ArchivesTag : sustainability
Living Little: Future of Smaller, Sustainable Houses
This past week the annual Seattle Home Show was notable for its emphasis on smaller, more modest, and more sustainable features and homes. For many years, even decades, futurists have presumed that a day would come when it made more sense to build smaller rather than larger dwellings, primarily because of shrinking family size. More [...]
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One Thousand Years is not Enough
In 1999 and 2000 I had the privilege of helping to lead three retreat-like gatherings called Humanity 3000, in which scientists and international thought leaders asked a simple question: “What will it take for humanity to survive for another 1000 years?” Sponsored by the Foundation for the Future, the reports of those sessions can be [...]
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Four Peaks we don’t want to climb
Via The Oil Drum, we learn about the current world energy conference being held in Dubai. The conference began with an address by Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange and the Netherlands, who is “perhaps the only prince in the world who regularly uses a bike to get around and save fossil fuels…” Being [...]
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Oil Prices – Falling into Crisis
Every observer I know has been surprised by the historic crash in oil prices since July 2008. Many experts, including me, anticipated that the price would certainly fall, due to ending speculation and an economic slowdown, but the price has fallen off an historic cliff. How can this be explained? A blogger who goes by [...]
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Videos by Futurist.com
The Future. It is mysterious, looming, full of possibility. To understand the future, and to create it, we ask three questions: What is probable? What is possible? What is preferred? Explore the future in these Video Features and Interviews Produced by Futurist.com on a range of future topics. Introduction to Futurist.com – The Company Future [...]
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Geothermal Heat Pumps
When alternative energy is discussed, a potential energy source that receives less attention is geothermal. However, if I walk a few blocks from my home to Lake Washington High School I can see a geothermal heat pump system being installed in preparation for a complete re-build of this school. Ground-based geothermal differs from the kind [...]
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Climate Changing Faster, Stronger
According to an article currently up at CNN, the global climate is changing faster, stronger, sooner. This news is not surprising. The Snow and Ice Data Center, which tracks the Arctic situation among other responsibilities, reported in the end of summer 2008 survey of the extent of Arctic Ice after the summer melt period that [...]
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Future of Energy – Glen Hiemstra in The Economist
The current issue of The Economist, August 16-22, 2008, on news stands now, features a paid special section entitled “The Future of Energy: Sustainability Rules in 2030.” Comments from Futurist.com founder and futurist speaker Glen Hiemstra are prominently featured by the article author, writer Morey Stettner. In this piece, sponsored by BP, the writer explores [...]
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Future of Urban Living and Building – update
In a blog post last week we discussed an innovation in urban housing, and presented a video interview and tour. The full tour, in 4 video episodes, is now available. The video series can also be seen at YouTube. Glen Hiemstra is a futurist speaker, consultant, blogger, internet TV show host and founder of Futurist.com. [...]
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Future of Engineering
In mid-July 2008 I had the privilege of conducting a think tank for the ASFE Emerging Issues and Trends Committee. ASFE is an association of engineering firms, with a focus on geotechnical engineering. The Committee is a standing group charged with anticipatory thinking on behalf of the association and its member firms. We gathered in [...]
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