Innovations in energy and climate policy: lessons from Vermont

We ask in this article: how can planners and policymakers replicate Vermont’s energy and climate policies? We begin by explaining the research methods utilized for this article—mainly research interviews with a pool of experts, coupled with a targeted literature review. We then analyze the success of Vermont energy policy across four areas: energy efficiency, renewable energy, the smart grid, and energy governance. The following sections first explain how Vermont accomplished these successes, next identify a number of remaining barriers and elements of Vermont’s approach that may not be replicable, and finally present the article’s conclusions

How Values Create Value: Social Capital in Microfinance - The Case of the Philippines

Values are to a society what character is to a person: it reveals his true inner self, yet is difficult to describe in exact terms. Moreover, a person's character may show in his actions in various, sometimes contradictory ways so that it may be difficult to induce a person's character from his deeds. Asian values, elusive as they are, have been regarded as a cause of the economic rise of a number of Asian countries. Yet some decades earlier, Confucian values were quoted as a cause of underdevelopment of some Asian countries. Has the recent financial crisis also been due to them, in some way, or do we have to wait for economic recovery in order to attribute that to Confucian values? Max Weber, who first studied the impact of values on economic development, was more careful when he presented the results of his research. The Spirit of Capitalism is congruent with the rise of the Protestant Ethic, he said; but he claimed no causal relationship. --

The Horizon of Happiness

This thesis is not intended for those who regard practical problems as something to be talked about. It is not for those who believe that every question has an objective, absolute, or interpretable answer. It is not intended for the individual who knows what happiness is, in that the very definition of happiness is not to be found; at best only suggested. It is not intended solely for Eastern thought. It is not intended solely for Western thought - it is intended for both. Most importantly, this thesis attempts to exclude the esoteric language common in the philosophical discipline. Arthur Schopenhauer once said that one should use common words to say uncommon things. This thesis is intended for both the common and the uncommon reader, as is the subject - Happiness. Simply stated, this thesis is an exploration into why the contemporary notion of how one should best pursue happiness is flawed. This exploration shall encompass a vast array of subjects, many now far departed from the philosophical tradition. In by neglecting these deeper, sometimes more intimate forms of inquiry, is to waste a central resource for the study of philosophy; let alone a study on happiness. From this, I take a particular interest in culture. And, regarding America\u27s contemporary culture, I hold, that we make a distinction between behaviors that bring true happiness and behaviors that only make you feel happy. For this reason, my thesis is as followed: The 21st century’s primary conflict is not the poverty in plenty but the unhappiness brought in the pursuit of pleasure by most. I hold that the current American model of what brings happiness is in direct contradiction to what it takes for actually being happy. In short, there is ongoing contradiction between restraint and freedom, between adversity and fulfillment, and between the individual and the whole. We pursued freedom but we now live in a world that is more monitored, and more subjected to a network of small complicated rules that strangle freedom. We pursued happiness and it leads to resentment, it leads to pathological disease, and it leads to even more unhappiness. We pursed happiness within, and forget that happiness is only real when shared. In sum, my attempt is to elucidate the themes, problems, and contradictions within today’s pursuit disclosed on the - Horizon of Happiness

The Horizon of Happiness

This thesis is not intended for those who regard practical problems as something to be talked about. It is not for those who believe that every question has an objective, absolute, or interpretable answer. It is not intended for the individual who knows what happiness is, in that the very definition of happiness is not to be found; at best only suggested. It is not intended solely for Eastern thought. It is not intended solely for Western thought - it is intended for both. Most importantly, this thesis attempts to exclude the esoteric language common in the philosophical discipline. Arthur Schopenhauer once said that one should use common words to say uncommon things. This thesis is intended for both the common and the uncommon reader, as is the subject - Happiness. Simply stated, this thesis is an exploration into why the contemporary notion of how one should best pursue happiness is flawed. This exploration shall encompass a vast array of subjects, many now far departed from the philosophical tradition. In by neglecting these deeper, sometimes more intimate forms of inquiry, is to waste a central resource for the study of philosophy; let alone a study on happiness. From this, I take a particular interest in culture. And, regarding America\u27s contemporary culture, I hold, that we make a distinction between behaviors that bring true happiness and behaviors that only make you feel happy. For this reason, my thesis is as followed: The 21st century’s primary conflict is not the poverty in plenty but the unhappiness brought in the pursuit of pleasure by most. I hold that the current American model of what brings happiness is in direct contradiction to what it takes for actually being happy. In short, there is ongoing contradiction between restraint and freedom, between adversity and fulfillment, and between the individual and the whole. We pursued freedom but we now live in a world that is more monitored, and more subjected to a network of small complicated rules that strangle freedom. We pursued happiness and it leads to resentment, it leads to pathological disease, and it leads to even more unhappiness. We pursed happiness within, and forget that happiness is only real when shared. In sum, my attempt is to elucidate the themes, problems, and contradictions within today’s pursuit disclosed on the - Horizon of Happiness

Perpetual Care: A Sustainable Approach to Restoring the Lost Landscapes of America\u27s Rural Cemeteries

During the mid 19th century burial practices in America evolved drastically with the creation of “rural” cemeteries. These burial grounds became incredibly popular didactic landscapes that were physical manifestations of contemporary Victorian social forces. Many of these historic landscapes are in need of conservation and restoration in order to preserve what remains. This thesis project lays out the significance of these sites, and provides a guide to restoring the character defining features of these cemeteries

Will O\u27 the Wisp

VERSEWill o’ the wisp with your dancing light,Where do you wander into the night?Where will you lead, if I keep you in sight?Will o’ the wisp,Will your lantern illumine for meA fairy ring ‘neath a forest tree?Or will you beckon me down to the sea?Will o’ the wisp.Will o’ the wisp, the wise people say,Who follows your lead goes far astray,And never again sees the light of day.Will o’ the wisp.Though you are swift as the flying wind,The treasure you seek, I too, will find,So come! so come!Let us leave the world far behind.Will o’ the wisp, come,Will o’ the wisp come,O come!Will o’ the wisp

Benchmarking natural gas and coal-fired electricity generation in the United States

This study answers a critical question facing the energy sector in the United States: how does natural gas compare to coal as a climate change mitigation technique? Although natural gas burns cleaner than coal, methane leakage potentially undermines the climate benefits of fuel switching. This study investigates the impact of methane leakage using a novel plant-level lifecycle emissions inventory of greenhouse gas emissions associated with coal mining, transportation, and combustion at 337 existing coal power plants in the United States. Individual plant emissions rates ranged from 901 to more than 2,200 kgCO2e/MWh (100-yr GWP); generation-weighted average was 1,046 kgCO2e/MWh. Our study finds that the “breakeven” leakage rates for natural gas to have short and long term climate benefits over coal range from 4.4-20.9%, depending on the timeframe, plant efficiency, and upstream coal emissions. Emissions benefits can be maximized by replacing highest emitting coal plants with new natural gas plants. Finally, we find fugitive methane emissions can limit carbon reductions from natural gas carbon capture; above 2% leakage, methane leakage reduces CCS benefits by up to half for 20-yr GWP

Carbon pathways in the global gas market: An attributional lifecycle assessment of the climate impacts of liquefied natural gas exports from the United States to Asia

While the United States is poised to become a major exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), relatively little attention has been paid to greenhouse gas emission impacts from exporting US natural gas to Asia, a key likely destination. Using bounding scenarios of attributional lifecycle analysis, this study finds that the climate impacts of US exports to China, Japan, India, or South Korea could vary significantly, with annual global lifecycle emissions ranging from -88,000 metric tons CO2e to +170,000 metric tons CO2e per Bcf of exports. Exact emissions will depend on factors such as (a) the final end-use of the LNG, (b) domestic market impacts from increased natural gas prices in the U.S., (c) induced additional energy consumption in importing countries, and (d) methane leakage rates. Country specific GHG outcomes can differ from global GHG outcomes, with major implications for extraction and consumption based emissions accounting. The study’s results indicate the need for more robust consideration of the climate impacts of all energy exports in terms of country specific energy analyses, global climate regulations, and market uncertainty. Thus, how gas is governed becomes of critical importance, for it will determine whether LNG is a net sink or source of additional emissions