On May 13th, less than two weeks ago, I, along with Steve Marshall, Executive Director of the Center for Advanced Transportation and Energy Solutions (CATES), Jan Greylorn associated with the Washington Clean Technology Alliance, and Jeff Esfeld of VIA Motors, were in the Rotunda Room of the Washington State Capitol Building for a transportation “rally”… Continue Reading
Kathleen Petrich
Transportation Packages and a Wake-Up Call
Posted in LegislationCar2Go – A Game Changer?
Posted in Electric Vehicles, Fuel EfficiencyCar2Go, an inexpensive rent-by-the-minute “Smart Car,” has been wildly popular in Seattle. Since its launch at the beginning of the year, I can find no less than three and sometimes as much as six within a quarter mile of my house. What is happening? By any sales measure, the car2go model is very successful. Consumers… Continue Reading
Governor Inslee is Doubling Down on Clean Transportation
Posted in Clean Energy, Energy ConservationGovernor Inslee released his February clean energy policy brief last week. It was full of references to clean transportation—as a means for economic development as well as reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. While there are many aspects that are worthy of highlighting, I am highlighting just a few items in Governor Inslee’s brief. Washington spends… Continue Reading
Governor Inslee Announces Policies That Will Make Washington a Clean Technology Leader
Posted in Clean EnergyI attended the Washington Clean Tech Alliance Clean Energy: The New Public Policy conference yesterday. Governor Jay Inslee was invited to speak at the end of the conference and he announced an exciting eight-point policy plan to make Washington a clean energy leader, stating that “it’s our season: (clean) technology has arrived and the people… Continue Reading
The AIA ‘First to File’ Patent Priority Implementation is Almost Here—Are You Ready?
Posted in Entrepreneurs, Intellectual PropertyThe America Invents Act (AIA), which brings the most significant changes to the U.S. patent laws in over 50 years (some argue in over 150 years), was signed into law on September 16, 2011. While many of the changes in the AIA were phased in over an 18-month period, the final phase, which has the… Continue Reading
A New Kid on the Block (Ford C Max Energi Plug-In Hybrid)
Posted in Clean Energy, Electric VehiclesI was hoping to be the first person on our GreenTech team to buy a plug-in vehicle. But someone in our group—that would be Elaine Spencer– beat me to the punch—and with a new plug-in that wasn’t around until very recently. Elaine bought a Ford C Max Energi. Great ride, deceptively ‘roomy’, and lots of… Continue Reading
A Message to Gov.-Elect Inslee: Oregon is a Strategic Partner in the Goal to Transform Transportation in Washington
Posted in Alternative Fuels, Electric Vehicles, Energy Conservation, Fuel EfficiencyOn Tuesday, Steve Marshall, Jan Greylorn, Mike Grady, and I drove to Portland for informational meetings with various Oregon thought leaders and one senior policy advisor regarding how Washington and Oregon can join forces to transform transportation. We arranged our trip so that we could attend a Drive Oregon meeting. Despite the long trip (in… Continue Reading
Transforming Transportation – Part Three: Autonomous Vehicles–Friend or Foe?
Posted in Electric Vehicles, TechnologyWhat do you think when you think of autonomous vehicles? The future? The “Jetsons” coming to life? Scary? A way to save lives on U.S. roads and reduce congestion? On the 25th of September, California Governor Jerry Brown did something bold: he signed California Senate Bill 1298 legalizing autonomous (“driverless”) cars for further evaluation and… Continue Reading
Transportation is About to be Transformed in the Northwest – Part Two: An intimate dialogue with Amory Lovins
Posted in Energy Conservation, Events, Fuel Efficiency, Tax, TechnologyIn my blog last week (Transformation is About to be Transformed in the Northwest- Part One), I discussed the highlights from the Beyond Oil: Transforming Transportation conference held at the Seattle Center on September 7, 2012. Graham & Dunn held a private lunch reception for industry/government stakeholders in honor of Amory Lovins, Chief Scientist at… Continue Reading
Transportation is About to be Transformed in the Northwest – Part One
Posted in Clean Energy, Electric Vehicles, Energy Conservation, Entrepreneurs, Events, Fuel Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Technology, UncategorizedOn September 7, 2012, Steve Marshall, executive director of CATES (Center of Advanced Transportation and Energy Solutions), Next 50, and Washington Clean Cities hosted the Beyond Oil: Transforming Transportation in Century 21 conference at the Seattle Center. Amory Lovins, chief scientist at the Rocky Mountain Institute, and Bob Lutz, former vice chairman of GM (North… Continue Reading
Don’t Miss It: Only 10 More Days Left—Register Now for the Beyond Oil: Transforming Transportation Conference on September 7, 2012!
Posted in Electric Vehicles, Energy Conservation, Entrepreneurs, Events, Fuel Efficiency, Renewable Energy, TechnologyA Conference About Transforming Transportation in Century 21 This full day conference and summit on September 7, 2012 is part of Seattle’s Next Fifty celebration that will look to the future of transportation with a conference focusing on the market and technological transformations that will move us beyond oil. Speakers and exhibits will discuss how… Continue Reading
Rio and SRI- A Time That Has Come
Posted in Capital and Funding, Entrepreneurs, Regulatory, Sustainable BusinessMost of the planet has been engaged in discussions on how to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG). The 1992 UN Rio conference, also known as “Earth Summit” focused on GHG, which ultimately led to the Kyoto Protocol. Twenty years later, the 2012 UN Rio conference was held again (June 20-22, 2012). In addition to determining where… Continue Reading
Sustainability 3T: Transforming Tomorrow’s Transportation
Posted in Alternative Fuels, Clean Energy, Electric Vehicles, Fuel Efficiency, TechnologyI believe that we are on the cusp of the next great NW economy: the transportation economy. We have had a lumber/natural resource economy, an industrial economy, a software/information economy (of which we are thankfully still in), and we are about to witness the rise of a great transportation economy as drivers naturally adopt more… Continue Reading
Keystone Pipeline: Clearly a Proxy for Bigger Environmental Issues
Posted in Natural Resources and EnvironmentThe Washington Clean Tech Alliance hosted a breakfast forum earlier in the month regarding the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline project. Scott Farris, TransCanada’s Director of Government Relations for the Western United States, and Ross MacFarlane, sr. advisor business partnerships of Climate Solutions, provided a strong, informational presentation (and, importantly, largely devoid of rhetoric) about the… Continue Reading
Tesla Motors Will Begin Delivery of its Long Awaited Model S All Electric Sedan in July 2012!
Posted in Electric VehiclesI was at a conference in D.C. this past week. My hotel was near the convention center and I found that my walking route took me past the Tesla Motors on 11th street where a Model S sedan was ready to be ‘ooh and aaahed’ over. It was black, beautiful, and very luxurious. It wasn’t… Continue Reading
Merchants and Consumers: Are You Ready? Seattle Plastic Bag Ban Goes Into Effect July 1, 2012!
Posted in Legislation, Natural Resources and EnvironmentI’m like most other Seattleites in that I voluntarily carry my canvas shopping bag or bags to my local grocery store in the hope that I am helping the environment in some small way. I have been “educated” on the benefit: bringing my own reusable bag cuts down on waste (less plastic bags going into… Continue Reading
Sustainable Transportation Visions
Posted in Clean Energy, Electric Vehicles, TechnologyLast week I went to the WCTA sustainable transportation meeting and got pretty jazzed by a rousing discussion. The main presenter was Mark Frohnmayer, CEO/Founder of Portland-based Arcimoto. Arcimoto’s mission is sustainable transportation. Its concept is a 3-wheeled EV offering called the SRK that is designed for everyday use for the short term driving (think… Continue Reading
Updates on Plug-In Vehicles
Posted in Alternative Fuels, Electric Vehicles, LegislationOn February 1st, there is a Washington Clean Tech Alliance meeting on electric vehicles. I hope to attend (jury duty notwithstanding). But I saw an interesting article in the February 6th edition of Time Magazine* that caught my eye that discussed the “Plug-In Surge” and in a handy-dandy chart, analyzed seven auto offerings in the… Continue Reading
Doubling Down on U.S. Car Efficiencies by 2025 and Our Local Opportunities
Posted in Energy Conservation, Fuel Efficiency, Legislation, Patents, TechnologyOn November 16, 2011, President Obama and his administration made a bold announcement: The EPA and Department of Transportation reached a deal with all of the top U.S. based automakers (including Ford, GM, and Chrysler) where the annual mileage improvements will be 5% for cars in 2017. But, here’s the biggie: by 2025, these same… Continue Reading
Rapid Technology Changes and (Not Green) Waste—a Conundrum, Part I
Posted in Natural Resources and EnvironmentMy father-in-law had the same telephone for many decades. It was an old-style rotary-dial phone that provided him reliable phone service for over 50 years. It wasn’t fancy; but it worked for its intended purpose– and for a very long time at that. How many of us have had the same cell phone for more… Continue Reading
Litre of Light — A Novel and Inexpensive Way to Bring Light to the Masses
Posted in Alternative Fuels, Clean Energy, TechnologyAs I have written about new innovations in light sources in the past, someone close to me told me about a BBC story in which 2 litre plastic bottles are cheaply being made into “solar light bulbs” in poor but sunny regions of the world. And it apparently works great: these solar light bulbs each… Continue Reading
And the Winner is…..
Posted in Events, TechnologySeattle Business Magazine hosted its Green Washington 2011 awards dinner on September 21, 2011 and announced its “Green 50″ list. We are pleased to report that client Transformative Wave Technologies of Kent, WA not only made the list but won the Technology award (small company) for its patent pending CATALYST HVAC energy efficiency solution. Congratulations… Continue Reading
U.S. Patent Reform Finally Happened!
Posted in Entrepreneurs, Intellectual Property, Job Creation, LegislationAfter six long years of trying to reform the U.S. Patent laws, the stars aligned and miraculously everyone in congress and in the White House came together to enact new patent legislation on September 16, 2011. This new law is officially named the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (or AIA). For those in the Green Tech… Continue Reading
The “Greenest Building in the World” is Being Built Right Here in Seattle!
Posted in Green Building, Renewable Energy, Sustainable BusinessThe Bullitt Foundation broke ground on its new home/office building in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle yesterday. It is touted as the “Greenest Building in the World”—quite a claim. But people should take note of the attempt to be energy neutral, carbon neutral, harvest/reuse rain water in 50,000 gallon cisterns—that may be even used… Continue Reading