and Mount Rushmore, I chanced upon the Tower and the unique nature of the formation intrigued me,” says Priyanka

Jayashankar, adjunct assistant professor of management at Iowa State University. Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi movie, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” was filmed in the area.

The Tower, made from cooled magma that spilled out into the surrounding sedimentary rock layers, isn’t just about geology. The Native American tribes, in and around the area, have a spiritual and cultural connection with the Tower, and there are many legends about how it came into being.

The Native American name for it is Mato Tipila, meaning Bear Lodge. The Tower is considered a sacred worship site, with colorful prayer cloths often found

tied to the trees near the base. According to the National Park Service, a translator in an 1875 expedition misinterpreted the name to mean Bad God’s Tower, which later came to be known as Devils Tower.

“It’s this mix of incredibly rich history and nature that makes the Tower so interesting,” says Ed Timms, lecturer in the journalism department of The University of Texas at Austin. “It has these deep grooves on the side which look like scratches made by a bear. It is a part of a legend that says a huge bear once chased a group of young Indian girls, who climbed onto the peak to stay safe. They were believed to have been carried away by the Great

Go Online

www.nps.gov/deto

Fossil Butte National Monument

www.nps.gov/fobu

DAVID FULMER/Courtesy Flickr JOHN/Courtesy Flickr

Devils Tower National Monument

Buffalo Bill Center of the West http://goo.gl/oWxJop Above: The entrance to Devils Tower National Monument.

Above left: Devils Tower rises above the surrounding grassland and Ponderosa pine forests like a rocky sentinel.

Far left: Devils Tower Trading Post can meet all travel and picnic needs. It is also home to the world’s largest Harley-Davidson flag.

Left: Devils Tower offers a great camping and hiking experience.

is about,” he says.

“Serious hikers climb the peak, but for less ambitious people like me, the grounds around the Tower are perfect for walking,” says Jayashankar. “It’s safe for children and takes about an hour,” says Bertram.

“It has something for everyone. The natural beauty is breathtaking. Climbing the peak is amazing, but it’s a very steep climb and for very experienced hikers.”

The best time to visit is late spring or summer.

“August is a great time,” says Shon McDonald, a former resident of Sundance, Wyoming. “Wyoming gets a lot of snow in winters. Also, in August you have the Wyoming Motorcycle Rally, which is great to watch.”

The towns around Devils Tower have budgetfriendly places to stay. “It’s easy to get the usual fare, but those with dietary restrictions better make Spirit,” he says. The Tower is still known for its wildlife like deer, bison, antelope, elk, turkey and the arrangements,” says Jayashankar. “The friendly park rangers are a mine of information.” Wyoming also rare mountain lion. has other interesting sites like the Fossil Butte National Monument, which is the state’s newest Camping and more national monument, and the Buffalo Bill Center of Lee Bertram, a Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. the West.

Navy who grew up in Wyoming, says there is a lot “The state of Wyoming is famous for the to do on the Tower grounds. “It’s a great place for Yellowstone National Park,” says Jayashankar. “The camping. It’s not your usual tourist haunt. It’s not Devils Tower can be an interesting stop. It is a like Mount Rushmore and that makes it unique.” detour you won’t regret.”

Bertram advises visitors to look around the small towns near the Tower and experience the local lifestyles. “That way you get a feel of what the state Paromita Pain is a journalist in Austin, Texas.

MAY/JUNE 2015

33

Energy

The Changing Worldof

By GEORGETTE JASEN

34 MAY/JUNE 2015

Š Getty Images

Q&A on the intersection of energy, economics, geopolitics and the environment.

***** Why create a Center on Global Energy Policy now?

The energy world is changing quickly and fundamentally. We are seeing a hydrocarbon revolution in the U.S. that has huge economic, geopolitical and environmental implications. The impacts of climate change are being felt more frequently and severely.

The utility business model is being reinvented. The cost of renewable technology is dropping quickly. And energy is playing a key role in geopolitical crises like the Russia and Ukraine conflict. All of these things have important policy implications. There is a need for more sources of objective, rigorous analyses coupled with a thorough understanding of the industry and financial markets, as well as deep insights into how policy gets created. And all this must be done with a truly global focus.

Why do it at Columbia?

There are very few institutions that put all these things together the way we have the opportunity to do here. The support from Merit Janow, [Provost] John Coatsworth and [President] Lee C. Bollinger, and from so many others across the university, has been important to our rapid growth and success. Columbia is one of the world’s most respected institutions, with strong programs and institutions to complement what we’re building at the center. We have SIPA and The Earth Institute and the Global Centers. We have done workshops in Istanbul on eastern Mediterranean energy issues. We had events in Beijing and Israel, in partnership with the Law School, and another in Ethiopia with Vijay Modi in Engineering. I don’t think I realized when I left the White House how much of an advan-

Copyright © 2015 Columbia University. All Rights Reserved.

tage it would be to build this type of policy center outside Washington, D.C., particularly in New York City, with its unique ability to include finance and commodity perspectives, an international community and a global media presence.

How important is climate change in formulating energy policy?

It’s one of the most pressing challenges we face.

More severe storms, floods and heat waves, among other impacts, threaten all nations. Think about the amount of energy it takes to power the global economy. Look at the energy demand growth in China or India, and the energy it will take to pull hundreds of millions of people out of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa, to give them access to refrigerators, air conditioners, cars and other things that improve the quality of life. Meeting that growth in energy demand alone would be difficult; trying to do it in a way that dramatically reduces greenhouse gas emissions is a staggering challenge. It’s going to require trillions of dollars in new capital over the next several decades. It will require everyone in the U.S. and the global political system to agree that this is a problem that needs to be addressed, to put in place stronger policies and provide the right incentives for capital to flow into more sustainable forms of energy. I’m hopeful that will happen, but it is by no means certain.

What exactly is the hydrocarbon revolution?

The phrase “game changer” gets used a lot, but it is hard to overstate the magnitude of the change in the U.S. energy outlook over just the last four or five years. If you look back just six or seven years ago, every projection was for a dramatic increase in U.S. natural gas imports, and all that growth was in the form of very costly liquefied natural gas (LNG). We were going to be importing very large volumes of oil as far as the eye could see. All that has turned around very quickly. We will soon be a net exporter of natural gas. U.S. oil production is up four million barrels a day over the last four years, so import dependence has dropped from 60 percent to closer to 25 percent.

How did this turnaround in U.S. energy production happen?

There were important government research programs early on, but a lot was private sector innovation and technology improvements. For example, we had been doing hydraulic fracturing for 60 years. The major innovation was the ability to combine hydraulic fracturing with horizontal drilling to extract

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ENERGY POLICY

Courtesy Columbia University

fter four years in the Obama Administration, most recently as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Energy and Climate Change on the staff of the National Security Council, Jason Bordoff joined Columbia University in January 2013 as founding director of the Center on Global Energy Policy and professor of professional practice at the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). ...

The center has become a leading global venue for high-level discussions and research about energy.

Speakers have included Energy Secretary Ernest J. Moniz, former National Security Adviser Thomas E. Donilon, chief executive officers of multinational energy companies like Shell and Conoco, as well as presidents of non-governmental organizations like the Environmental Defense Fund.

https://sipa.columbia.edu/faculty/jason-bordoff

Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University http://energypolicy.columbia.edu/

© Getty Images

School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University https://sipa.columbia.edu/

hydrocarbons from shale formations in an economical way. This happened in the U.S., in part, because we have a very entrepreneurial mindset; we have lots of small, independent operators who had access to capital, who could try things in a way you wouldn’t if you have two or three state-owned enterprises that dominate your economy.

Is it a blip or can it continue?

It’s going to continue. Perhaps not at quite the same pace, particularly given the recent drop in oil prices. Extracting oil and natural gas is a complex process, and the industry—by necessity—has become very innovative in figuring out how to produce resources.

But there is also a lot of uncertainty about how much U.S. production will grow, particularly given how daily output falls sharply compared with traditional wells, after an initial burst of oil and gas production from a new shale well. We still have much to learn about some of the geology.

What has been the impact of this turnaround?

The oil and gas boom has been among the brightest spots in the U.S. economy. It contributed to the recent decline in oil prices. It has reduced our import dependence and our trade imbalance, which have important geopolitical and security benefits. Of course, it has raised environmental concerns, which need to be taken very seriously and addressed with the right rules, regula-

36 MAY/JUNE 2015

tions and enforcement. It has also raised a host of policy questions, such as whether we should export energy or whether it is safe to move more oil using one of the greatest innovations of the 19th century—trains.

Does this mean that we can be less concerned about the events in the Middle East?

I don’t think this fundamentally changes the U.S. interest in global energy market stability or the Middle East. If there is a supply disruption in the Middle East, if there is conflict that affects Saudi Arabian oil production tomorrow, the price of oil is going to go up all around the world. That’s going to affect U.S. consumers whether we import a lot of oil or not. And we have many other security and geopolitical interests in the Middle East aside from energy. But, it can give us more flexibility, more leverage in diplomatic negotiations. For example, we see energy playing a bigger role in trade negotiations, with the Europeans pushing for access to U.S. oil and gas.

Additional U.S. supplies made it easier for countries to comply with sanctions against Iran by preventing a price rise from lost Iranian exports.

What are the implications for the natural gas market?

Natural gas typically moves between Point A and Point B through a pipeline and, historically, there were few other options. Point A and B, thus, depend on

each other as buyer and seller. That’s why Europe is so concerned about Russia’s ability to turn off the taps.

Over the next decade, however, we are going to see much more sold as LNG that can move on ships, and natural gas increasingly priced based on supply and demand for gas rather than linked to oil.

The U.S. natural gas supply has freed up gas for the global market and soon, the U.S. will export LNG. This will contribute to a more integrated global gas market, with more diversity of supply and more competition, which can help improve security of supply.

After more than a decade in Washington, D.C. making policy, what’s it like to be teaching?

It’s wonderful. The students here are some of the best in the world, and it’s inspiring to see how much passion and energy they have for solving the problems we have been talking about. As pessimistic as one can be about whether our political system is capable of addressing the climate challenge, meeting the world’s growing energy needs, or resolving some of our most difficult geopolitical conflicts, it gives you more than a little bit of optimism to spend time with the students here at Columbia. The amount of talent and the focus they are putting toward trying to tackle these problems is what’s going to make it possible to solve them in the end.

Georgette Jasen is a freelance writer and editor.

Go Online

Jason Bordoff

he U.S. Consulate General Mumbai honored the winners of the photography contest, titled “Women Make It Happen,” at the inauguration of an exhibit of the photographs at NCPA Piramal Art Gallery on March 31. The contest, organized from February 17 to March 15, commemorated International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month. The contest theme underscored the shared commitment of the United States and India to the empowerment of women and girls.

Thirteen winners in different categories were selected from over 400 entries from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

U.S. Consulate General Public Affairs Officer Philip Roskamp presented the awards to the winners. “We are extremely pleased that so many people are using their voices—and their cameras—to highlight the role of inspirational women,” he said at the inauguration ceremony. http://mumbai.usconsulate.gov/pr040115.html

SCAPE

T.G. VENKATESH

NARAYAN PATEL, winner of the “Best Overall” category

he U.S. Consulate General Chennai opened its renovated American Library on April 8, with a new event space, video viewing pods, online kiosks, kids’ zone and much more. In addition to its collections on the social sciences, business, management and American literature, the library provides information on the United States, its democratic institutions, history and politics. A day before the reopening, U.S. Consul General Phillip A. Min (below right) met with 35 journalists and answered questions about the library. http://chennai.usconsulate.gov/resources.html

conference on “Building Pan Asian Connectivity” was held in Kolkata on March 10 and 11. It was hosted by the U.S. Consulate General Kolkata, the Center on American and Global Security at Indiana University and the Observer Research Foundation. The conference brought together business, academic, government and civilian experts from the United States, India and other Southeast Asian countries to examine the opportunities and obstacles as India and its neighbors take on greater roles in the region. It consisted of three sessions on issues related to security, environment and trade. Speaking on the role of the United States in the years ahead, Ambassador Richard R. Verma said in his keynote address, “We see our role as a convener, partner and supplier. We are committed to bringing together the countries of the region, the private sector firms, and prominent international financial institutions to identify where U.S. engagement could make the most difference.” http://cags.indiana.edu/bpac NASIM MUKHTAR

BHARATH KUMAR H.

mbassador Richard R. Verma visited Mysore in late March where he inaugurated the renovated building of the Oriental Research Institute, University of Mysore. Ambassador Verma also visited the Mysore Palace, JSS Polytechnic and a community of migrant workers (below). SELCO India and USAID India have partnered to provide this community, and others like it, with solar panels to improve their livelihood. http://goo.gl/4m0YkZ

MAY/JUNE 2015 37

Art and Environme

By MICHAEL GALLANT

Sculptors, painters, architects and other artists raise awareness about climate change through their work.

“Harvest Dome,� created by New York architects Amanda Schachter and Alexander Levi, was constructed from 128 empty soda bottles and 450 discarded umbrella frames.

38 MAY/JUNE 2015

ART

ANDREAS SYMIETZ/Courtesy SLO Architecture

ntal Action

To share articles go to http://span.state.gov MAY/JUNE 2015 39

S

Right: Detail of “Gaia, part 3” created by Resa Blatman to highlight environmental themes. It is made from different materials including oil paint and glitter on lasercut Mylar and PVC, oil and latex paint on hand-cut Mylar, with silk and plastic flora.

Below and below right: Sixteen feet high and 20 feet wide, “Harvest Dome” was put on an unusual display, floating in various waterways around New York City, in order to make viewers more aware of the environment in which they live.

CHARLES TANG/Courtesy SLO Architecture

cientists around the world agree that environmental problems pose a serious threat to humanity, and they’re not the only ones who think so. A growing and diverse group of visual artists is joining the conversation, using topics like global warming and sustainability as fuel for their imagination. The result? Striking works that both capture the eye and raise awareness on environmental issues.

Resa Blatman, a Massachusetts-based painter, first began creating works based on environmental themes in 2011. “I’ve always cared about the environment and been conservative with the amounts of water and electricity I use. But, seeing the movie ‘Gasland’ really put me in a new direction,” says Blatman, referring to the Academy Award-nominated documentary that describes the impacts of fracking in the United States.

After experiencing the film, Blatman asked herself how she could help in a significant and meaningful way. “I decided to put that energy into my artwork,” she says.

“And that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.”

Blatman’s recent work includes the “Trouble in Paradise” and “Gaia” series, collections of paintings crafted with oil and latex paint, silk, Mylar and other materials. “The sky is molten and grotesque, and has a tumultuousness to it, as if a tornado were forming,” she says, describing the paintings. “There were tornadoes in western Massachusetts a few years ago and that has never happened before. They’re showing up now because of

Courtesy Resa Blatman ANDREAS SYMIETZ/Courtesy SLO Architecture

Resa Blatman

http://resablatman.com/

SLO Architecture

http://sloarchitecture.com/

Andrew Mowbray

http://andrewmowbray.com/ MAY/JUNE 2015

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Photographs courtesy Northeastern University

Left: “Forecasted,” an exhibit at Northeastern University, featured eight artists whose works explore the nature of climate change and global warming in a variety of ways.

Right and below right: Visitors admire the works on display at the “Forecasted” exhibit.

“A visually successful work of art can make people question their environments, how they perceive things like climate change, and what they can do to help.”

dramatically changing weather patterns due to climate change.”

Blatman describes the black paint at the bottom of “Trouble in Paradise 3” as a metaphor for oil spills, while the plant life coming from it carries multiple meanings. “As the planet warms, things will continue to grow but, maybe, not what we want,” she says.

“Maybe, they will be invasive species that will kill off plants that we depend on. There’s a rebirth coming out of the muck, but it’s not necessarily what we want to see.”

The artist describes the series as containing a hodgepodge of ideas, but it’s all by her design. “The last thing I want to do is hit people over their heads and say, ‘Look at this painting. It’s about climate change!’ ” she says. “I want people to come to it from their own time spent with the artwork.”

Paintings aren’t the only format being used to draw attention to such issues. Blatman recently curated an exhibit at Northeastern University, titled “Forecasted:

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Eight Artists Explore the Nature of Climate Change.”

The exhibit featured a number of environment themed works, including one made of pieces of discarded styrofoam, which sculptor Andrew Mowbray found washed up from the ocean and fashioned to look like a well and a bench hewn from stone.

Equally inventive is the “Harvest Dome,” a floating orb that New York City architects Amanda Schachter and Alexander Levi fashioned from 128 empty soda bottles and 450 discarded umbrella frames. Sixteen feet high and 20 feet wide, the beautiful, geometric construction was put on an unusual display, floating in various waterways around New York City, including the highlypolluted Gowanus Canal, in order to make viewers more aware of the environment in which they live.

Such creative works have the ability to touch their audiences in unique and powerful ways. “With all of the documentaries, news reports and interview shows focusing on the environment, the situation can seem very doom and gloom,” says Blatman. “People may

Courtesy Resa Blatman

want to tune it out. But, art adds a visual impact that you can’t ignore. People can step back and think about the issues in a different way. A visually successful work of art can make people question their environments, how they perceive things like climate change, and what they can do to help.”

Schachter, given her own success with the Harvest Dome, encourages anyone wanting to affect positive change through visual art or architecture to be bold. “Get out there in the world and don’t be afraid to do something that hasn’t been done before,” she says with a laugh. “Creating a dome that floated on the water was a crazy idea, but it worked. By getting out there and trying to convince people of your own ideas, you can get further than you might think.”

“Make something beautiful that has real meaning, and approach people about it,” Schachter adds. “You’ll be surprised by the access you gain and the attention you get.

You can start a whole new way of thinking.”

Michael Gallant is the founder and chief executive officer of Gallant Music. He lives in New York City.

“Trouble in Paradise 3,” Resa Blatman, 2015.

Oil, latex paint on Mylar and PVC; silk and plastic flora.

Dimensions: 76” x 17½” x 10”

Registered under RNI-6586/60 Courtesy Resa Blatman

“Gaia, part 3,” Resa Blatman, 2014.

Oil and glitter on laser-cut Mylar, PVC, and PETG; oil and latex paint on hand-cut Mylar; silk and plastic flora.

Dimensions: 80” x 120” x 10”