-
-
Green Light Distrikt
Green Light Distrikt is about entrepreneurship focused on the cleantech sector. Edited by Chris Williams with frequent guest posts from friends, experts and industry insiders from clusters across the globe. Our goal is to provide a place where cleantech entrepreneurs in various clusters across the globe can learn from one another. Green Light Distrikt is creating the "Hitchikers Guide to Clentech" to provide a resource for cleantech entrepreneurs. Read more
Subscribe
Entrepreneurship
December 8th, 2011
NYC GLD Meetup: How can we Create Profitable, Easy to Test, and Cash Flow Positive Businesses Focused on Cleantech?
TOPICS: Entrepreneurship, NEW YORK
The renewable energy and cleantech industries need to be making more money. This might seem like a simple observation, but I don’t think it’s talked about as much as it should be within our industry. I certainly do not hear it enough.
In order to help facilitate this process, I’m creating a meetup in NYC for entrepreneurs looking to build companies and make money in the renewable energy industry. Read below for the backstory, meetup details, types of opportunities we’re look at and the types of individuals who will be at the meetup.
1 Comment
November 28th, 2011
Reincarnating “Skunk Works” approach in Cleantech
TOPICS: Business Insights, Entrepreneurship, London
1943, is the year in which the antecedents of Lockheed Martin’s “Skunkworks” can be found. Since those early days the famous division has produced famous planes such as the U2 and the Blackbird. These tremendously innovative projects were all founded upon the idea of small, unconventional teams of engineers and innovators operating in a large corporation.
The ground breaking innovators in the “Skunkworks” were shielded as if working in start-up firm, isolating them from bureaucratic interference. Considering their main customer was the government, this was a huge and extremely effective achievement.
July 25th, 2011
Stop Marketing the “Good for the Environment” Benefit
TOPICS: Business Insights, Entrepreneurship, Marketing
Last week I had the pleasure to drive the Chevy Volt for the first time (and let me tell you, it’s fun to drive). The owner was an early adopter, but doesn’t have the psychographic profile that you would assume: he’s not an environmentalist, he’s not particularly concerned with escalating gas prices, and he’s not typically an early adopter. He simply hates the inconvenience of going to the gas station. In fact, he hasn’t been to the gas station in eight weeks, or 1,500 miles. Not bad considering that the Volt (MSRP $37,780 before rebates) battery can only take you 50 miles on battery-only range or 375-miles with the gas generator. In contrast, the Toyota Prius (MSRP $23,050 before rebates), the most fuel-efficient sedan available, can take you 571 miles on a tank of gas, but you eventually have to go to a gas station.
This scenario offers insight into what marketers have known forever but that businesses have generally failed to convey when selling green products and services: that consumers buy things that benefit them directly, such as cost effectiveness, convenience, health and safety. Read past the break for the full story and join the Green Light Distrikt Facebook group for updates on new events, blog posts and more. + Continue Reading
June 28th, 2011
Kickstarter: The New Way to Innovate and Produce Clean Energy Products
NEW YORK -As Michael Shimazu boasted at “The Value of a Negawatt” panel in May, the number of VC deals in energy efficiency in the US is projected to double to more than 70 in 2011, continuing an upward trend that began in 2008. This is cause for optimism for businesses – yet what happens to individuals that want to make a clean energy product but don’t have the start-up capital or marketing power to do so? Read past the break for the full story and join the Green Light Distrikt Facebook group for updates on new events, blog posts and more.
May 10th, 2011
My Plan to Make A Building More Profitable and Use 75% Less Energy from Day 1
TOPICS: BOSTON, Entrepreneurship, Green Building
Inspiration is funny sometimes. You never know when you’re going to take something you’ve glanced by in the past and combine it with an experience you’ve had in the present to form a new idea.
About two years ago, I watched this video.
I didn’t think much of it. I like how Tom framed the issue, his argument, the use of existing technologies and the tone of practicality he used when speaking. I always liked the idea of reducing a buildings energy use by 75%, the amount the world needs to reduce it’s carbon emissions to side step mass casualty, because it is more profitable for the building owner to do so.
