Chris Wedding

Join 13,000+ founders, investors, and innovators that read our 1-minute summaries each week on climate tech startups, impact investing, and leading with purpose (and a sense of humor).

#ClimateTech #ImpactInvesting #ESG | Start, grow, and invest in businesses with impact, meaning, AND profit. Through 100+ interviews with CEOs, founders, and investors tackling climate change, you will learn how they raised millions of dollars from investors, how their businesses stand out from competitors, what books they're reading, the podcasts they love, their habits for staying sane and productive, funny stories, and career advice.

Hosted by Chris Wedding: 4x founder, ex-private… Show more

#ClimateTech #ImpactInvesting #ESG | Start, grow, and invest in businesses with impact, meaning, AND profit. Through 100+ interviews with CEOs, founders, and investors tackling climate change, you will learn how they raised millions of dollars from investors, how their businesses stand out from competitors, what books they're reading, the podcasts they love, their habits for staying sane and productive, funny stories, and career advice.

Hosted by Chris Wedding: 4x founder, ex-private equity investor, Duke University and UNC Chapel Hill professor, CEO coach, and occasional monk. www.entrepreneursforimpact.com Show less

Instead of asking whether an organization can afford to act on its sustainability opportunities, this article asks: what is the cost of not acting? It draws on research from Deloitte, McKinsey, Harvard Business Review, Edelman, Deutsche Bank and Bain, among others.

Solar power and alternative fuels are not just for tree huggers. And I say that as someone with a doctorate in environmental management. In fact, I would argue that the U.S. military has more reasons than environmentalists have to purchase and deploy clean energy technologies such as solar, fuel cells, and advanced batteries. Consider the proposed troop reductions and significant cuts planned for Department of Defense (DOD) budgets. Energy efficiency and renewable energy are two ways the… Show more

Solar power and alternative fuels are not just for tree huggers. And I say that as someone with a doctorate in environmental management. In fact, I would argue that the U.S. military has more reasons than environmentalists have to purchase and deploy clean energy technologies such as solar, fuel cells, and advanced batteries. Consider the proposed troop reductions and significant cuts planned for Department of Defense (DOD) budgets. Energy efficiency and renewable energy are two ways the military can generate savings in the midst of these changes. Think of them as force multipliers... Show less

Green bonds focus on financing future investments – such as greener buildings or renewable energy projects – that produce attractive financial risk/reward scenarios, reduce greenhouse gases, and/or provide other positive environmental benefits. Most importantly, green bonds are getting traction with big financial institutions and institutional investors, those that control the majority of capital investment. With just $3 billion of green bonds issued in 2012, forecasts call for $100 billion to… Show more

Green bonds focus on financing future investments – such as greener buildings or renewable energy projects – that produce attractive financial risk/reward scenarios, reduce greenhouse gases, and/or provide other positive environmental benefits. Most importantly, green bonds are getting traction with big financial institutions and institutional investors, those that control the majority of capital investment. With just $3 billion of green bonds issued in 2012, forecasts call for $100 billion to be issued in 2015... Show less

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” - Einstein or Franklin or Twain (the jury is still out)

Are we all insane? Of course, not. This quotation is surely referring to somebody else. Not us in the green building world. What is true, however, is that many of us, including me, expect and seek different outcomes to some of our biggest challenges in the built environment, but often we use similar means to achieve those ends… Show more

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” - Einstein or Franklin or Twain (the jury is still out)

Are we all insane? Of course, not. This quotation is surely referring to somebody else. Not us in the green building world. What is true, however, is that many of us, including me, expect and seek different outcomes to some of our biggest challenges in the built environment, but often we use similar means to achieve those ends, whether those goals be human health and productivity, higher net operating income or lower carbon emissions. That’s where entrepreneurial thinking comes into play.... Show less

Published by HSH.com, a leading provider of residential real estate market data since 1979, this "Think Tank" Q&A assesses if and how a green homes makes financial sense.

This report assesses the financial, personal, and policy drivers that have influenced residential owners of solar PV and geothermal systems in North Carolina to make these investments. It included a survey of 1,323 solar PV owners and 1,023 geothermal system owners in the state to assess their motivations. The results of this study can be used for the following to: assess which policies and incentives are working and need to be reinforced; understand which incentives require greater education… Show more

This report assesses the financial, personal, and policy drivers that have influenced residential owners of solar PV and geothermal systems in North Carolina to make these investments. It included a survey of 1,323 solar PV owners and 1,023 geothermal system owners in the state to assess their motivations. The results of this study can be used for the following to: assess which policies and incentives are working and need to be reinforced; understand which incentives require greater education to enable their full effect; expand residential and commercial solar PV and geothermal adoption in North Carolina and other states; and inform outreach messaging that encourages individuals to adopt energy efficient technologies and energy-saving behaviors. Show less

“In the last 30 years, mankind has produced more information than in the previous 5,000.” This is a statistic from a 1997 Reuters Magazine article entitled, Information Overload Causes Stress. Here we are 16 years later, and it seems that this trend of information production and consumption has only escalated. How can we possibly find, filter, process and make use of that volume of data? One solution: g-bit is a new platform for market research and trend discovery that covers environmental… Show more

“In the last 30 years, mankind has produced more information than in the previous 5,000.” This is a statistic from a 1997 Reuters Magazine article entitled, Information Overload Causes Stress. Here we are 16 years later, and it seems that this trend of information production and consumption has only escalated. How can we possibly find, filter, process and make use of that volume of data? One solution: g-bit is a new platform for market research and trend discovery that covers environmental sustainability topics, from green building to clean energy to CSR... Show less

Why invest in environmental startups? The answer to this question is not simple. It actually raises more questions. Do investments in these ventures produce lower financial returns in favor of environmental goals? Are policy makers and non-profits better equipped to manage environmental problems?

Despite this noise, we at the Cherokee-McDonough Challenge think there are many reasons to invest in this sector. We run an annual competition and accelerator in Raleigh, North Carolina… Show more

Why invest in environmental startups? The answer to this question is not simple. It actually raises more questions. Do investments in these ventures produce lower financial returns in favor of environmental goals? Are policy makers and non-profits better equipped to manage environmental problems?

Despite this noise, we at the Cherokee-McDonough Challenge think there are many reasons to invest in this sector. We run an annual competition and accelerator in Raleigh, North Carolina, designed to identify, fund, and develop high-impact environmental startups. By providing select early-stage companies with $20,000 in Seed capital, office space, and mentoring, we hope to generate market returns and catalyze solutions to some of the world’s most pressing environmental problems. Show less

Those of us whose careers and personal lives focus on environmental issues do not want to admit any deficiency in ecological intelligence. Unfortunately, we have to face facts, and that includes me, which is part of the reason for writing this essay. Insufficient ecological intelligence results partly because of the phenomenon of information overload, but it is also due to the absence of systems, policies, or sometimes even intentions to make certain pieces of information open and public… Show more

Those of us whose careers and personal lives focus on environmental issues do not want to admit any deficiency in ecological intelligence. Unfortunately, we have to face facts, and that includes me, which is part of the reason for writing this essay. Insufficient ecological intelligence results partly because of the phenomenon of information overload, but it is also due to the absence of systems, policies, or sometimes even intentions to make certain pieces of information open and public. Ecolabels are one way to remedy these problems. My own experience with the United States Green Building Council’s green building rating system (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and its success as a tool for transforming the building sector has demonstrated that these labeling programs can create massive market change. This essay aims 1) to pull together in one place a wide variety of statistics related to ecological intelligence, 2) to distill ten statements worth consideration regarding ecolabels, and 3) to advance a discussion on the trends, potential, and limitations of ecolabels in order to make doing the right thing by the environment and our health, for both individuals and organizations, much easier than it is now. Show less

The US Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating program has grown from a little known tool for market change to a label and brand relied upon by many of the largest players in real estate. It now serves as an indicator of sustainability and an instrument for environmental management. While LEED-certified buildings tend to offer greater environmental benefits than their conventional counterparts, research and experience shows… Show more

The US Green Building Council's (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating program has grown from a little known tool for market change to a label and brand relied upon by many of the largest players in real estate. It now serves as an indicator of sustainability and an instrument for environmental management. While LEED-certified buildings tend to offer greater environmental benefits than their conventional counterparts, research and experience shows that the variation in and magnitude of these benefits varies, even among buildings of the same LEED certification level. In light of growing concerns about “greenwashing” and the liability associated with questionable environmental declarations, it is important to ensure that users of LEED and similar certification programs receive a set of benefits comparable to those expected. With a focus on energy-related issues, this research (1) highlights evidence of the inconsistency between the expected and actual benefits of LEED buildings, (2) suggests revisions to LEED's Energy & Atmosphere (EA) section to reduce the variation and magnitude in the energy-related environmental impacts from LEED buildings, (3) quantifies this reduction in variation and magnitude of impacts using Monte Carlo analyses and probabilistic models created specifically for this research, (4) compares carbon dioxide emissions from LEED buildings to the Architecture 2030 Challenge goals and (5) quantifies the importance of scoring LEED buildings on a per capita normalized basis. This research is a follow-up piece to the authors' previous work published in the Journal of Green Building (Wedding and Crawford-Brown 2007). Show less

The US Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED guidelines have become the dominant third-party certification program for “green” buildings in the US. Given that buildings use 37% of all energy and 68% of all electricity while contributing substantially to air emission, waste generation, and water consumption issues in the US, one of LEED's purposes is to address the environmental impacts of energy use in buildings. This research analyzes (1) how well the LEED guidelines measure these impacts and… Show more

The US Green Building Council's (USGBC) LEED guidelines have become the dominant third-party certification program for “green” buildings in the US. Given that buildings use 37% of all energy and 68% of all electricity while contributing substantially to air emission, waste generation, and water consumption issues in the US, one of LEED's purposes is to address the environmental impacts of energy use in buildings. This research analyzes (1) how well the LEED guidelines measure these impacts and (2) which parameters create the most variation among these impacts. Environmental impacts here refer to emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, mercury, and particulate matter (PM10); solid waste; nuclear waste; and water consumption. Using data from the US Department of Energy, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the US EPA Energy Star program, and the USGBC, among others, models using Monte Carlo analysis were created to simulate the range of impacts of LEED-certified buildings. Various metrics and statistics were calculated to highlight the significance of variation in these impacts. Future research needs and implications of the results for LEED version 3.0 are also discussed. Show less

This research met the following four objectives related to quantifying success in brownfield revitalization: (1) to define 40 total indicators that define and determine the success of brownfield redevelopments in four categories: environment-health, finance, livability, and social-economic; (2) to use these indicators to develop a partially automated tool that stakeholders in brownfield redevelopment may use to more easily assess and communicate success (or failures) in these projects; (3) to… Show more

This research met the following four objectives related to quantifying success in brownfield revitalization: (1) to define 40 total indicators that define and determine the success of brownfield redevelopments in four categories: environment-health, finance, livability, and social-economic; (2) to use these indicators to develop a partially automated tool that stakeholders in brownfield redevelopment may use to more easily assess and communicate success (or failures) in these projects; (3) to integrate green building as an important aspect of successful brownfield redevelopments; and (4) to develop this tool within the framework of a specific multi-attribute decision method (MADM), the analytical hierarchical process (AHP).

Currently, no such indicator framework or automated tool is known to exist or be in use. Indicators were chosen because of their ability to reduce data into comprehensible measurements and to systematically measure success in a standardized fashion. Appropriate indicators were selected based on (1) interviews with prominent private developers and national leaders in brownfield redevelopment, (2) a review of the relevant literature, (3) objective hierarchies created in this project, and (4) the ability for each indicator to serve goals in more than one of the four categories described above. These were combined to form the Sustainable Brownfields Redevelopment (SBR) Tool.

A survey was conducted to serve as a preliminary assessment and proposed methodology for judging the validity of the SBR Tool. Professionals in the academic, private, and public sector were asked to provide an evaluation of the management tool and a weighting of each indicator and each of the four categories listed previously. Experts rated the tool at 7.68 out of 10 suggesting that this framework will be useful in evaluating these redevelopments upon completion and in formulating initial site plans and building design. Show less