Sam Goodman at TEF

On Wednesday the 24th, TEF joined with Young Entrepreneurs at Tufts (YET) to host serial entrepreneur and Chinese-western business expert Sam Goodman.

Mr. Goodman delivered a fascinating presentation about his experiences as a global entrepreneur, and then introduced us to his newest project, AGreenGator.

This nonprofit Web 2.0 startup is being designed to bring together all of the web's best "green" resources, to help avoid duplication of efforts within the broader environmental community.

Finally, the evening closed with a great Q-and-A session about entrepreneurship, China, and AGreenGator.

Some snapshots from TEF's recent trip to the experimental nuclear reactor at UMASS Lowell!

Better Place & Electric Vehicle Strategies

Shai Agassi's TED talk | link
Better Place official site | link
Better Place Wikipedia article | link
Shai Agassi Wikipedia article | link

Some criticisms on Treehugger | link

Winter 2010 GIM

View more presentations from Tufts Energy Forum.

Tufts Energy Forum General Interest Meeting

Wednesday, January 27

9:00 PM

Eaton 206

TEF is undergoing a very exciting structural change in order to provide more opportunities for our members to get directly involved with the world of energy.

Starting this semester, in addition to attending weekly meetings, TEF members will have the option of signing up for SUBGROUPS. Each subgroup will meet once a week and, as a team, will work towards a specific real-world goal related to energy.

Below are descriptions of the initiating subgroups:

TEF | Advocacy

TEF | Advocacy is for those interested in the community-action side of energy issues. Members will make a difference by planning projects on campus or in neighboring towns, and supporting and advising local leaders in their attempts to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

TEF | Conference Planning Committee

TEF| Conference Planning Committee is responsible for organizing and carrying out the annual Tufts Energy Conference.

TEF | Content

TEF | Content will ensure that TEF meetings and events are educational and exciting by planning each semester’s speakers, films, roundtable discussions, debates, presentations, field trips, and any other events.

TEF | Digital

TEF| Digital will be in charge of producing and then maintaining the TEF website. The team will build on the rough draft of the site already created, and publish a finished product before the end of the semester. Web programmers and designers, copywriters and those with interest or expertise in digital advertising should consider joining this group.

TEF | Energy Business

This group will manage a mock portfolio of energy assets, learn about energy start-ups, and pursue other such interests by organizing opportunities for the club to tour local businesses and meet with industry professionals.

TEF | Media\Outreach

TEF| Media\Outreach will run the marketing component of all of TEF’s activities. Opportunities will include contributing to TEF publications (blog, newsletters), designing ad campaigns and "building the brand," designing the new website, and representing TEF at events.

TEF | Research

TEF | Research group will collaboratively identify a) a topic of interest (e.g. “Energy Microfinance in India”) and b) some tangible outcomes (e.g. a formal analysis for publication, or a policy memo) and design and execute a research project as a team, with the possibility of Tufts-funded travel

TEF | SUSSEN (Sino-US Student Energy Network)

TEF| SUSSEN will link up with students at top Chinese universities to exchange information, make contacts in the Chinese energy sector, and undertake joint research and projects.

We hope to see you at the meeting!

Upcoming Events

Monday, December 7

1pm-2:30pm

ETIP/Consortium Energy Policy Seminar

John Heywood, MIT

Opportunities for Reducing U.S. Transportation’s Petroleum Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Fainsod Room (Littauer 324, HKS)

Monday, December 7

4:00 pm

China Project Seminar

Edward Cunningham, HKS

Governing China’s Energy Markets: How is the World’s Larges Energy Producer Managed?

Maxwell Dworkin 119, 33 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA

Project Aims to Grow Algae On Boston High-Rise

via Matter Network - Clean Technology, Green News and Sustainable Business News by Gas 2.0 on 9/30/09

By Nick Chambers

The demise of retail giant Filene's Basement may have a positive effect on proponents of vertical urban farming and algae biofuels alike. Since 2007, the developers of a Filene's site in downtown Boston have been unable to find funding to move the project forward. But now Höweler + Yoon Architecture and their partner Squared have put forth a proposal to erect a temporary vertical, modular, algae bioreactor high-rise in its place.

Called the Eco-Pod, the project leaders intend it to immediately stimulate "the economy and the ecology" of downtown Boston simultaneously. Eco-pod is a temporary modular structure made of individual pods that can be disassembled if and when the Filene's project actually gets funded. According to the developers of Eco-Pod, each pod will produce biofuel and act as an incubator for scientists and companies to do research on growing algae and producing biofuel. The structure will also have open common areas to form a network of public parks and gardens.\

Taking advantage of the fact that algae can be grown vertically on non-arable land, the Eco-Pod expands on the idea of urban vertical farming and takes it one step further with a vision to make fuel locally in an urban setting. By placing the structure in the middle of a city, the developers hope to stimulate public interest in algae biofuels as well as create an interaction between the public and researchers.

The Eco-Pod's modules can be reconfigured as necessary to meet the changing demands of the structure by means of a "robotic armature powered by the algae biofuel." If the Filene's project ever takes off, the modules can be taken down by the robotic arm and redistributed to other parts of the city to infill other empty sites.

As with most projects of this type, this one seems designed by people who have little practical experience with the needs of scientists and the viability and profitability of making algae biofuels with current technology. While I appreciate the creativity of the venture, I think it is a bit too pie-in-the-sky to ever see the light of day. Sure it could be done, but it would likely be a money-losing venture-far from the economic stimulus that the developers envision.

Reprinted with permission from Gas 2.0