More live blogging from The Aspen Environment Forum, sponsored by the National Geographic and the Aspen Institute. Panelist include: Brian Keane, Amory Lovins, Will Wynn, with moderator Jack Riggs.
Brian: Each one of us can and must be part of the energy efficient solution. It is the small little simple things that we do everyday that will make a difference.
Amory: Given the political fault lines in our society, we need to be careful about our language and the motivations that we convey. Eg. auditing, property assessment, and so on. No one wants these things. When we talk to others about saving energy, lets not insist that they do it for the same reasons. Lets focus on outcomes not motives. Eg some people may care more about national security rather than environmental sustainability.
Will: We spend $45 a month on electricity for a $900K house. Many of his friends pay $600/month. Do I want to keep his money and pay off the mortgage? It is an outstanding savings if you can put pretax dollars back into your home. An easy way to do it is to pay less in monthly energy bills. People need to think about housing affordability. If they realize the wasted costs on electrical, they will change.
Lovins pointed out that Will pays 10x fold more than him!
I couldnt miss this one because I read Amory Lovins when I was in college and still have his book. I will attempt to get his autograph.