Leaders in Energy’s Janine Finnell and John Gaffigan will be the guests on The Green & Sexy Radio Show on Wednesday, June...
Cybersecurity and the power grid
In the face of the mounting threats of cyberattacks and the vulnerable, interdependent electric grid systems, governments, utilities, businesses, and people need to come together and do what is necessary to be prepared. No one can afford to be complacent. This was the message at the Energy Infrastructure and Cybersecurity forum held by Leaders in Energy at Make Offices in Arlington, VA (Clarendon) on June 1, 2017.
Opinion: The frog, climate change, and Trump
There is a short analogy that has been used to explain the human response to climate change (whether in the form of denial, inaction, or delay, or simply nonchalance): that if you throw a frog into a pot of boiling water, he will hop right out, but if you put the frog in a pot of cold water and then turn on the burner, he will remain calmly in the pot until he is fully cooked. The analogy does provide some insight into our lackadaisical response to a changing climate. From a human perspective, climate change is indeed a slow-moving phenomenon, but geologically-speaking, it is incredibly rapid. As a set of events and changes unleashed primarily by our discovery of fossil fuels some 300 years ago (and dramatically increased rates of extraction and combustion mostly in the last hundred), a cognitive sense of changing climate is distributed across only a dozen generations – either too slow to notice, or too ambiguous to come to conclusions about causality.
Are you prepared if the lights go out in your area?
I just finished reading the cyber-techno book thriller, Blackout, by Marc Elsberg, on the theme of a cyberattack in Europe and the United States leading to a prolonged power outage. It made me wonder whether I was really prepared for an emergency of this kind. It was bad enough experiencing the Derecho storm in the summer of 2012 where my neighborhood in Virginia experienced a power outage in the sweltering heat for 5 days! After that experience, I became more interested in the topic of community microgrids and back-up power systems to help shield one in the event of a power outage. As a result of reading Marc’s book, I have also been doing research on the best ways to prepare for a power emergency, whether caused by natural or more nefarious reasons such a cyberattack.
Enlightened management principles to achieve your goals
Managers need to be more cognizant of their leadership styles and, through more conscious listening practices, develop stronger awareness of the team members they manage. In order to achieve the results that are expected of the organization, they should apply SMART goal-setting and coaching strategies that maximize employees’ potential.
Extravaganza sponsors bring innovations to college campuses
At the Energy and Sustainability Extravaganza at The George Washington University (GW) on February 24, 2017, attendees learned about what universities in the DC area are doing to reach their sustainability goals and commitments. But, as some of the panelists acknowledged, no one person, office, or even university can bring the high-level change and results alone. At some point in almost any project, whether in higher education or elsewhere, partners are needed.
Clean energy pioneer closes Energy and Sustainability Extravaganza
Capping off an exciting day at the 3rd Annual Energy and Sustainability Extravaganza at The George Washington University (GW) on February 24, 2017, there was a networking reception featuring an expert in clean energy Solutions and policy, Scott Sklar.
Campus sustainability commitments in action
As colleges and universities commit to long-term plans for campus and system-wide sustainability, energy efficiency measures, and renewable energy generation, success stories and lessons learned have emerged in some of the biggest campuses in the Washington, DC region. Campus sustainability managers gathered at the 3rd annual Energy and Sustainability Extravaganza at The George Washington University on February 24, 2017.
Opportunities for Green Financing in 2017
On January 20th, Leaders in Energy partnered with DC Net Impact to host a conversation on Green Financing. Held at a WeWork location in downtown Washington, DC, the event featured a panel of three experts who examined current as well as potential new funding sources for energy and sustainability programs, including in the private sector, international initiatives, and possibilities that may exist under the Trump Administration.
Leaders in Energy 2016 Year in Review
Around the world, 2016 was a year of tremendous change, upheaval in some cases, and new opportunities that the Leaders in Energy group, now in its fourth year, has explored during our twelve sustainability networking events in the Washington, DC area. Here is our review of the past year.
