Urban Genetics: Cities as Laboratories for Sustainability

Guided by the principle that today's cities are laboratories and their leaders are researchers in the new science of urban sustainability, Arizona State University's (ASU) Jonathan Fink, along with two British colleagues, will lead Comparative Urban Genetics: Towards a Common Methodology for Pragmatic Analysis of Cities. The workshop event takes place this weekend, May 21-23, at University College London (UCL) in London, England.

Fink, who is the Director of the Center for Sustainability Science Applications within the Global Institute of Sustainability, Foundation Professor for the School of Sustainability, and Foundation Professor of Geological Sciences for the School of Earth and Space Exploration, will bring together government and business representatives, researchers, and urban experts to contrast the experiences of two cities: London and Phoenix. From a comprehensive perspective, the group will consider new ways to collect complex data streams that feed information into models, help envision the future and, ultimately, translate those visions into improved urban policies.

"No matter how different urban environments may look on their surface, they typically share innumerable points of similarity," said Fink. "When we uncover these shared paths and patterns--the "genetic code" of cities--we move significantly closer to curing urban ills and putting our successful practices to the highest and best use."

Guided by experts in their fields, and funded in part by the British Consulate in Los Angeles, workshop participants will address four key questions:

* How can urban decision-making be transformed by new datasets and analysis tools?
* Can cataloguing and classifying urban traits help city leaders learn from each other?
* Which tools are most appropriate and useful for which stages of urban development?
* How can we build multi-sector (corporate, government, NGO, academic) urban partnerships?


These questions build on a long series of applied urban research projects, including a recently-published Tyndall Centre report that studied Greater London's vulnerability to climate change and a U.S. National Science Foundation project at ASU titled "Decision Center for a Desert City," which evaluates ways that arid region water managers allocate their scarce resource in the face of uncertainty due to the heat island effect, population growth, and climate change.

Co-convenors Mike Batty from UCL and Jim Hall from Newcastle University have both spent the past few years working with ASU researchers and a global network of collaborators to develop a common urban methodology that can help all cities address their long-term sustainability.

"Cities are where most people live and work; most innovation takes place; most pollution and wealth are generated; and most vulnerability to climate change occurs," said Batty. "We need to study these phenomena and make a more common practice of compiling, publishing and comparing this critical information."

Along with leaders from American and European public and private sectors, key workshop speakers and panelists from ASU include Philip Christensen, Regents Professor, School of Earth and Space Exploration; Matthew Fraser, co-director of research development, Global Institute of Sustainability and associate professor, School of Sustainability; Subhajit Guhathakurta, Professor, School of Sustainability and Professor, School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning; Rob Pahle, Assistant Professor of Research, Decision Theater; and Lela Prashad, Director, 100 Cities Project

More information on Comparative Urban Genetics workshop is available at https://cssa.asu.edu/ucl_may2010.

Greener Resume Can Give College Graduates Edge in Job Market

Green-collar jobs grew by more than 9 percent, twice the growth rate for traditional jobs, from 1998 to 2007. Even during a recession, a greener resume can be the answer to getting hired, says Wake Forest Director of Sustainability Dedee DeLongpre Johnston. "Sustainability is a competitive advantage in the marketplace," she says. "College graduates entering the job market this year will definitely have an edge if they have developed sustainability-related skill sets."

Getting a green job doesn't mean looking for jobs with "sustainability" or "environment" in the title any more. Green jobs are also not limited to installing solar panels or weatherizing houses. From marketing to publishing to accounting to finance, viewing the world through the lens of sustainability and having practical experience in that area can make a difference when applying for jobs.

As banks look at making loans for green buildings, law firms develop new kinds of contracts for carbon credits, and companies target consumers who value greener products, students who understand what sustainability looks like in various industries or organizations and have experience solving real-world problems will fare well. And, if students understand sustainability principles, any job can become a green job.

"Sustainability is a way of thinking," DeLongpre Johnston says. "And, that way of thinking has value across the job market. Experience and knowledge tied to sustainability will make this year's job hunters stronger candidates."

Internships focused on sustainability are invaluable for students who are job hunting because they help students demonstrate to employers that they can solve problems, says DeLongpre Johnston, who has business majors, anthropology majors and students from other academic departments interning in her office and helps students find off-campus internships.

Integrating sustainability into a career also helps students who are passionate about a greener world align their passions and talents with their work.

"Eventually, sustainability will be woven seamlessly into the fabric of society," she says. Just as proficiency using word processing, the Web, and other technology is now expected in the workplace, understanding sustainability principles and how to apply them will become a basic expectation of employers in the future, she says.  Sustainability also offers the biggest entrepreneurial opportunities out there, DeLongpre Johnston says. The green economy has created new outlets for innovation.

www.DaviesGreenEnergy.com

Siemens and Metrus Sign Innovative Pay-for-Performance Energy Efficiency Deal with BAE Systems

Siemens Industry, Inc. today announced that its Building Technologies Division and Metrus Energy, Inc. have reached a financing agreement with BAE Systems, a leader in the defense industry, to make its facility In Merrimack, N.H., energy efficient. Under the deal's unique pay-for-performance structure, BAE Systems only pays for the actual energy savings realized from the program's comprehensive energy efficiency improvements, while immediately experiencing the environmental, operational and bottom-line benefits.

Energy Efficiency projects in the private sector have long been stymied by the lack of available financing options and other cost barriers. The project, currently underway and scheduled for completion in the fall of 2010, is being underwritten by Metrus through its Efficiency Services Agreement (ESA). At the project's core is the energy savings performance guarantee delivered by Siemens. Siemens, which is managing all aspects of the project, will implement the energy efficiency measures and provide the ongoing performance guarantee, something the company has been delivering successfully to public and private entities for more than two decades.

"BAE Systems is committed to improving the environment by becoming increasingly energy efficient," said Don Hill, facilities director for BAE Systems' New Hampshire-based Electronic Solutions business. "This program will go a long way toward meeting our sustainability goals."

"BAE Systems is only paying for the value of actual realized and verified savings," said Joe Berkemeyer, director of Financial Services for Siemens. "Because of our excellent track record of performance and financial strength, investors like Metrus can rely on our performance guarantee and offer this type of agreement to customers like BAE Systems. In essence, our program helps BAE Systems improve the sustainability of their operations from both an operational and environmental standpoint."

"We're addressing a large but vastly underserved market. The majority of energy efficiency services, programs and financing options largely have been limited to the domain of the government and public sector," said Bob Hinkle, Chief Executive Officer of Metrus. "The ESA specifically targets projects at private industrial and commercial facilities enabling these types of businesses to pay for retrofits through realized energy savings."

"BAE Systems will realize operational efficiencies across its campus," said to Scott Gugenheim, enterprise accounts manager for Siemens. "Throughout the 10-month project, Siemens will oversee the engineering and installation of a variety of new, energy-efficient systems throughout the 450,000-square foot facility."

BAE Systems expects the program to save more than $200,000 annually in utility expenses. Siemens will generate energy savings through various energy efficiency retrofits and upgrades including a new compressor, building automation system improvements, a complete lighting retrofit, new transformers and comprehensive campus energy policy.

Source: Siemens Industry, Inc. and PRNewswire.com