The Thin Critic

Somerville Living Green Festival Video

2009-05-18T14:22:00.000-05:00

Must-read piece on the solution to global warming

2009-02-08T21:47:00.003-05:00

Please, please, please read this piece, which ties together global warming, oceans, desertification and soil. We have to get our response to global warming right, and soon.

http://holisticmanagement.org.au/PDF/A+Global+Strategy+for+Addressing+Climate+Change+2%5B1%5D.pdf

Dow Jones Newswire: My professional opinion on clean energy investments

2009-02-06T12:12:00.004-05:00

FEBRUARY 6, 2009, 7:36 A.M. ET

GETTING PERSONAL: Green Investments Warming Up

By Jilian Mincer
A DOW JONES NEWSWIRES COLUMN

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Green investments may be poised to warm up after months of chilly returns.

Once overheated but now lagging like most stocks, shares in companies tied to alternative energy are getting new attention because of President Barack Obama's policies and worldwide pressures to decrease carbon emissions.

The investments, though now considered by many stock analysts to be cheap, are not risk-free. The credit crisis has created serious obstacles for many clean tech firms, and more will stall if there's a protracted recession. It's also difficult to predict what companies will survive as new technologies evolve.

Still, experts are banking on the industry because they expect gas prices to eventually rise again and greater focus on the environment already has begun.

"We have greater confidence than ever before that, with Obama in place, clean energy is ready for prime time," says Eric Becker, vice president and portfolio manager at Trillium Asset Management in Boston.

"It's going to be tough for businesses for the next six to 12 months, but with money from the stimulus package and reductions in carbon, these companies will do extremely well," he predicted.

A longer-than-expected economic downturn could curb short-term demand for energy, keep prices of traditional fuels low and slow down the push for cleaner technologies. But Becker believes that, long term, energy prices almost certainly will rise again.

Mindy Lubber, president of Ceres, a coalition of investor groups, environmental organizations and investment funds, says total U.S. clean energy investments were flat at about $142 billion in 2008. She expects a significant increase under the Obama administration, citing a report released at the recent World Economic Forum which said the United States would need to invest at least $515 billion a year in clean energy between now and 2030 to prevent carbon levels from pushing up temperatures.

Clean tech stocks have often failed to live up to big promises in the past. But Patrick McVeigh, president and chief investment officer at Reynders, McVeigh Capital Management in Boston, believes conditions have changed.

"There's now political will, environmental awareness of the problem and the economics make sense," he says.

The demand for alternative energy already is under way in Europe. In the U.S., 17 states have committed to greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and more than 700 cities have made pledges, according to a paper released in January by Reynders' firm and the Natural Resources Defense Council Center for Market Innovation. Obama wants to give states more power to tighten environmental standards.

Additionally, about two thirds of investors named the environment as the most desirable investment opportunity in a survey released in January by Allianz Global Investors, an investment management company.

"People may be cautious, but they see this as an important investment opportunity," says Bozena Jankowska, head of sustainability research for RCM and portfolio manager of the Allianz RCM Global EcoTrends fund.

"We are advising our clients to remain cautious in their asset allocation at this time, but we are taking on small amounts of risk," says Jon Ellenbogen, a financial adviser for Wachovia Securities in Washington, D.C. "It's a good time to start tiptoeing into the alternative energy market."

But the focus is on companies with healthy balance sheets, financing for future projects and signed contracts.

"For investor with a long time horizon, this is a great time to be buying stocks in the clean energy space in the smart grid space and the energy efficiency space," says Becker of Trillium. "Diversification is particularly important in this area because risk to individual companies is high."

Becker recommends, among others, SunPower (SPWRA) - which manufactures and installs solar technology; Ormat Technologies, Inc. (ORA) in the geothermal industry; Itron (ITRI), which produces advanced meters; and American Superconductor (AMSC), which makes parts for wind turbines and super-conducting wire.

Another possibility is to spread the risk by investing in a green mutual fund or exchange-traded fund. Investors need to keep in mind that both fees and funds' investing approaches vary significantly. Some are more aggressive than others, and many are dramatically lower in the last year.

Some frequently recommended funds include Calvert Global Alternative Energy (CGAEX), Winslow Green Growth (WGGFX), Green Century Balanced Fund (GCBLX), Portfolio 21 and PowerShares WilderHill Clean Energy (PBW).

(Jilian Mincer is a Getting Personal columnist who writes about personal finance; she covers topics including pensions, insurance, and college and retirement savings. She can be reached at 201-938-4042 or by email at jilian.mincer@dowjones.com.)

-By Jilian Mincer, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-4042; jilian.mincer@dowjones.com

More Somerville GoingGreen

2008-12-07T22:07:00.002-05:00

Here's another video from the same series as the solar video. Watch me install a low-flow shower head and a programmable thermostat! Yippee!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuDikqWnFeI

To Do List

2008-12-07T21:42:00.005-05:00

Here's a preview of coming attractions. Also known as The Thin Critic's to-do list.

Session Americana
Rose Polenzani/Rose Cousins
Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii
Mondovino
The Gleaners and I
Soil and climate change
Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels
Little Esther
Josephine Tey
Slow Money

Going Solar in Somerville

2008-11-26T08:46:00.005-05:00

You may know that in my spare time I am a solar evangelist. Well, here I am in action: a video I made with Somerville Climate Action and the City of Somerville.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TD0VRdQsZEY

In Memory of Joan

2008-11-20T21:48:00.011-05:00

Joan Bavaria passed away earlier this week, and it is a terrible loss for those who knew her and for the world. But surely it is better to reflect on the blessing of having had a chance to know and work with Joan over the years.

I was barely shaving when I was hired at Trillium Asset Management more than 15 years ago. I had zero investment experience at the time. I stumbled into the job thanks in part to an innovative job-seeking letter (hire me hire me hire me hire me). But Joan nurtured me, invested in me and mentored me. She gave me the opportunity to grow into my job and then evolve my job to allow me to pursue my interests. She was always 100% supportive and encouraging, and knew exactly how to temper my youthful zeal and exuberance without putting me down. A perfect boss.

Joan was a wise woman. She possessed a quiet tranquility and grace in even the most trying times. And that made her a great leader. A big part of her wisdom was her humility and groundedness. Joan had the confidence to forge forward in pursuit of her deeply held beliefs, but she was never cocky, never thought she had all the answers, never pulled rank. And as a result she earned the trust and respect of those around her.

I learned a great deal from Joan and feel grateful. And her passing makes me want more than ever to carry out her vision of investing for a better world.

More maple

2008-11-10T21:07:00.008-05:00

OK, so please forgive the two-year hiatus, all you avid reader(s). I am spurred to write again by a visit on Saturday to Mt. Auburn Cemetery. The foliage was well past peak, but there were innumerable spectacular trees in full glory. In particular, the Japanese red maples were at their best. And the European beeches too. I climbed with Cedric and Isabelle to the top of Washington Monument, the cemetery's tower. It offers a fantastic view of Boston, Cambridge and the surrounding area, and at this time of year a great spread of beautiful foliage. Highly recommended.

But once again I was taken with the sugar maples, Acer saccharum. Most of them were bare of leaves, or far past their peak colors, but as I wrote below, they are gorgeous in any season. Which reminded me that I have a blog. Ha, ha. So here I am.

In Praise of the Mighty Sugar Maple

2006-11-04T22:55:00.000-05:00

I spent part of this past Wednesday afternoon tramping about Mt. Auburn Cemetery with Cedric. Mt. Auburn is one of my favorite places on the planet, and will surely be a future topic of mine. But this entry is for something more specific. Cedric and I started our outing by climbing the tower. We took in the view of Boston, Cambridge and the Charles on a spectacular fall day with the foliage well past peak, but still vibrant. Then we went in search of a hidden letterbox. More on that some other time, too.

After finding the cache we took a leisurely stroll to Willow Pond, admiring the blazing sugar maples along the way. By now Cedric and Isabelle are pretty good at picking out sugar maples because I can't help but point them out whenever we are on a walk or drive during which we see them. Now I know what you're thinking. Sure, Eric loves sugar maples because of his thing for pancakes. Well, that's an undeniable part of it. Maple syrup is a miracle of nature and I sing its praises often. I have many times remarked to Vanessa that in my retirement (if not before) I should become a REAL maple syrup evangelist, or at least an agent for some association of maple syrup producers. I just find it pointless to order any sort of pancake or waffle that is served with fake maple flavored product. And I want to go door to door, restaurant to restaurant, to convert the unenlightened that it is well worth the 50 cents per serving to eat the real thing. Just one mouthful of a proper pancake with fresh butter and maple syrup will do the trick. But back to the maple tree, which is what I am celebrating today. If the maple tree were an ugly shrub, the maple syrup would be enough to earn praise. As we say on Passover, "Dayenu" -- it would be enough.

But no, the maple tree offers so much more. The next most obvious feature to the casual observer is the dazzling fall foliage of Acer Saccharum. It is the king of fall foliage in the northeast. It offers the richest scarlets and oranges . The luminosity is remarkable. Sometimes, on a cloudy day it appears as if a sugar maple is lit from within, as if all the sunlight it captured during the summer is being radiated out before the leaves drop. Stumbling across a single sugar maple in peak foliage can instantly bring me out of whatever mundane thoughts I might be absorbed in, bringing me immediately into The Moment. That's powerful stuff. Dayenu!

A less-noticed feature of the sugar maple is its physical structure. The tree has a sturdy trunk that rises several feet before branching off. This lower portion of the trunk isn't the regular-shaped cylinder of an oak. Rather, it is a little sloppy, tapering from the roots, then straightening for a bit, then widening again. It isn't perfectly round, either. It has character. This character is enhanced by its shaggy, sometimes peeling bark. It looks weathered. It's an experienced-looking tree.

In a protected location, the sugar maple may take on a symmetrical shape. But in a more exposed location, an older sugar maple is likely to show the effects of its share of nor'easters. There may be broken branches and gnarled limbs, and the tree may well be lopsided. In short, a sugar maple seems to express an individuality that invites anthropomorphization.
In short, the sugar maple is a wonder to behold and I feel lucky to live here in New England so that I can enjoy its aesthetic and gustatory bounty year-round. Dayenu!

Sharing the joy

2006-10-30T13:33:00.000-05:00

That's what this blog is going to be all about. I plan on sharing the joy I derive from moments of artistic of sublimity in the hope that I can help enrich a few other people's lives. Presumptuous, I know. I'm talking about music, film, art, literature. Wherever I find one of those moments where I burst out laughing because it's too damn good to have been created by human beings. It can only be understood as a direct pipeline to the divine, whatever that is.

As an example I point to the 26 minutes of perfection that occurred on May 8, 1977 at Cornell University's Barton Hall. That night's performance of Scarlet Begonias-->Fire on the Mountain by The Grateful Dead is too good to be true. Having listened to that show for close to 20 years now, I still find myself laughing out loud and shaking my head.

I wonder what was going on that night. Did the band members have any clue what they were doing? I doubt it, but clearly they grappled with the phenomenon. The Dead's own lyric (By John Perry Barlow) from The Music Never Stopped (not played that night) goes:

"They're a band beyond description,
Like Jehovah's favorite choir
People joining hand in hand
While the music played the band,
Lord they're setting us on fire."

Now we all know this is completely subjective and that what I find sublime someone else may well find uninspired, derivative, or cloying. That's the nature of relative experience, and I'm not going to fight it. But I know that many people have turned me on to things I never knew about and I'm grateful they have. So hopefully this can be a two-way street, with my vast readership using the comments area to fill me in on what I'm missing.

Critic-at-Last

2006-10-27T13:14:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to start my critic-at-large blog since the dawn of the blogosphere. Here it is at last. And my first item of criticism isn't criticism at all -- more like evangelism. It is the song "People Say" by The Meters. It simply doesn't get any funkier. I could rave about the bass line or the fantastic vocals, but what puts the funk in the funk is the syncopation. Reminds me of my days as a young aspiring drummer working through Ted Reed's classic "Progressive Steps to Syncopation for the Modern Drummer." If you're not sure what syncopation is, Wikipedia defines it as "the stressing of a normally unstressed beat in a bar or the failure to sound a tone on an accented beat." Another fantastic example of syncopation is the drumming on the first track of Herbie Hancock's "Head Hunters." It's all about playing the note you don't expect and not playing the note you do expect. The result is always fresh to the ears, and inspiring to the feet.

Anyhow, check out the 30-second snippet from the "People Say" link, then go buy it. It's one of those songs that compels the listener to move some part of their body, preferrably several parts in a coordinated effort. And if you don't already own "Head Hunters," well, get a move on.