Author Archives: Matt Wilson

On Friday afternoon I decided to attend a panel discussion on Clean Energy Innovation in the Pacific Northwest. This topic is particularly interesting to me as I live in Vancouver and was exposed to numerous innovations this summer working in cleantech venture capital. What some people don’t realize is that there is more diversity of energy resources in this region than any other region in North America. Shepherds Flat wind farm in Oregon will be the largest wind farm in the world, when completed in 2012, with a capacity of 845 MW. Despite the reputation of rain, solar is actually quite popular in the eastern areas of these western states. Washington and Oregon are also known to have significant geothermal capacity. Combined with legacy hydro power, as well as tidal and wave energy from the coast, it is clear to see how this region could be a mecca for clean energy in the future.

The panel was hosted by the First Lady of Oregon, Cylvia Hayes, who shared some interesting (and frustrating) stories of meetings between governors in the Pacific Northwest region. In one such meeting, the Governor of Utah demanded that the word “climate” be stricken from all of the white papers that were being reviewed. Miss Hayes (who has been a sustainability advocate for years) said she was about to burst while sitting beside her partner, Governor Kitzhaber. Instead she kicked his legs under the table as if to say ‘there is no way that we are going to let that happen!’ Thankfully it didn’t. But there you have it -a meeting between the Governors of Washington, Oregon, California, Utah and Idaho, as well as the Premier of British Columbia, discussing the future of clean energy – and they spend the entire time debating whether to use the word climate. Ah, sweet progress….

Washington and Oregon face many of the same challenges that British Columbia does when it comes to developing and implementing renewable energy projects. Energy in this region is very cheap, which makes the business case for wind or solar more difficult. Energy conservation is also a high priority. BC Hydro is working to meet at least 66 per cent of new demand through conservation and efficiency by 2020. In the States, similar goals have been set. After all, the cheapest electron is the one that isn’t used. Furthermore, both regions are faced with difficult and controversial projects. In BC, the Enbridge Gateway Pipelines (if completed) will transport petroleum from the oil sands to Kitimat, where it will be exported to Asia. Similarly, there is a real possibility that Oregon could build a terminal dedicated to shipping coal to China. These projects present an interesting dichotomy for the Pacific Northwest. Can a state claim to use 100% renewable energy if it mines, transports and ships coal to Asia?

Natural gas was also a hotly contested topic, with some on the panel arguing it is an appropriate bridge fuel and others questioning the immense investment required and the ability of America to treat it as a short term solution. Joshua Skov, founder of Good Company and one of the speakers on the panel had some funny one liners with regards to this debate including – “saying that natural gas is the cleanest hydrocarbon fuel is like saying pork is the other white meat”. There was one idea that I did take away from this discussion and I think it can be applied to any region struggling to implement renewable energy: As Joshua says, for real progress to take hold, “the political world needs to become much more business savvy, and the business world needs to become more politically savvy.” Agreed. Or maybe we just shouldn’t invite the Governor of Utah to the next meeting.

After spending the day with other Net Impact chapter leaders, I met some of my fellow students for the Welcome Keynote Address on Thursday night. Generally I find keynote speakers to be most effective when they do not try to appeal to the masses, but instead stick to their beliefs – however controversial they may be. Often times keynote addresses are watered down, express middle of the road opinions, or are unrealistically optimistic. Thankfully, this was not the case.

First, some background. Lord Michael Hastings is KPMG’s Global Head of Citizenship and Diversity. He was previously head of Corporate Social Responsibility at BBC and is currently a Vice President of UNICEF. Michael was awarded a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in recognition of his services to crime reduction, and is listed as one of the most influential black people in Britain.

After poking fun of at America and it’s politics, Lord Hastings began by referencing Michael Finkel’s article about Daniel Kish, a blind man who uses echolocation to “see” what he hears. (http://www.bookofjoe.com/2011/05/the-blind-man-who-taught-himself-to-see.html) Similar to bats and whales, Daniel uses sound to visualize his surroundings. He even drives and rides his bike. Listening, Lord Hastings contends, is precisely what our society is lacking. The Occupy Wall Street protests, the riots earlier this year in London, the Arab spring, devastating floods in Pakistan – we all see these events in the news. But are we actually listening to what these events are telling us? Did we listen after the events of 9/11? After the financial crisis? Are we listening as the polar ice caps melt? I agree with Lord Hastings that this generation needs to turn off Jersey Shore and become more aware of its surroundings.

The theme of Lord Hasting’s talk was: “The greatest way to change the world is…” He left this sentence incomplete until the end, when he simply stated – the greatest way to change the world is to overcome cynicism. Not buying CFC lightbulbs; not driving a hybrid; not volunteering; not donating to UNICEF – just simply overcoming cynicism. Lord Hastings contends that “cynicism is what corrodes our capacity to enact change”. Which made me think – what if all of us believed that our small changes made a difference? What if instead of complaining about financial inequities we ran for office and changed the system? What if individualism didn’t exist? Maybe he is on to something. The fact of the matter is simple – society is broken. And nothing will change if cynicism prevails.

I realized shortly after the talk that I am more cynical than I thought. Sure I vote, but I never really believe anything major will change because I distrust the political system. Yeah I try to minimize my footprint, but sometimes I wonder if it really makes a difference. The more I thought about Lord Hasting’s challenge, the more I understood it. No matter what your passion is, or what you think society needs to do to save the world, overcoming cynicism is the first step.

Speaking about religion, 9/11, and morals to an audience of 2000 people (mostly Americans) is no easy task and as expected there were some uncomfortable groans from the audience. In the end, I did not agree with everything that Lord Hastings said on Thursday night, but I was happy he didn’t sugar coat his message for anyone.

After listening to panelists and key note speakers all day, I was inspired – but I needed something to get my energy level back up. So on Friday afternoon I attended the Detroit Impact Brainstorming Session. This was a great workshop that allowed me to get my hands dirty solving a real life problem. I must admit, it was a little intimidating at first sitting down at a table with only a handful of people, but once I saw the post-it note pads, I knew exactly what I was in for. Luckily I was introduced to the Design Thinking process a few weeks back and have practiced it several times since then. Seated around me were MBA students from various backgrounds; law, engineering, portfolio management, etc. We were briefed on the case in less then 5 minutes, and before I knew it I was scribbling down ideas.

The problem we addressed was as follows: although a storied American city with an iconic history, Detroit is a mere shadow of its former self. The city is facing major problems: a high crime rate, record unemployment, foreclosures, corruption and gang violence to name a few. In particular we focused on a neighbourhood about 7 miles east of downtown that was nearly abandoned. From aerial photographs we could see sparse housing, empty parking lots and very few amenities. Our task was to figure out how to revitalize this neighbourhood, and build a community that people could be proud of.

We began by discussing what it was that we valued most about where we live – a sense of community, safety, shared green-space, bike paths, fine cuisine and a short commute to work were a few that came up. These values transitioned to ideas about what should be in this development. Parks? Check. Farmers market? Sure. Dedicated pedestrian streets with a strict “no car” policy? Why not? A renewable energy plant pumping clean electricity to all residents? Now we’re talking! Before long our wall was full of ideas – some familiar, others a little far fetched, and some completely off the wall (build a giant water park??)

The session was a great way to get involved at the Net Impact conference – and it reinforced the fact that like it or hate it, design thinking is everywhere and can be a very effective brainstorming tool. The most rewarding thing about this session is that the case is an actual problem. The group involved with this development will actually build on these ideas to help put in motion the plans for this community and hopefully start bringing people back to Detroit. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll eat my words as I fly down a waterslide at Detroit’s newest water park….