Clean technology now promises to
make the region [Cascadia] the next locus for industrial innovation in such
fields as smart and renewable energy, biotechnology, and nontechnology. Companies will conceive and manufacture
products with an unprecedented array of environmental benefits. Obviously, some may also pose unprecedented
environmental hazards. It is important
that new products be scrutinized with an eye to the precautionary principle to
ensure that unexpected problems don’t cause whole industries to die
stillborn.
– Bullitt Foundation
On Monday, May 7th, Jan Mazotti, host of ICOSA’s Driving Force radio and I will be interviewing Denis Hayes, a seasoned veteran of many legislative, cultural, and courtroom battles relating to energy and sustainability. Mr. Hayes is probably still best known for having been National Coordinator of the first Earth Day when he was 25. What many don’t know is that he directed the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, was a professor of engineering and human ecology at Stanford University, and a Time magazine “Hero of the Planet.” During his career Mr. Hayes has received the John Muir Award, the Rachel Carson Medal, and a National Jefferson Award.
Now, with the Bullitt Foundation, Mr. Hayes leads an effort
to mold the American Pacific Northwest into a global model of sustainability,
applying ecological principles to the design of “human ecosystems.” The Bullitt Foundation seeks to catalyze the
changes necessary to align our obligation to sustain healthy natural systems
with our human activity and understandable desire for health, convenience,
creativity and prosperity. The Bullitt
Foundation is leading by example.
The Foundation seeks to fix the cause, not the symptom. That
is, they focus on preventing problems – not fixing problems. According to Hayes, to do this, the
Foundation seeks to “promote policies and actions to harness the
entrepreneurial power of business to create competitive industries built on
ecological principles and sustainable technologies.” The critical element to
progress is private industry. By
identifying impediments to development we can create opportunities for private
industry to achieve these goals.
The Bullitt Foundation has prioritized its objectives:
1.
Secure adoption and implementation of
far-sighted regional energy and climate policies.
2.
Attain dramatic reductions in industrial energy
use through conservation and efficiency.
3.
Accelerate and maximize the installation of
renewable energy technologies.
4.
Instill an ethic of zero waste practices that
result in “reduce, reuse, recycle and compost” for all materials.
5.
Eliminate to the degree possible the production
and use of toxic materials and biologically active pollutants, and seek to
contain and safely recycle any essential toxics.
6.
Advance the field of “green chemistry” to
demonstrate credible and viable alternatives to substances that harm human
health and the environment.
7.
Promote innovative systems, fuels, and
infrastructure for commercial transportation systems.
