Tag Archives | inquiry

Clean Tech in San Diego, High Level View

By on March 29, 2010 in Business, Uncategorized

The University Club, where Larry and I are members, hosts a “Distinguished Speaker” series of presentation where all comers are welcome, up to the 200 capacity of their beautiful dining room.  This event last week was superb, and I took careful notes which I share with you here.

From top to bottom, the presenters were:

Moderator Stephen Mayfield Director San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology
Panel Lisa Bicker CEO, Clean Tech San Diego
Lee Stein CEO, Prize Capital
Irene Stillings CEO, CA Center for Sustainable Energy

Here is pretty much what they said about the Clean Tech industry in San Diego, from my notes (taken on my iphone).

Clean technology means a way to be more energy efficient.   Regarding GDP vs energy consumption, the US consumes 25% of the world’s petroleum. The Chinese have been buying energy reserves so there is increasing demand on limited energy resources.  We have to be inventive to retain our standard of living.  Energy is the only commodity with an unsatiable demand  for it.

Lisa Bicker heads Clean Tech San Diego, a market connectivity organization.  Her comments:  San Diego has one significant intangible asset with tangible results, which is the great collaboration between and among agents of innovation and this is different from other areas.  Playing nicely with others helps us succeed.  Many local mayors have a commitment to transforming our community in green ways.

There are 672 clean tech companies in SD.  Half are creators, half are enablers.

Lee Stein:  Environmental Entrepreneurs need to be a business voice for the environment.  Regarding energy resources, today we are using the resources of 2.5 planets, which is not sustainable – 45 mill barrel/day shortfall.  AB 32, under attack now, will create 352,000 jobs by 2020 but a ballot measure out there sponsored by one company seeks to damage the good that AB 32 does, do not put it on the ballot, do not be fooled.

China’s green leap forward. They looked at California.  With their “Negawatt,” they seek to arbitrage energy and it’s just good business.  China is going toward solar and wind.  There will be a slow start and will import less energy from us and we could import energy from them in the future.  Innovatively, 57 degrees below the ground can be mined for energy for instance and it is happening.

Irene Stillings:  The California Center for Sustainable Energy helps consumers to make wise energy decisions.  The need is insatiable the supply is not.  The Chinese invest more in this area than US investors.  China is now leading in solar power.  California leads the country and provides the cues to Washington.  Excellent renewable portfolio standard.  For example, in California, Title 24 is a series of stringent building codes equal to basic LEAD standards.   There is no national energy policy yet.  We could have cap in trade limits and carbon tax.  Also incentives for offshore drilling and other things.

Residential and businesses want it. Going green does green your bottom line.  Currently we are seeing job growth in solar and algae.  We need energy efficient audits.  We need more quality auditors and installers.  Irene has increased staff by 25%, and her organization will train energy auditors.

Comments generated from questions of the audience:  In San Diego, too many resources are going into gaming the system rather than improving the opportunity to bring innovation.  We need to be more proactive in legislative before stuff becomes law and SF is good at this, we could improve.

What about water technology?  San Diego is home to over 100 water technology companies that are often stalled, like gray water.  More needed, but water is not as sexy as energy.  The need is much worse.

China is producing ten times the energy engineers as the U.S.. What are these organizations doing to generate the needed people?  Academically, Science in the US was not popular but very recently STUDENTS have figured it out and are flocking to the lab.  Policy has lagged behind to support student applications.

Students have environmental ethic and are making it part of their own choices.  Look at usfirst.org.

There is no silver bullet to the energy issues, but there should be silver buckshot!


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Biomimicry — Innovation Inspired by Nature, a Veritable "Thing-a-thon"!

By on October 3, 2009 in Biomimicry, Business, Perspectives, strategy

Biomimicry is a new discipline that studies nature’s best ideas and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems.  My husband Larry was introduced to Janine by her board member and lawyer in San Francisco, Susan McCormick.  Based on her enthusiasm, Larry bought Janine’s book, Biomimicry, Innovation Inspired by Nature.  He hadn’t been able to get that book out of his head, so when he learned Janine was speaking at the San Diego Zoo on October 2nd, he invited her to dinner and she accepted.

Larry envisions San Diego being part of Janine’s future plans for Biomimicry to commercialize some of the myriad of possible innovative products.  San Diego is an incubator city for technology and biotech in a collaborative way.  In attendance were Joe Panetta, President and CEO of Biocom, Duane Roth, CEO of Connect, and Ruprecht von Buttlar, Director of Connect’s Commercialization and Finance Programs.  They  tangibly substantiated the collaborative nature of our fine city.  Duane, for example, shared the growth of the Sorrento Mesa area into fifty research institutes today.

I like Janine, she’s genuine, warm and quick.  This video clip from our evening provides an example of her witty humor and her grasp of a future view.  Toward the end of dinner I couldn’t help myself.  I turned to Janine and said, “Most entrepreneurs are trying to develop ONE product.  Biomimicry is a veritable thing-a-thon!”  While we had a good laugh, it is true.  Biology makes way for so many innovations it is mind-boggling.  Janine’s book Biomimicry was based on research into at least 2,000 strategies for potential products that could be commercialized.  Need I say you should pick up a copy of that book?


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What is, or are, my public personae?

By on June 12, 2009 in Perspectives, strategy

80-20I am engaged in an inquiry with a bunch of people who want to make a difference in the world about what is our public persona? Or, what became evident today in our conference call, is that we have multiple personae — at home we might be perceived one way, whereas at work we’re another way, and at church or in our social networks we’re seen in yet another way.

I wondered about this several years ago, at which time a very good friend of mine recommended a book called “The 80/20 Individual” by Richard Koch. You can go to the recommendations section of my website, click on this book and order it from Amazon.com.

In that book are a series of questions to ask people whom know you fairly well what they think of you. It’s a great exercise, and enlightening, because what they said quite often did not match up with what I thought they would say. Their responses were typically more flattering than what my little mind says about myself. I am thinking about repeating that exercise, to freshen my view of my public personae. At that time I asked about 25 people, which is a sufficient number of inquiries to get a pretty good sense of how I am viewed.

But the next question of our inquiry this morning on the conference call, which is even bigger, is, “Am I willing to be responsible for that persona?” I am expecting the same pattern this time, albeit the answers may be different — that others see me in a more positive light than I see myself. So the question is, will I step into that generosity others grant me and be for myself who I am for others? Hmmm.

Do it with me! I invite you into this inquiry for yourself.  You can share, or not — either way, you will be more of who you are from doing the exercise.  I know that from my personal experience.


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