Incentives for Greater Efficiency

Decoupling: Removing Market Barriers to Energy Efficiency

Jonas Ketterle, Stanford University

In California, utility revenues are independent from electricity sales, which removes the economic disincentive for utilities to promote energy efficiency. California also has the most effective energy efficiency programs nationwide. Spreading decoupling to every state would allow all utilities to profit from energy efficiency and reduce global warming impact.

Cutting Auto Emissions through City Carbon Trading

Adam Millard-Ball, Stanford University

Give local governments the right incentives by making them the “transportation manager” for their citizens—responsible for purchasing carbon permits for all urban transportation emissions.

Climate Change Insurance

Kai Stinchcombe, Stanford University

Mandating insurance to protect homeowners against rising sea levels on the 50-year horizon will improve planning and bring the free market to bear on the real costs of climate change.

Congestion Charges in Big Cities

Nick Santos, University of California at Davis

A car tax for entering certain zones of a major city on a given day is an effective and pragmatic way to ease traffic congestion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While this method would not be useful everywhere due to variation in infrastructure, large municipalities in the United States with well-established public transit systems should consider creating such zones.

Twenty-Cent Consumer Tax on Plastic and Paper Bags

Olivia Katz, Middlebury College

The federal government should implement a 20-cent consumer tax on plastic and paper shopping bags to internalize the environmental costs of bag consumption. The legislation would both discourage use of disposable bags and raise money to implement a more comprehensive bag-recycling program.

Green Buildings

High Performance Schools for America

Tyler Huebner, Jonas Ketterle, Stanford University

Reduce global warming emissions and increase learning through implementing a green buildings standard and loan fund for all elementary and secondary schools.

Federal High-Performance Buildings Initiative

Scott Moore, Princeton University

The federal government should adopt measures to improve energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in buildings, including:

(1) Providing construction cost rebates for the additional costs of meeting high energy efficiency standards;
(2) Creating a National Center for High Performance Buildings to increase and disseminate knowledge on improving energy efficiency and environmental sustainability in buildings;
(3) Funding and expanding the Healthy and High Performance Schools program in the No Child Left Behind Act.

Other Energy Technologies

Waste-to-Energy Technology: A Solution to New Orleans’ Debris Burden

Kristen Ardani, Tulane University

Rapid start-up of a waste-to-energy facility will provide an alternative energy source while ridding New Orleans of debris and waste generated by Hurricane Katrina.

A Cellulosic Ethanol Plan for Research Universities

Zach Fox, University of Georgia

A cellulosic ethanol plant and revamped recycling program would provide the University of Georgia (UGA) light vehicle fleet with a cleaner burning fuel blend while decreasing streams of waste paper. This could serve as a model for research institutions across the nation.

Replacing Coal Power with Nuclear Using Japanese and European Waste Storage Methods

Matt Colgan, Stanford University

Fuel recycling plants can cut high-level waste by a factor of ten and then convert the waste into a stable glass form, preventing leakage into ground water.

Rebuilding New Orleans and Sugarcane Ethanol Distillation

Patrick Burbine, Tulane University

Advertising the potential for sugarcane growth and distillation in New Orleans could attract environmental groups who would be encouraged to assist in rebuilding struggling neighborhoods.

Contest for a Clean and Mobile America

James Coan, Princeton University

The federal government should institute four major contests to spur technological development of efficient motor vehicles with the ultimate dream of producing a plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle that can be economically charged on-site, using solar energy.

Advancing Carbon Sequestration with Oil

A.J. Singletary, Washington University

Oil royalty payments can be used to fund carbon sequestration technologies that combat global warming.

Increasing Individual Conservation

REALITY: The Environmental Campaign Proposal

David Richardson, Brown University

The REALITY Campaign is a proposal to combat global warming by increasing energy efficiency through an informative and extensive ad campaign targeted at youth.

Government Ad Campaign for Energy Efficiency

Josh Gallen, Jarret Zafran, Harvard University

By educating the public, the government can spur a change in culture in our country, leading to more efficient buildings inside and out, and a more eco-friendly lifestyle for the average American.

Improving Vehicle Energy Efficiency

Plugging the Flex-Fuel Loophole

James Coan, Princeton University

Instead of receiving Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) credits for producing flex-fuel vehicles that allow automakers to decrease their fleet-wide fuel economy by up to 1.2 mpg, vehicle manufacturers will instead receive a monetary reward directed at easing their legacy costs. They will receive the payment each time they produce more flex-fuel vehicles as a percentage of their fleet than the top three automakers in a baseline year.

Vehicle Window Stickers that Reflect Long-Term Cost

James Coan, Princeton University

Every vehicle window sticker on new vehicles will include the expected fuel costs over three, five, and ten-year time horizons so consumers in the showroom do not underestimate the gasoline or diesel costs on the road.

Stimulating a Transition to Hybrid Taxis in New York City

Brandon Avrutin, Middlebury College

New York City should encourage the transition to hybrid taxis. Such a transition would benefit both the environment and taxi drivers. NYC can do so by levying a Pigouvian tax on non-hybrid taxis of an amount equal to the social cost of their carbon emissions in excess of hybrid emissions.

Buyback of Inefficient Older Vehicles

James Coan, Princeton University

The government can purchase older, inefficient vehicles from consumers at the consumption difference between that one and a more efficient new or used vehicle, thereby taking into account the entire life-cycle of vehicles and improving the efficiency of the fleet.

Efficient Big Rigs for Efficient Trade

James Coan, Princeton University

The efficiency of heavy-duty trucks can be substantially improved with the introduction of fuel economy testing, efficiency standards, tax credits for purchasing more efficient models, and incentives for development of anti-idling technologies. The vehicles will travel over mandated rubberized asphalt that saves a substantial amount of oil as well.

Local Energy-Reducing Initiatives

Sustaining Community Energy Solutions through Cost-Saving Investment

Timonthy Den Herder-Thomas, Zach McDade, Kate Ballard, Macalester College

Community-managed and implemented sustainability projects should be combined with a revolving fund, empowering transformative energy solutions at the local level.

LED Standard Traffic Signals

Kyle Atwell, Paul Burow, and Nick Santos, University of California at Davis

States should pass laws that mandate use of the most energy-efficient traffic signal technologies available. State actions should include:

(1) Setting a minimum energy efficiency requirement for traffic signals;
(2) Providing low interest loans to fund the transition to more energy efficient technologies provided a reasonable payback period can be proved.

Energy Efficiency Commitments for Cities

Emma Kaimiola Rodriguez Yuen, Stanford University

Cities can reduce electricity usage and save money by making a reduction commitment, creating a task force, doing an audit of buildings, and hiring energy managers.

Capping Energy Use on College Campuses

Kristen Tullos and Balaji Narain, University of Georgia

The first step in reducing America’s dependence on unsustainable energy sources is to reduce energy consumption. State legislators can start by reducing electricity consumption on college campuses by creating a cap and trade system, similar to pollution permits, for energy usage.

Switch to Consuming Sustainable Food Products in Universities

Emily Hallet, Kristen Nothwehr, Danny Townsend, and Adam Trettel, Yale University

Consuming food that has been produced locally with sustainable agricultural methods reduces gas consumption in every area of production, from farming to transportation to retail, reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Universities are key institutions to transition to sustainable consumption, both because their populations consume lots of food and because they are uniquely positioned to teach students to make principled lifestyle decisions.