Resources


Books


Government Resources


Organizations

  • CDP https://www.cdp.net/en runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts.

  • BSR BSR is a global nonprofit that works with its network of more than 250 member companies and other partners to build a just and sustainable world.

  • Bioneers http://www.bioneers.org/ is an educational organization that highlights breakthrough solutions for restoring people and planet.

  • Ceres http://ceres.org/ is a non-profit organization advocating for sustainability leadership. They mobilize a powerful network of investors, companies and public interest groups to accelerate and expand the adoption of sustainable business practices and solutions to build a healthy global economy.

  • Ellen MacArthur Foundation https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/ Their mission is to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. They work with business, government and academia to build a framework for an economy that is restorative and regenerative by design.

  • New Buildings Institute http://newbuildings.org/ assesses technologies, promote design approaches, and help guide policies and programs that will significantly improve the energy efficiency of commercial buildings. Good resources for NZE buildings.

  • Rocky Mountain Institute http://www.rmi.org/ whose mission is to transform global energy use to create a clean, prosperous and secure low carbon future by focusing on unlocking market-based solutions that can be replicated and implemented now.

  • SPUR (San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association) http://www.spur.org brings people together from across the political spectrum to develop solutions to the big problems our cities face.


Finance

  • Urban Footprint https://urbanfootprint.com/ sustainable planning software. Free for California cities.

  • Carbon Tracker Initiative http://www.carbontracker.org/ provides analysis on the impact of climate change on capital markets and investment in fossil fuels, mapping risk, opportunity and the route to a low-carbon future.

  • DivestInvest Philanthropy http://divestinvest.org/philanthropy/ is a platform for institutions that follows the lead of student and community-driven fossil fuel divestment and new energy reinvestment.

  • Oil Change International http://priceofoil.org/ is a research, communication, and advocacy organization focused on exposing the true costs of fossil fuels and facilitating the coming transition towards clean energy.

  • Alternative Energy Stock http://www.altenergystocks.com/ provides high-quality, original research into alternative energy, renewable energy, and clean technology companies.

  • Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) http://www.sasb.org/ whose mission is to develop and disseminate sustainability accounting standards that help public corporations disclose material, decision-useful information to investors.


Academia

  • Stanford Precourt Institute for Energy https://energy.stanford.edu/

  • Pacific Institute http://pacinst.org/ is a global water think tank that provides science-based thought leadership with active outreach to influence local, national and international efforts in developing sustainable water policies.


Thought Leaders

  • Benyus, Janine, Biomimicry Institute
    Janine is a biologist, author, innovation consultant, and self proclaimed “nature nerd.” She may not have coined the term biomimicry, but she certainly popularized it in her 1997 book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature. She is also the co-founder of the world’s first bio-inspired consultancy, Biomimicry 3.8, bringing nature’s sustainable designs to 250+ clients including Boeing, Colgate-Palmolive, Nike, General Electric, Herman Miller, HOK architects, IDEO, Interface, Natura, Procter and Gamble, Levi’s, Kohler, and General Mills.
    https://biomimicry.org/janine-benyus/

  • Fiekowsky, Peter of the Healthy Climate Alliance is working towards a 300 PPM world.
    300x2050 Climate Restoration Foundation
    Forbes Article

  • Dr. Hansen, James of Columbia University and colleagues have published a new paper with a detailed analysis of how to achieve negative CO2 emissions. https://arxiv.org/abs/1609.05878 He is also supporting a lawsuit being brought by children through Our Children's Trust. Here is a video with his granddaughter Sophie, explaining the lawsuit and its rationale.

  • Hawken, Paul, Drawdown describes a comprehensive set of solutions for attaining a habitable planet with a goal of reversing global warming in 30 years.

  • Holmes Hummel, founder Clean Energy Works visionary solutions inventor for equitable access to clean energy systems and financial tools to accomplish significant results.

  • Lovins, Hunter, Natural Capitalism Solutions https://natcapsolutions.org/
    L. Hunter Lovins is the President and Founder of Natural Capitalism Solutions(NCS). She is a champion of sustainable development in many domains. She believes that citizens, communities and companies, working together within the market context, are the most dynamic problem-solving force on the planet.  She builds teams that create and implement practical and affordable solutions that will create a sustainable future.
    Hunter has co‐authored fifteen books and hundreds of articles, and was featured in the award‐winning film, Lovins On the Soft Path. Her best‐known book, Natural Capitalism is summarized in Harvard Business Review. Its sequel, The Way Out: Kickstarting Capitalism To Save Our Economic Ass, won the Atlas Award. Her latest, Creating a Lean and Green Business System also won the Shingo Prize. Watch for her forthcoming book, A Finer Future.  

  • McDonough, William, innovative architect and author, recently published in the journal Nature a new framework for managing carbon as an asset. Instead of considering carbon as something to eliminate, he recommends improving our designs by thinking about carbon in different ways. http://www.mcdonoughpartners.com/william-mcdonough-offers-new-language-carbon/ 


Others

  • ClimateOne at the Commonwealth Club  https://climateone.org/ offers a forum for candid discussion among climate scientists, policymakers, activists, and concerned citizens.

  • Yes! Journalism for People Building a Better World yesmagazine.org positive stories of action for community resilience and planetary restoration.

  • Koyaanisqatsi, Directed by Godfrey Reggio, 1982Movie to make you open your view of the world
    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085809/


Grass Roots

  • 350.org https://350.org/ mobilizes climate-focused campaigns, projects and actions in 188 countries. Co-founded by Bill McKibben. Find a Climate March near you on Saturday, April 29, 2017. http://www.theclimatemobilization.org/

  • Environmental Working Group http://www.ewg.org empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment and drives consumer choice and civic action with breakthrough research.

  • Story of Stuff http://www.storyofstuff.org its San Francisco Bay Area based team inspires and encourages the civic engagement of more than 1 million people by inviting them to share their movies, participate in their study programs and take part in campaigns on the environmental and social issues.


 Other Resources

Videos:

Climate Leader Interview Series - A series of interviews with Today’s Climate Leaders by Matt Schlegel of Evolutionary Teams

Leading With Self-Awareness: An Interview With Marianna Grossman - with Matt Schlegel of Evolutionary Teams (January 2022): “Action is the antidote to anxiety. Marianna Grossman, founder and managing partner of Minerva Ventures, shares how she uses her concern for the climate to spur her leadership focused on solutions for a resilient future.”

Climate Risk: Predicting, Planning, and Thriving in an Era of Disruption - A joint presentation of USAsia Ventures and the German American Business Association (March 31, 2022)

Silicon Valley Simulation Center (what if we could test ideas for complex innovations before implementing them?)

The Story of Stuff (there are other insightful Stories, including on plastics and other topics)

A Message from the Future by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (visualizing the Green New Deal)

Past Events

Better Safer Buildings

 

Minerva welcomed a diverse audience interested in resilience, green building and finance to learn about a holistic approach to building upgrades for both seismic safety and green performance, with better return on investment and improved property values.

Did you know that the USGS predicts a 63% probability of a major (magnitude ≥6.7) earthquake in our area by 2036? In addition, storms, fires, droughts and rising sea level are risks to communities and to corporate real estate portfolios. 
Catastrophic but uncertain events cannot be avoided, but you can know and reduce your risks. Presenters explained how to protect your local and global buildings and campuses from threats, including earthquakes, flooding, sea level rise and extreme weather.
It took downtown Santa Cruz 3 years to recover from the 6.9 magnitude Loma Prieta quake in 1989. Christchurch, New Zealand was struck by a 6.3 magnitude quake in 2011. Recovery costs exceeded $40 billion. 185 people were killed. Rebuilding (and upgrading to code) has taken 6 years. When doing significant seismic retrofits, it makes financial sense to include renewable energy, energy and water efficiency upgrades, as well.

Developers and property owners can increase profits and reduce risks making improvements to their properties.


Speakers and Presentations: 

  • Welcome and Overview: Marianna Grossman, Minerva Ventures
  • Net Positive Buildings: David Kaneda, Managing Principal, Integral Group
  • Resilience, Risk and Vulnerability Analysis: Ibbi Almufti, SE, PE, LEED AP, Associate, Advanced Technology + Research group, ARUP
  • Place-based and Impact Investing: Lauryn Agnew, Founder, Bay Area Impact Investing Initiative

  • Financing Resilience: Joe Euphrat, Managing Director, CleanFund Commercial PACE Capital
 

Innovations in Water Reuse

Here is a Glimpse of Minerva's Event on "Innovations in Water Reuse" held on April 24th at GSV Labs, Redwood City. The diverse panel consisted of experts from research, government, industry and finance sectors. This dynamic group of experts and audience explored the opportunities for capturing, treating and reusing water at a building, site, campus or regional scale. The policy, technology and financing innovations that are needed to make distributed water reuse standard practice were also discussed along with the challenges that need to be overcome for innovations to move forward.

The panelists included:

  • Dr Sebastien Tilmans, Director of Operations, William Cloy Codiga Resource Recovery Center at Stanford University
  • Bruce Alderman, VP Sales, Desalitech
  • Jerry De La Piedra, Water Supply Planning & Conservation Manager. Santa Clara Valley Water District
  • Chris Robbins, Managing Director, CleanFund Commercial PACE Capital
  • Moderator: Marianna Grossman, Founder and Managing Partner, Minerva Ventures

Photography By: Balmiki Sur