Thursday, May 1, 2008

Now You Can Make Your Prius A Plug In Hybrid!

Hymotion/A123 has announced that it is now taking orders to convert 2004-2008 Prius' to plug in hybrid technology.  The conversion adds a battery pack where the spare tire sits, costs about $10k and has a three year warranty.  The battery will charge off of house power in under 5 hours and will make the Prius able to achieve 100 mpg over a 30-40 mile range.  Also of note is that the cars have met governement crash safety tests, so the whole battery exploding thing should be behind us. There's a great animation worth checking out on the site to see what the batts are made of.


While this may seem steep to many, remember that this is just the beginning and the price point on these upgrades is only going to come down once they start hitting the market place and more people want them. It's a great start and in my opinion, about time.

Live Sustainably

Dave



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Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Plug In America Seeks Executive Director

In case anyone out there has any leads, Plug In America is looking to fill it's executive Director position. See below for more info.


Live Sustainably

Dave


Dear members of the EV community,

Plug In America is excited to announce that we are seeking a full-time executive director to help manage our phenomenal growth. This is an exceptional opportunity for a qualified plug-in advocate to work with founder Chelsea Sexton and the rest of our experienced board of directors to take us to the next level. To further expand our programs and influence, the new executive director's role will combine organizational management and fundraising, as well as increased representation of Plug In America at meetings and events across the country.

Please forward the job description below to qualified candidates. Together, we will get plug-in vehicles back in consumers' hands soon.



Plug In America Executive Director Job Description



Reports To: Board of Directors

Employment Status: Full time

Salary: Highly competitive salary based on experience. Benefits package available. Possible bonuses.

FLSA Status: Exempt

Location: Negotiable in the Los Angeles region or San Francisco Bay Area (work at home okay initially)

Deadline: Open until filled


About Plug In America:

Are you tired of being dependent on oil for transportation? We are. Plug In America is a non-profit organization advocating the use of plug-in cars, trucks, and SUVs powered by cleaner, cheaper, domestic electricity to reduce our nation's dependence on petroleum and improve the global environment. Dozens of studies show that driving on electricity, even on today's electrical grid, is cleaner than driving on gasoline. As the grid gets cleaner, so do plug-in cars. We work to educate consumers, regulators, legislators, and the auto industry about the benefits of driving all-electric cars and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Our supporters come from all 50 U.S. states and 10 other countries. Many of Plug In America's founders were featured in the film Who Killed the Electric Car? (Sony Pictures Classics). Our strategies range from working inside the auto and electrical industries to obtaining government grants for educational programs to staging street demonstrations and protests when needed. Most of our funding so far comes from individuals and philanthropic organizations, with some funds from corporations and government grants. www.pluginamerica.org


Job summary:
Our next visionary leader will take the reins from our first executive director, who will remain active on the board of directors. The new executive director will devote half-time to organizational management and half-time to development and fundraising, helping our young organization grow from a $200,000 annual budget to $500,000/year over the next 3 years, with additional staff. We're looking for a highly motivated self-starter who will establish and execute programs to grow the organization's base of supporters and members, develop ongoing sources of funding, and create tools and programs to ensure solid financial growth. Join us and get in on the ground floor in our "virtual" office – we have no physical office yet, though that's part of the 3-year plan. With successful growth, we plan to hire a dedicated development director to assist the executive director. Much of the day-to-day duties of the executive director will be established on the candidate's own initiative, with frequent contact with board members. It's an exciting time in society's transition away from fossil-fuel cars to plug-in vehicles. If you're a motivated self-starter with experience in non-profit management and fundraising, join our team and be part of the change.

Responsibilities:

· Manage day-to-day operations of Plug In America, including responsibilities for financial tracking, public relations, and materials and supplies

· Develop and coordinate volunteer programs

· Build coalitions with environmental organizations and other allies

· Help develop and advance Plug In America's strategic plan

· Design, build, and implement a comprehensive development program that incorporates a wide variety of fundraising vehicles including large and small gifts from individuals, foundations and corporations, special events, sponsorships, grants, and online appeals

· Develop, manage, and grow our stable of major donors

· Research and secure foundation grants

· Cultivate house parties, an annual benefit event, or other fundraising events

· Manage individual donor campaigns, including membership renewals and special appeals

· Manage organizational membership database – create profiles and track donors and prospects; and, in coordination with staff, issue e-mail announcements as necessary

· Prepare and submit letters, grant proposals and other reports or materials needed for effective cultivation and solicitation of prospects

· Along with staff and the board, represent Plug In America at public events, conferences, workshops and media events, as requested

Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree required, advanced degree preferred
Minimum five years experience in management and charitable fund development
Computer literacy and competency with electronic tracking systems; online fundraising experience is a plus
Strong knowledge of principles, ethics and practices of non-profit operation and fundraising
Demonstrated leadership
Experience delivering measurable outcomes
Experience managing organizational finances, public relations, and coalition-building
Demonstrated success with a similar organization in securing major and annual gifts from foundations, corporations, and individuals
Demonstrated success in meeting annual fund goals, development management, grant writing, sponsorships and special events
Demonstrated success in working as a member of a team and developing effective working relationships with staff, volunteers, donors, and board members
Demonstrated passion for reducing global warming, increasing use of renewable power, and empowering consumer choice
Excellent written/oral communication skills
Ability to lead multiple long- and short-term projects simultaneously; ability to plan, prioritize, coordinate, and manage own work; ability to work unsupervised and make decisions and solve problems independently, effectively and creatively
Ability to work comfortably and effectively in a dynamic and sometimes informal structure
Ability to present, inform and motivate individuals and groups about Plug In America's mission and goals
To Apply: E-mail a resume and cover letter to Sherry Boschert at sherry [at] pluginamerica [dot] org. All applicants will receive a response.

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Wednesday, April 16, 2008

William McDonough: The Wisdom of Designing Cradle To Cradle

I have to admit that i'm actually quite embarrassed that i haven't posted about William McDonough before now.  His book Cradle to Cradle is pretty much THE sustainability bible as far as how things should be designed in the future. It's an amazing read and he's truly a visionary in the field.


For a quick taste, check out this talk he gave in 2005 for TED.  It's only about 20 minutes and make sure to watch until the end as he describes one of 12 sustainable cities that he was asked to design for the Chinese government.  Pretty unbelievable stuff.

Special thanks to Lacey for sending the link.

Live Sustainably

Dave


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Unscrew America!

Probably not what you were expecting it to be. Check out this wild Monty Pythonesque site for all sorts of info on L.E.D.s and CFLs. If the music gets a little much you can turn it off in the lower right hand corner.

Live Sustainably

Dave

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Monday, April 14, 2008

Leave it to the Brits

My buddy Augie sent this site to me a while ago and i'm finally getting around to posting it.  It's called How Can I Recycle This, but it's really a guide to finding uses for all sorts of things as opposed to recycling or trashing them.  


Have too many After 8 Dinner Mint Boxes lying around? Fear not, apparently they make great filing cabinets for seeds.

And what to do with all those pesky plaster foot molds you have left over from making orthotics (come on you know you have them)? Their solutions ranged from doorstops to lawn ornaments to using them inside other shoes to help keep the form.

Not all the ideas are the best, but it's lighthearted and actually has some good ideas.

Check it out, I know I will.

Live Sustainably

Dave


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Building Outside Of The Box...with Wind!

This is pretty cool if you ask me.  The picture you are looking at is the Bahrain World Trade Center in....Bahrain. It's the first modern building to incorporate wind mills in the structure of the building. The turbines, which will operate 50% of the time, will generate approximately 15% of the buildings energy.  While this is only a small percentage of the energy the building will use, I like the fact that it was designed with a sense of sustainability in mind and still looks pretty cool.  Now replace those windows with solar panels and this thing could cook!  Check out the video here.


Live Sustainably

Dave


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Santa Monica Alt Build Expo

For anyone who lives in Southern California or who will be in town the week after next, this is a must attend. Very cool event that will get you quickly up to date on the latest and greatest in "green" building opportunities. If you're planning a project this is a great way to see what's out there and if not, it's just a great way to start thinking about things.


Live Sustainably

Dave


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