I think we all remember the horrific tragedy of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, an event brought closer to home through media and online resources showing real-time videos and estimates of the massive oil plume that ultimately spewed ~4.9 billion barrels (210 million gallons) of oil over a five-month period, affecting 68,000 square miles […]
renewable energy
Global Citizens Club Meeting on Climate Change Grassroots Action Draws a Huge Crowd!
The huge response to our February 19th Global Citizens Club (GCC) meeting was extremely gratifying, with over 200 people from the community turning out to learn more about effectively fighting climate change from a diverse panel of experts and activists. Highlights of the meeting hosted at the El Encanto included a moving statement from local […]
2019: The Year of Climate Mobilization
By Robert Perry, Director of Energy Research “For the world is changing: I feel it in the water, I feel it in the earth, and I smell it in the air.” – Treebeard, from The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien. For many, 2018’s seemingly endless succession of hurricanes, wildfires, and torrential storms, combined […]
We Must Mobilize Now to Stop Climate Change
With each passing day, the threat from climate change grows. For California, each year brings bigger, more deadly fires, and the specter of 129 million dead trees looms as a potentially catastrophic release of carbon and lethal particulates into the atmosphere. Recently, the LA Times reported an estimated 1.1 million structures remain vulnerable to destruction […]
Bringing a New Vision to State Street
The debate rages on about ways to revitalize State Street and downtown Santa Barbara, and the World Business Academy remains at the forefront of the public discussion about this vital issue. On Wednesday, December 5th, Rinaldo Brutoco and Director of Energy Research, Robert Perry, participated as panelists in the latest public forum focusing on revitalizing […]
2018 in Retrospect: Focusing on Safety, Resilience and Citizen Engagement
Last year on December 5, our friends, supporters and staff gathered at Rinaldo’s and Lalla’s house to celebrate the closing of 2017. It was a lovely evening, and we left the gathering with our hearts full of cheer. But there was also an undercurrent of foreboding as the Thomas Fire had just begun its destructive […]
Watch: Video of community meeting on MCMI (Nov. 14, 2018)
The World Business Academy and the Clean Coalition have teamed up to provide the Montecito community with a sustainable energy solution during times of crisis. Kristy Jansen, Chief of Staff for the World Business Academy and Craig Lewis, Executive Director for the Clean Coalition, presented on this exciting and ambitious initiative at the Montecito Community […]
Montecito Community Microgrid Initiative Public Meeting
The World Business Academy and the Clean Coalition have teamed up to provide the Montecito community with a sustainable energy solution during times of crisis. When completed, the Montecito Community Microgrid Initiative (MCMI) will ensure that vital services remain running during emergencies, and serve as a replicable model for other communities looking to transition California […]
Learn All About the Montecito Community Microgrid at a Public Meeting on Nov. 14
One of the most important ongoing projects of the World Business Academy is the Montecito Community Microgrid, an energy system that would deliver local energy daily and power emergency facilities during outages caused by extreme weather events and system failures. A Community Microgrid is a new approach for designing and operating an electric grid based […]
Microgrids: Our Energy Future
Stand in the future you wish to see. Then look back from there at the path and the choices that helped us solve our challenges, regenerate our natural systems, and learn to live in harmony with the planet and each other. Take four minutes to explore this way of thinking. This short, animated film […]
California Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Case
The California Supreme Court last week refused to hear the World Business Academy’s case against the State Lands Commission. This decision, while disappointing, doesn’t detract from the strong legal arguments presented in the case, and we are confident they will someday become law — protecting the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). We urge you to […]
California Advances in Worldwide Sprint Towards Renewable Energy
By Robert Perry California lawmakers passed critical environmental legislation last week, burnishing the state’s reputation as a progressive leader in the fight against climate change and shining a spotlight on the federal administration’s disdain for climate science. Here’s what will be waiting for Gov. Brown’s signature: SB100 – The Big Kahuna: SB100 sets California on […]