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Newsletter June 30, 2009
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Florida State University
Institute for Energy Systems, Economics and Sustainability |
...delivering solutions to communities
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Greetings,
Welcome
to the first issue of the FSU IESES Newsletter. Find out what our
faculty are doing and how you can partner with us to promote
sustainable energy and economic growth in Florida.
David Cartes, Ph.D.
Director, Institute for Energy Systems, Economics and Sustainability (IESES)
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The Win-Win Solution--Minister Mina Gabor links Sustainable Eco-Tourism
with Renewable Energy Development
International Eco-Tourism Expert Visits IESES
Robust economic development does not have to be a
choice between ecotourism, biodiversity conservation or energy
production. You can achieve it ALL. So
says Dr. Mina Gabor, President of the Philippine Small, Medium Business
Development Foundation, and former Secretary of Tourism under three Philippine
Presidents. Dr. Gabor presented her win-win solution to economic development in
the Philippines
on June 18, 2009 the IESES Forum on Governance for Energy, the Environment and
Sustainability. Her talk was entitled "A Community-Based Approach to Rural
Tourism in the Philippines:
Implications for Governance and Sustainability."
Minister Mina Gabor with
Tallahassee Mayor John Marks at the Forum
Minister Gabor argues that a win-win
solution to economic development and the environment in places like the Philippines is
promotion of ecotourism, biodiversity conservation and renewable energy.
Increasing local participation in ecotourism and renewable energy production
increases jobs and income for everyone through direct, indirect and induced
demand. According to Dr. Gabor part of every ecotourism and renewable
energy production strategy should be to raise awareness about the value of
biological resources and preservation of local culture. These combined
activities will generate resources for conservation of biologically rich areas
and provide travelers rich environmental and cultural experiences.
The Panelist: Richard Feiock, John Mayo and Tim Center
Even though ecotourism can earn
over 300 percent more income than the extraction of natural resources such as
illegal logging, the question remains... 'Why can't economies expand with
sustainable ecotourism and renewable energy production?' Dr. Gabor
believes that, for the Philippines,
the greatest barrier to implementing a win-win strategy for ecotourism,
conservation and renewable energy is the lack of informed governance and inadequate
management of forest and marine habitats. Currently habitats are being
damaged due to over hunting, logging, fishing and the use of wood for
fuel. "We need a well TRAINED WORKFORCE with the knowledge about natural
resources management, planning, effective tourism management and renewable
energy utilization," says Gabor. The creation of an International
Institute of Sustainable Progress with study tracks in ecotourism, renewable
energy and governance are currently being discussed between FSU IESES and
entities in the Philippines.
The more than 75 participants included students and faculty
from around campus, community based organizations, representatives from
business, local government, the Executive Office of the Governor as well as Tallahassee's Mayor and
City Manager. IESES co-sponsored the event with the FSU Center
for Advance Power Systems, the Big Bend American-Filipino Association and the
North Florida Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration.
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Florida Big Bend Institute for Low Energy Vehicles
Florida Big Bend Institute
for Low Energy Vehicles Seeks $7 Million in Federal Funds
Picture a
solar and plug-in powered advanced electric vehicle designed by engineering
students from FSU's College of Engineering, which is manufactured and iteratively improved
by technically skilled students from Lively Technical College, in projects
administered and supervised by students from Tallahassee Community
College. Also, consider that the entire project
is supported by a business plan developed by FSU's College of Business
and Center for Sustainable Energy Governance. All this accomplished with
significant input and guidance from the advanced electric vehicle industry.
A three year
$7 million funding request for just such a program has been submitted to the
U.S. Department of Energy by the Florida Big Bend Institute for Low Energy Vehicles (iLEV). iLEV is a newly formed,
regional industry led, public education consortium created to accelerate
sustainable advance electric vehicle transportation technologies by providing a
skilled work force.
Students in
the program will learn all of the skills required in the manufacturing process.
At the same time the program will create awareness and a market for advance
electric vehicles. At all levels, this workforce will gain the entrepreneurship
and intellectual skills necessary to succeed in small start-up original
equipment manufacturing as well as those essential to employees in large
manufacturing companies.
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Visiting Law Professor Focuses on Energy and Land Use Policy
Welcome Uma Outka
Uma Outka joins the Florida State Law faculty as a Visiting
Scholar, focusing on energy and land use policy. In coordination with the
Environmental and Land Use Law program and the Florida State University
Institute for Energy Systems, Economics and Sustainability, Professor Outka directs
the law school's Sustainable Energy Research Project, an initiative aimed at
understanding and advancing legal frameworks to support sustainable energy
development. In addition to her research, she will be teaching two courses, a
Sustainable Development Law seminar in spring 2010 and a second course in
spring 2011, as well as organizing a national symposium on energy and land use
issues for fall 2010. Prior to joining
Florida State Law, Professor Outka served as general counsel for 1000 Friends
of Florida, a non-profit advocacy organization focused on Florida's growth
management laws, and as an attorney in the litigation department of Verrill
Dana, LLP in Portland, Maine.
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IESES
Lunch and Learn
July 1, 2009, 12:00 PM, DeVoe Moore Center,
FSU Bellamy Building
Dr. Svetlana Pevnitskaya and Dr. Dmitry Ryvkin will present their work on "Experimental
Investigation of Economic Incentives of Policies, Institutions, and Research
and Development in Environmental Conservation".
Pevnitskaya and Ryvkin use
mathematical models and laboratory experiments to explore the behavior of
decision makers (for example firms or countries) in a dynamic environment with costs
of pollution and climate change. Experiments investigate tradeoffs between
production and pollution; the role of context;
experience; and heterogeneity
in emissions. They further explore investment in and adoption of clean
technologies and the response to various institutional arrangements.
For more information contact: Richard Feiock
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The Institute for Energy System, Economics and Sustainability
at Florida State University
is a public resource. The Institute performs scholarly basic
research in
engineering, science, infrastructure, governance and the related social
dimensions to further a sustainable energy economy. Within the
Institute, centers of focus unite researchers from the disciplines of
engineering, law, geography, economics, urban and regional planning to
address
sustainability and alternative power issues. The centers include;
the Center for Advanced Power Systems, the Sustainable Energy and Governance Center, the Energy and Sustainability Center and The
Center for a
Systems Approach to Bio-Energy Research.
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Save 25%
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Save 25% on your electricity bill by using ENERGY STAR products in your home.
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