The leap how to survive and thrive in the sustainable economy

T H E LEAP A l so by C h ris Turn er Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation The Geography of Hope: A Tour of the World We Need THE LEAP How to Survive and Thrive in the Sustainable Economy Chris Turner University of New Hampshire Press Durham, New Hampshire University of New Hampshire Press An imprint of University Press of New England www.upne.com © 2011 Chris Turner All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America University Press of New England is a member of the Green Press Initiative The paper used in this book meets their minimum requirement for recycled paper For permission to reproduce any of the material in this book, contact Permissions, University Press of New England, One Court Street, Suite 250, Lebanon NH 03766; or visit www.upne.com This book was first published in 2011 by Random House Canada, a division of Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto Text design by Leah Springate The author gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Canada Council for the Arts, and the Banff Centre A comprehensive list of the author’s source materials is available free for download at www.upne.com library of congress cataloging-in-publication data Turner, Chris, 1973– The leap: how to survive and thrive in the sustainable economy / Chris Turner p. cm Includes index ISBN 978-1-61168-371-4 (cloth: alk paper) ISBN 978-1-61168-372-1 (ebook) Sustainable living Sustainable development Economic development I Title ge196.t87 2012 332.024—dc23  2012012529 5 4 3 2 1 This book is dedicated to the memory of Hermann Scheer (1944–2010) This book is for Alexander “Delays are the refuge of weak minds, and to procrastinate on this occasion is to show a culpable intention to the bounties of nature; a total insensibility to the blessings of Providence, and an inexcusable neglect of the interests of society The overflowing blessings from this great fountain of public good and national abundance will be as extensive as our country, and as durable as time.” —DeWitt Clinton, Memorial of the Citizens of New York, in Favour of a Canal Navigation Between the Great Western Lakes and the Tide-Waters of the Hudson, 1816 < contents > p rologue : To Furnish More Certain Conveyance | ONE : The Necessity of The Leap | 16 TWO : The Mechanics of The Leap | 54 THREE : The Leap in the Nation | 132 FOUR : The Leap in the Economy | 170 FIVE : The Leap in the City | 210 S IX: The Leap in the Community | 251 SEVEN: The Leap on the Grid | 292 ep i log u e : The Leap Not Taken | 325 Acknowledgements, A Note on Sources | 347 Index | 351 < pr o l o g u e > To Furnish More Certain Conveyance two tracks and the chasm in between This book begins from a simple but fundamental premise: that business as usual has ceased to be The norms of twentiethcentury prosperity have become the instruments of twenty-first century collapse The track that brought us to this place, functional and stable as it might seem from certain vantage points, cannot lead us any further Moreover, the engine of our success to date—that great, roaring internal combustion engine that powered the Industrial Revolution—is fast becoming obsolete The best evidence from energy analysts, economists and climate scientists alike all indicates the necessity of a wholesale transformation, a complete redesign and rebuilding of the socioeconomic foundations of our societies There are any number of pronouncements on the urgent need for this shift Maybe the most succinct and unequivocal one appeared in a recent International Energy Agency report “Current global trends in energy supply and consumption,” it read, “are patently unsustainable—environmentally, economically, socially.” Here’s the American sustainability pioneer Paul Hawken, speaking to the graduating class of the University of Portland in 346 e p i logue Dyesol solar panel spin a bank of fans in a room with the venetian blinds closed to slits By the time I met with Weidner in Toledo, Tata Steel had begun converting one of its old production lines in Wales to incorporate the Dyesol cells Every year, the steelmaker produces 100 million square metres of its Colorcoat roofing—enough to re-roof every Walmart in North America— and within a few years it intends to start selling industrial quantities of the stuff with solar power built right into it In Toledo Stephen Weidner led me to a rear courtyard of the Pilkington tower to find a patch of sun He located one and connected the wires on the little desktop apparatus, and its tiny fan began to spin furiously Pilkington had recently entered into a joint venture with Dyesol to begin testing the viability of integrating solar cells into its glass production It was small scale at present, but given the Toledo industry’s long history with solar R&D and since Dyesol’s own cells had always incorporated glass, it was a natural fit On our way back up to his office, Weidner opened himself to the wider world of possibility Almost everywhere you installed glass—curtain walls and roofs, interior walls, even ceilings—you could probably make Dyesol’s solar cells work Clean energy could be incorporated into everything we built, everywhere, effortlessly I left the meeting and hiked through Toledo’s downtown, so fully abandoned at six o’clock on a Monday afternoon it felt like a stage set after production had wrapped Lots of office buildings in need of new windows New occupants New jobs, a new industry, a way forward From the streets of Toledo, I couldn’t even see two tracks There was only the choice between the one headed toward our brightest possible future and nothing at all < ac k now l e d g e m e n t s > I launched this Leap of a book knowing full well I’d inevitably drag a great many others along for the ride To those I’ve mentioned by name—here or in the text—and the many others I’ve surely forgotten to thank, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude One name goes on the cover, but it takes a whole community to produce a book I would first like to thank the Canada Council for the Arts and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts for essential financial support I’m grateful as well to the Government of Victoria (Australia), the Alfred Deakin Lectures and their wonderful curator, Robyn Archer, for enabling my Australian research, and to the Banff Centre and the Paul D Fleck Fellowship program for providing a singularly inspirational workspace for the first phase of the writing I am thankful beyond words for the unwavering hand of my colleagues at Random House Canada during this turbulent time in the publishing game—in particular my editor, Craig Pyette, without whose wisdom and care this would be a much longer and weaker book; my publisher, Anne Collins, whose support over three books now is a testimony to the vital necessity of publishing houses; and Matthew Sibiga, who has turned the job of sales rep 347 348 acknow ledgem en ts into something much more like production manager My deepest thanks as well to my agents, David Kuhn and Billy Kingsland at Kuhn Projects, who turned a vague idea into a coherent project and brought it to market I owe my greatest debt of gratitude, as ever, to my resilient and ceaselessly supportive wife, Ashley Bristowe—my co-conspirator, travelling companion, sounding board, hawk-eyed copy editor, anchor and guide in writing as well as in life I’m forever grateful as well to my children, Sloane and Alexander, for the inspiration they bring me every day, their tolerance of my odd work hours, and their patience as I dragged them (sometimes literally so) from one research site to the next To Sloane, my apologies for not working our Legoland trip into this book, highlight though it was of the Danish research; and to Alexander, my eternal pride for being the first infant to see the world from the observation deck at Solúcar in Spain I would like to thank my parents, John and Margo Turner, and my father-in-law, Bruce Bristowe, for guidance, many kinds of support, and vital and timely grandparenting Kelsey Thoms has my deepest thanks for keeping a chaotic household together throughout Sara Simpson and John Johnston went above and beyond in more ways than I can count to keep me on track Claire Cummings, Zoe Ferguson, Meike Wieblowski, Steven Drummond, Margaret Drummond, Brad Roulston, Jana Johnson, Jay Way, Bruce Manning, Alexis Bahry Mackenzie, Marlene Smith, and Sharon Monkman all provided generous support on the homefront as well Tine Bihlet made the Danish research a joyous time for my children, and Anne Elsner did the same in Germany Special thanks to the staff, students and fellow parents at Lycée Louis Pasteur —a profoundly generous and welcoming community And special thanks as well to Gillian Deacon, Gill ackn ow l e d g e m e n ts 349 Irving and the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential, pro Leapers all I’m also indebted to my inspiring colleagues and friends at Sustainable Calgary and CivicCamp Calgary—in particular Cheri Macauley, Noel Keough, Peter Rishaug, Byron Miller, Natalia Zoldak and Naheed Nenshi—for joining me to launch a Leap close to home In addition to those cited by name in the text, I would like to extend special thanks to many other colleagues for their generosity with their knowledge and expertise In Australia, Brian Walker of CSIRO shared his research on resilience Lars Gemzoe, Jeff Risom and Barbra Hald at Gehl Architects were enormously helpful on the subject of Copenhagenization Jessica Engvall was an insightful guide in Helsingborg, Sweden Nina Alsen provided timely assistance in Berlin Tobias Homann, Thomas Grigoliet, Robert Scheid and Todd Buell at Germany Trade & Invest helped with the German research Katrin Kuhnt and Christian Puschmann provided critical guidance to my research in Bitterfeld-Wolfen Ana Cabañas Burgos and Valerio Fernandez Quero of Abengoa Solar were welcoming hosts Jon Strunk of the University of Toledo (Ohio) found all the right sources for a whirlwind research trip, and Don Tormey of the Iowa Office of Energy Independence guided my way in Iowa Karin Campbell and Andrew Pelletier of Walmart Canada lent their expertise to my research on Walmart’s sustainability push Ian McAllister, Norm Hann and Julian MacQueen provided essential support to my research in Great Bear Rainforest, and it never would have happened at all without the organization of the Great Bear RAVE by the International League of Conservation Photographers Paul Gipe of Wind-Works.org deserves more than these simple thanks for all he has done to document the rise and spread of feed-in tariffs, and Dave Hughes and Charlie Veron contributed 350 acknow ledgemen ts to this book in ways well beyond those cited in the text Juliet Burgess contributed her multitude of skills to the European research, and Wendy Schur provided assistance to my research on the Black Ball Line at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut Alex Steffen of Worldchanging.com was a valued colleague and wayfinder, and David Roberts of Grist.org has no idea how much his excellent work has helped mine Sebastian Hanna of Chapters Indigo provided critical advice in the final stages of the book’s production Like many nonfiction books, this one was wet-nursed by the magazine business Evan Osenton at Alberta Views, Rick Boychuk at Canadian Geographic, Will Bourne at Fast Company, Jerry Johnson at The Globe and Mail, Jeremy Keehn at The Walrus and Tom Gierasimczuk at Up! all lent editorial guidance and editorial budgets to portions of this book’s research a not e o n so u r c e s In order to avoid clogging up the text with footnotes and to keep the page count down, extensive source notes have not been included with this text A full list of sources, annotated section by section, is available for download at www.upne.com < inde x > Abengoa Solar, 301 abrupt changes, 67–69 Abu Dhabi (UAE), 319–20 Adams, Rob, 245–50 Aerø (Denmark), 157 affective forecasting, 87 Age, The, 243, 247 Age of FAIL, 25–26, 35–36, 39, 50–51 agriculture, 31, 37, 273–82 Akeena Solar, 163–64 Allen, Chaz, 76–77, 183–85 Alta Velocidad Española (AVE), 115, 201–3 American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, 296–97 American Energy Alliance, 42 American Psychological Association, 91 Andalay solar panels, 163–64 Anderson, John, 146–47, 191 Anthropocene Era, origin of term, 38 arbitrary coherence, 88–89, 218–19 Arctic, 328 “Are we now living in the Anthropocene?,” 38 Argentina, 319 Ariely, Dan, 87–89, 93, 218–19 Ausberger, David, 283–90 Australia, 37, 277 automobiles See cars Avedøre, 158 Ball, Philip, 68–69 Bänfer, Gesine, 263–67 Bed-Stuy (Bedford-Stuyvesant, NYC), 271–75 Bed-Stuy Farm, 273–75 behavioural economics, 84–87, 89, 93–95 Belmar (Colorado), 78 Berlin (Germany), 269–71 Bernanke, Ben, 24 Bernouilli’s error, and Daniel Bernouilli, 83 Bernstein, Peter L., 58 Beuster, Andreas, 168 Bhutan, 99 bias, 86–87, 90–92 bicycles, 230–33, 242 bifurcation point, 68–69 biofuels, 160 biosphere, and climate change, 37–38 Birol, Fatih, 19 Bitterfeld-Wolfen (Germany), 167–69 Bixi, 242 Black Ball Line, 9–12 Bloom Box, 311–12, 316–18 Bloom Energy, 316–17 Bloomberg, Michael, 113–14, 238 Bogotá (Colombia), 125–30 Borestein, Severin, 302 Bornholm (Denmark), 315 BP Gulf disaster, 39–40, 325–28, 334–35 351 352 i nde x Braun, Barbara, 133–36 Brazil, 319, 328 Britain, 74, 302–3, 330 Brooklyn (NYC), 252–53, 271–75 Brooklyn Rescue Mission, 273–74 Brundtland, Gro Harlem, 123 Bryant Park (NYC), 211–13 Bryant Park Restoration Corporation (BPRC), 213 Brylawski, Michael, 309 Buffett, Warren, 322 business as usual, 47, 61, 325–32, 340–41 Butler, Barry, 182–83, 185–86, 290 BYD, 322 cadmium telluride (CdTe), 174 Calgary (Alberta), 312 California, 160–64, 188–89, 301–2 Campbell, Colin, 33 Campos Basin, 328 carbon capture and storage (CCS), 40–42 carbon dioxide, and ocean acidification, 20–21 carbon tax, 123–24, 159–60 cars, 112, 129, 160, 208–9, 214–21, 229–31, 237–38 See also electric vehicles (EVs); traffic problems Chambers, John, 110 change, 67–69, 285–86 Chicago (Illinois), 61–62, 313–14 China, 116–18, 204, 303, 321–24, 333 choice architecture, 93 CHP (combined-heat-and-power) units, 311–13 Cialdini, Robert, 81, 94–95, 286 Cinnamon, Barry, 163 cities agriculture, 273–75, 278–79 future and past, 210–11 model for sustainability, 268–69 public spaces in, 223, 234–38, 242–43 reconquest campaigns, 236–37 street value, 254–55 traffic problems, 112, 216–21 transport transformation, 112–14, 126–28, 130 urban crisis, 212, 234–35 walkability and reclamation of space, 221–23, 242–43, 254–55 Ciudad Real, 115–16, 204–8 clean energy, costs, 295–96 cleantech industry, 72, 117–18, 138, 185–89, 309 Clifton, Helen, 338–41 climate change crisis, 19–20, 36–38, 46–48, 67, 91–92, 328–29 climate geoengineering, 45–46 Clinton, DeWitt, 8–9, 54–57, 65 Clorox, 79–80 coal, 29, 34–35, 40–41, 187, 294–95 Colombia, 125–29 Colorcoat, 345–46 Colville-Andersen, Mikael, 232–33 combined-heat-and-power (CHP) units, 311–13 Combined Power Plant (Kombikraftwerk), 149 commerce, innovation, 6–12 community, 255–57, 285–86 commuters and commuting, 115–16, 205–7, 217, 230–31 Compaan, Al, 187–88 concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) plants, 301–2 Connecticut Light & Power, 111 consumer behaviour, 94–95 COP15 summit (Copenhagen 2009), 46, 48–49 index Copenhagen (Denmark), 112–13, 223–33, 234, 236 Copenhagenization examples, 234–50 coral reefs, 20–22, 67 Coronada, José María, 206–7 corporate sustainability, 191 costs and prices, 104–5, 146, 187, 293–96, 298–99, 310–11, 317–18 cotton, 10–11 Courier (ship), crises convergence, 22–23, 39, 50 Critical Mass (Ball), 69 Crutzen, Paul, 38 CSP (concentrating solar thermal power) plants, 301–2 cultural cognition, 87 Dallas (Texas), 257–60 Darwin, Charles, 66 Deepwater Horizon, 39–40, 325–28, 334–35 Deere, John, 280 Denmark, 108–10, 112, 155–58, 181, 285, 304–6, 314–15 Denver (Colorado), 77–78 developing nations, 322–23 Disch, Rolf, 135, 136 disruptive technique, 64, 119–29 Doerr, John, 309, 318 Dunham-Jones, Ellen, 256 Dyesol, 345–46 E+Co, 121 EcoBlue, 311–12 Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity project, The (TEEB), 97 economists, role in the Leap, 89–90 economy and economic model See also business as usual 353 failure and Age of FAIL, 25–26 financial crisis of 2008, 16–17, 24–28, 39 and global climate agreements, 49 in the Leap, 83–85 and limitless growth, 28, 39 natural and social capital, 97–98 need for reconfiguration, 39–40 and oil, 31–32 and rationality, 83–89 response to energy crisis, 39–42, 44–45 role of sustainability, 190–91 ecosystem services, 97 ecosystems, and people, 52 EDISON, project, 109–10, 314–15 Edison, Thomas, 292–93 EEG (Renewable Energy Sources Act), 133, 136, 137, 144–45 EIA (US Energy Information Administration), 33 electric vehicles (EVs), 108–9, 305–8, 314–15, 322–23 electrical grid, 106–11, 149, 187–88, 292, 293, 304–6, 310–11 See also smart grid electricity, 102–4, 293–96, 298–99, 310–11, 317–18 Enbridge, 332–36, 340–43 endowment effect, 87–88, 219 energy costs and prices, 293–96, 298–99, 310–11, 317–18 efficiency, 110–12, 156–57 limitless availability, 28–29, 32 in oil, 30–31 policies, 71–75, 155–56 production by a house, 133–36 reserves-to-production ratio, 33–35 354 i nde x savings through signage, 80–81, 94–95 energy crisis, 18–20, 28–29, 39–42, 44–45 energy industry, 102–5, 107, 122–23, 331 energy regimes, 285 Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROEI), 33–34 “Energy Sustainability Dilemma” (Hugues), 32–33, 44 Energy Watch Group, 35 Enmax, 312–13 E.ON, 313 equilibrium and non-equilibrium, 68–69 eras and epochs, 38 Erie Canal, 6, 10, 54–66 Europe, 100, 101–2, 268–71 evolution, accumulation of changes, 66–68 Expert Political Judgment (Tetlock), 90 experts, and predictions, 90, 100–102, 148–50 externalities, 27, 90–91, 104–5 FAIL meme, 24–25 See also Age of FAIL Fajardo, Sergio, 127–30 farmers’ markets, 275–76 farming See agriculture fast trains, 114–16, 201–9 feed-in tariff Denmark, 155–56 development and origins, 142–45 Germany, 71–75, 105–6, 132–33, 137–39, 142–45 legislation, 145, 154 and power generation, 136 rates, 146–48 simplicity, 151 worldwide examples, 151–54, 303 Fell, Hans-Josef, 142–45 financial crisis of 2008, 16–17, 24–28, 39 First Solar, 174, 177–78 Florida, 334–35 food, 271, 272–75, 276–82 food deserts, 273 forecasting, 87, 90, 100–102, 148–50 Foreign Affairs, 45 Forewind, 125 fossil fuels, 28–29, 31–32, 295 Foster, Norman, 320 Four Laws of Leap Mechanics, 59 first law, 59–60, 66–80 second law, 60–62, 80–96 third law, 62–64, 96–118 fourth law, 64–66, 119–30 fracking, 43 France, 44, 99–100, 203–4 Freefall (Stiglitz), 26 Freiburg (Germany), 133, 260–69 Fukuyama, Francis, 98, 235 Gainesville (Florida), 153 Galvin, Bob, 107 Garmendia, Maddi, 206–7 GDP, measurements and miscalculations, 96–100 Gehl, Jan, 112–14, 222–23, 226–27, 230, 234, 236–39, 244–48 Gemzøe, Lars, 230 geoengineering of climate, 45–46 “Geoengineering Option: A Last Resort Against Global Warming?, The,” 45 geological eras and epochs, 38 Germany action on climate and energy issues, 48–49 index energy policy leap, 71–75, 105 fast trains, 204 feed-in tariff, 71–75, 105–6, 132–33, 137–39, 142–45 Kombikraftwerk, 149 renewable energy, 100–101, 137–38, 148–50 Solar Valley and solar industry, 164–69 sustainable home example, 133–36 wind power, 137–38 Gitga’at First Nation, 336, 340–41 glass making, 171–74 global warming, 36 Global Warming Solutions Act, 161 Go Oak Cliff, 258–59 Goldstein, Noah, 81 González Márquez, Felipe, 114, 203 Great Bear Rainforest (British Columbia), 333–38, 342 Great Leap Sideways See Four Laws of Leap Mechanics; Leap green-collar economy See cleantech industry Green Wave, 230, 232 greenhouse gas emissions reductions, 46–48, 150–51 greenhouses, 279–80 Greenspan, Alan, 26 greenwashing, 194 GreenWorks, 79–80 Griskevicius, Vladas, 81 Grove, Andy, 69 Gujarat (India), 278 Gulf disaster, 39–40, 325–28, 334–35 Hardin Hilltop Wind Farm, 284–90 Harrison, Ian, 263–67 355 Hartley Bay (British Columbia), 333–41 Hawken, Paul, 1–2, 38–39, 50 high-speed rail, 114–16, 201–9 highways and roads, 208–9, 219–20 Holden, Gary, 312–13 Hollender, Jeffrey, 193–94 Holling, Buzz, 52 Holocene Epoch, 38 Homann, Tobias, 139 Honolulu Declaration on Ocean Acidification and Reef Management, 20–22 hotels, and towel-reuse campaign, 80–81 houses, sustainable model, 133–36 Houweling Nurseries, 279–80 Hughes, J David, 32–35, 44 Human Development Index (HDI), 99, 130 hydrocarbon peak, 35 Hywind, 125 Ills Fares the Land (Judt), 235–36 Imagination FAIL, 39 immigration to United States, 11 India, 116–23, 277–78, 318–19, 320–21 Inglis, Bob, 324 innovation, 6–12, 65–66, 189–91 Interface, 191 intermittency issue in renewable energy, 108–9 international development, 120–21 International Energy Agency (IEA), 1, 18–20, 32, 33, 330 Iowa, 180–83, 187, 283–90, 297–99, 320 irrationality in human behaviour, 81–85 Italy, 151–52 356 i nde x Jackson, Reverends Robert and DeVanie, 273–75 James Monroe (ship), 7–9 Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission, 119, 122, 318–19 Jefferson (Iowa), 283–90, 320 Jefferson, Thomas, 56 Jensen, Niels, 231–32 Johnston, Norm, 175–77, 178, 187, 189–90 Judt, Tony, 235–36 Kahneman, Daniel, 82–84, 87, 89, 93 kermode bears, 339–41 Kirschenmann, Fred, 282 Kitimat (British Columbia), 332, 341 Kleiner Perkins, 309, 316–17 Kombikraftwerk (Combined Power Plant), 149 Kuhn, Thomas, 70, 190 Kyoto Protocol, 46, 49, 141 Lakewood (Colorado), 77–78 Lakoff, George, 85 LaRocco, Phil, 121 Leap See also Four Laws of Leap Mechanics based on sustainability, 50 core elements, 12–13, 59 and Erie canal, 55–58 need for, 1–2 obstacles, 89–93 process description, 67–71 levellized costing, 293–96 Libbey, Edward D., 170–71 Life Between Buildings (Gehl), 236 limitless growth, 28–29, 32, 39 Liverpool (Britain), 7–8, 11 Liverpool Mercury, 7–8 Lloyd George, David, 59 lobbying, 42, 296–97 Lovins, Amory, 196–97, 306 MacQueen, Julian, 334–35 Madison, James, 56 Major, Marc, 194–96, 199 Marcellus Shale deposit, 43, 329–30 Marchetti’s Constant, and Cesare Marchetti, 205 market fundamentalism, 25–26 Masdar (UAE), 320 Maytag, 76–77, 180, 183–84 Maytag, Fred L., 76, 184 McAllister, Ian, 336–38, 340 McDonough, William, 120 McMaster, Harold, 172–74, 177, 178 measurements, 96–100, 102–3 Medellín (Colombia), 125–30 Melbourne (Australia), 112–13, 243–50 Merkel, Angela, 101, 147 miscalculations, 96–100 Monbiot, George, 19 Montreal (Quebec), 242 Morris, Gouverneur, 60 Müller, Harald, 133–36 Murray-Darling Basin, 37, 277 Naperville (Illinois), 313–14 National Solar Mission (India), 119, 122, 318–19 natural gas, 29, 35, 42–43 New Urbanism projects, 77–78 New York City ascendency through innovation, 5–12 community and agriculture, 271–75 Erie Canal, 55–58, 63–64 food supply, 278–79 index immigrants, 11 pedestrianization, 113–14, 238–41 social capital, 252–53 urban renewal, 211–15 New York Evening Post, New York Post, 215 New York Times, 99, 271 Newton (Iowa), 76–77, 179–81, 183–85 Ninth Avenue (NYC), 240–41 Nitschke, Norm, 174 no-till farming, 280–82 non-equilibrium, 68–69 North Sea, 124 Northern Gateway project, 332–33, 340–43 Northwest Ohio Alternatives Energy Business Council (NOAE), 175–76 Norway, 123–24, 159 nuclear power, 43–44, 330 Nudge (Thaler and Sunstein), 85 Oak Cliff (Texas), 257–60 Obama, Barack and administration, 2, 48, 77, 93–94, 179–80, 186, 209 ocean acidification, 20–22 offshore wind farms, 124–25, 137 Ohio, 187–88 oil, 29–35, 39–40, 124 See also peak oil oil spills, 325–28, 334–37, 342 Ontario, 42, 152 Opower, 94–95 Our Common Future (Brundtland), 123 Owens, Michael J., 171 packet lines of shipping, 7–11 Pagel, Mark, 66–67 357 Panic in Needle Park, The, 211 paradigm shift, 70–71 passive houses, 265–66 Patagonia (company), 197 Patel, Raj, 26 Paulson, Henry, 24, 25 peak coal, 35 peak oil, 18–19, 29, 32–34, 330 Pearl Street (NYC), 5–7, 292 pedestrianization, 112–14, 214–15, 222–27, 237–41 Peñalosa, Enrique, 127–30 Pennsylvania, 329–30 Pensacola (Florida), 334–35 people, in Nature and ecosystems, 52 Permaglass, 172 Peyser, Andrea, 215 pH level of oceans, 20–22 phase transition, 68–69 photovoltaic cells, 172–75, 188–89 Pierpont, Nina, 42 Pilkington, 344–46 Places for People (Gehl), 246, 248 Political Mind, The (Lakoff), 85 Portland (Oregon), 241 Portugal, 303 Predictably Irrational (Ariely), 87–88 predictions by experts, 90, 100–102, 148–50 Prenzlauer Berg (Germany), 269–71 prices and costs, 104–5, 146, 187, 293–96, 298–99, 310–11, 317–18 progress doctrine, 65–66 Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE), 188–89 psychological obstacles, 91–92 public spaces and sphere, 223, 234–38, 250, 255–57 358 i nde x Public Spaces Public Life (Gehl and Gemzøe), 230 punctuational burst, 67 Punjab (India), 37, 277–78 Puschmann, Christian, 167–68, 169 Putnam, Robert D., 251 PV cells, 172–75, 188–89 Q-Cells, 165–69, 178 quantum leap, 62 Quartier Vauban (Germany), 262–68 rationality and the rational actor, 81–89, 218 reconquest of cities, 236–37 Regan, Edward, 153 renewable energy See also solar power and industry; wind power and industry costs and externalities, 104–5 Europe, 100, 101–2 Germany, 72–75, 100–101, 137, 148–50 importance, 343–44 intermittency issue, 108–9 lobbying against, 42, 296–97 measurement, 102–3 storage, 304–6 view by conventional energy industry, 107–8 worldwide examples, 155–64, 302–3, 319–20, 343–44 Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), 133, 136, 137, 144–45 Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPSs), 75 Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs), 74 resilience, 51–53 Resilience Alliance, 52 Retrofitting Suburbia (DunhamJones and Williamson), 256 Roberts, Jason, 259–60 Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), 197, 306 Rodale Institute, 281 Roubini, Nouriel, 39–40 Russia, 277 Rust Belt, 172–73 Sadik-Khan, Janette, 113–14, 238–40 salmon, 336–38 Samsø (Denmark), 157 Scheer, Hermann, 48–49, 103, 105, 139–43, 145, 147–48 Schwarzenegger, Arnold, 48, 161 Scott, Lee, 191–93 Seager, Richard, 328–29 securitization, 27 SELCO, 318–19 Sen, Amartya, 99–100 Seventh Generation, 194 shale gas, 42–43, 329 Sheriff, Carol, 65 shipping, packet lines, 7–11 Siemens, 314 signage, for energy savings, 80–81, 94–95 Silicon Valley, 110, 161 Simmons, Matt, 40 Smart Garage, 307–9 smart grid, 106, 109–11, 293, 306–18 See also electrical grid smart meters, 111, 310 smiley faces, as tools for energy savings, 94–95 social capital, 98, 251–56, 285–86 social norms, 81 soil fertility and erosion, 280–81 Solar Electric Light Company of India (SELCO), 121–22 index solar power and industry California, 161–63 emergence and importance, 344–46 Germany, 75, 134–39, 146–48, 165–69 in homes, 134–36 India, 119, 120–23 rates, 146 Spain, 299–301 Toledo (Ohio), 172–78 worldwide examples, 151–54 solar PV cells, 172–75, 188–89 Solar Valley (Germany), 164–69 Solúcar Solar Platform, 299–301 Soros, George, 26 Spain, 114–16, 153–54, 201–8, 299–301 spirit bears, 339–41 Sridhar, K.R., 318 Statoil, 41, 124–25, 159 status quo, 87, 102–3 Sterling, Bruce, 50, 261 Stiglitz, Joseph, 26–28, 99–100, 111 Stirling engine, 312–13 storage of renewable energy, 304–6 strategic inflection point, 69 Stratigraphy Commission of the Geological Society of London, 38 street value, 254–55 Strøget, 224–27 Structure of Scientific Revolutions, The (Kuhn), 70, 190 subsidies, 42, 294–96 suburbia, 217–21, 228–29, 257–58 Sukhdev, Pavan, 97 sulfur dioxide, 45–46 Sunstein, Cass R., 85, 93 sustainability campaigns, 80–82 359 definition, 50 economic role, 190–91 measure and standards, 198–99 obstacles, 89–93 as response to convergence of crises, 50–51 tools for, 51–52 urban model, 268–69 Sutton, Bill, 287 Suzlon, 320 Suzuki, David, 197 Sweden, 159–60 Tamminen, Terry, 47–48, 160 Tanti, Tulsi, 320 tar sands, 40, 332, 342 Tata, 319, 345–46 TEEB (The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity project), 97 telecommunications, 118 Tetlock, Philip E., 90 Thaler, Richard, 85, 86, 93 Thalheim (Germany), 165–69 Thompson, Jeremiah, 8–12 Time magazine, 253, 263 time-of-use pricing, 310–11 Times Square (NYC), 211, 213–15 Toledo (Ohio), 170–79, 187–88, 344–47 towel-reuse campaign, 80–81 Traffic (Vanderbilt), 220 traffic problems, 112, 216–21 transportation, in cities, 112–14, 126–28, 130 Trinity Structural Towers, 180, 185 Troi, Anders, 305, 314–15 Tversky, Amos, 83 United Arab Emirates, 319–20 United States See also specific 360 i nde x states and cities car culture, 219–20 cleantech industry, 185–89 coal, 294–95 fast trains, 208–9 industrial food production, 276–77 innovation, 189–91 renewable energy, 75, 160, 301–2 solar industry, 172–78 wind industry, 297–99 University of Toledo, 175 urban form for sustainability, 268–69 urbanization, 210 Ura Francés, José María de, 116, 204–5, 206 US Energy Information Administration (EIA), 33 utility theory, 83–84, 87 Value of Nothing, The (Patel), 26 Vanderbilt, Tom, 220 Vauban (Germany), 260–69 Veron, Charlie, 21, 67 Vestas, 156 Walk Score, 254 walkability in urban spaces, 221–22, 242–43, 254–55 Walker, Brian, 52 Wall Street Journal, The, 296 Walmart, 191–201 Washington, George, 55 water supply, 43, 277–78 Weidner, Stephen, 344–46 well-being, measurement, 99–100 Werbach, Adam, 196, 200 Whirpool, 76, 180 WhisperGen, 312–13 Williamson, June, 256 Wind, Tom, 287 wind power and industry Denmark, 108 Europe, 101–2 Germany, 137–38 Iowa, 76–77, 180–81, 284–90, 297–99 lobbying against, 42 Statoil in North Sea, 124–25 worldwide examples, 302–3 World Energy Outlook, 18–19, 101–2 Wortmann, David, 73 Wyoming, 330 Yeager, Kurt, 107 ... Certain Conveyance | ONE : The Necessity of The Leap | 16 TWO : The Mechanics of The Leap | 54 THREE : The Leap in the Nation | 132 FOUR : The Leap in the Economy | 170 FIVE : The Leap in the. .. lending to the homeowner, about whom they know nothing They trust the bank that sells them the product to have checked it out, and the bank trusts the mortgage originator The mortgage originators’... of The Leap and examine what we’ve learned to date about the physics of making the jump and landing safely on the other side This will be the subject of Chapters One (The Necessity of The Leap)