Press Releases & RMI Announcements All files found here are available in downloadable PDF format. When you click on the publication title the PDF will automatically begin downloading. To read a PDF file you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer—it's available for free from Adobe Systems.
Snowmass, Colorado, 8 March 2007—Rocky Mountain Institute today announced the appointment of high-tech industry veteran Michael Potts to head the noted "think and do tank." Potts succeeds Amory B. Lovins who moves up to become RMI's Chairman and Chief Scientist. Both changes take effect immediately.
Snowmass, Colorado, November 20, 2006—Rocky Mountain Institute CEO and founder Amory B. Lovins announced that RMI's leadership team is expanding to allow him a more active strategic role in launching and advancing RMI's high-visibility projects. "It's my pleasure to announce that RMI has begun a search for a new CEO with exceptional substance and vision to lead RMI through its next phase of developing and executing ambitious goals."
Boulder, Colorado, July 10, 2006—The University of Colorado at Boulder University Memorial Center (UMC) has proven to be more than just a place where students relax, dine, and socialize—it is one of the greenest buildings on campus. On June 19, 2006, the University Memorial Center's new addition was awarded LEED Silver certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification system for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB). The UMC is the first building on the Boulder campus to receive LEED certification and the second building in Colorado to receive this prestigious honor under the LEED-EB system.
Kona, Hawai'i, December 19, 2005—The Hawaii Gateway Energy Center, located at the entrance to the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii in Kailua-Kona, has been awarded LEED Platinum status. Platinum is the highest designation within the LEED certification system and the Energy Center is only the 8th building worldwide to Achieve such status.
Denver, Colorado, September 07, 2005—The University of Denver recently recognized RMI/ENSAR Built Environment for its part in the design and development of a high performance building for the DU College of Law that earned a Gold Certification under the LEED Green Building Rating System. RMI/ENSAR Built Environment team members Greg Franta, FAIA, principal-in-charge for the project, and Cara Carmichael, project manager, were honored in a special ceremony sponsored by the University of Denver.
Snowmass, Colorado, August 17, 2005—Two leaders in resource efficiency and environmentally sustainable building design today announced the consolidation of their practices. On Monday, Rocky Mountain Institute of Snowmass, Colorado and ENSAR Group of Boulder, Colorado announced that ENSAR Group has become a part of RMI's green real estate and development consultancy in a new RMI department, RMI/ENSAR Built Environment.
Snowmass, Colorado, June 22, 2005—Rocky Mountain Institute researchers today doused the hype about "nuclear revival" in an icy bath of real-world data. They documented that worldwide, the decentralized, low- or no-carbon sources of electricity—cogeneration and renewables, all claimed by nuclear advocates to be too small and too slow to help much with climate change—are already bigger than nuclear power and are quickly leaving it in the dust.
Snowmass, Colorado, May 27, 2005—Holistic analysis of a community's wastewater needs leads to cost savings and better service, according to a new report from Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A related report from RMI and the National Decentralized Water Resources Capacity Development Project (NDWRCDP) presents case studies that document the dynamics of the wastewater facility planning process.
Aspen, Colorado, April 11, 2005—The Aspen Center for Environmental Studies (ACES) and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) are joining other local environmental organizations to host an April 22 Earth Day Celebration. The Celebration will take place at ACES's Hallam Lake Preserve in Aspen. The celebration will begin with an indoor "enviro-fair" at ACES. Local environmental groups will provide information about their organizations and the issues they tackle through interactive displays, activities, and give-aways. Dr. David Orr will speak about "Political Intelligence and the Transition to Renewable Energy." Dr. Orr is a well-known environmental educator who chairs the Environmental Studies Department at Oberlin College and oversees the Adam J. Lewis Environmental Studies Center. Viewed as a leader in the environmental field, Dr. Orr is highly respected for his pioneering work in environmental literacy in higher education and for his recent work in ecological design.
Snowmass, Colorado, March 07, 2005—Rocky Mountain Institute announces the second event in its 2005 speaker series, "RMI's Quest for Solutions" (RMIQ), designed to bring exciting, forwardlooking solutions to the Roaring Fork Valley. The series confronts the world's most pressing issues and brings them into perspective for local residents and visitors. RMI Senior Fellow and Navy physician Dr. Eric Rasmussen will present "Tsunami 2004: Loss and Opportunity," and share insights and observations from his time in Indonesia leading a team that identified gaps in the information infrastructure of the tsunami disaster relief effort. Dr. Rasmussen will address both the loss as well as the opportunities created by the tsunami, and share observations and insights made while leading his information infrastructure assessment team. Dr. Rasmussen sought to effectively repair breakdowns in civil and military communication, and worked with locals, the United Nations, the U.S. Military, and NGOs to efficiently and effectively deliver aid where it was most needed.
Snowmass, Colorado, January 19, 2005—Rocky Mountain Institute announces the first event in its 2005 speaker series, "RMI's Quest for Solutions" (RMIQ), designed to bring exciting, forwardlooking solutions to the Roaring Fork Valley. Nationally renowned biomimicry expert and co-founder of the Biomimicry Guild, Dayna Baumeister, Ph.D., will discuss how nature can act as a "model, measure, and mentor" in the design process. Biomimicry is a relatively new science that takes inspiration from nature's systems and processes to solve human problems, for example, a solar cell design modeled after a leaf. Baumeister will explain the principles of biomimicry and explore how we might apply biological designs, processes, and laws to create better human systems. She will also relate a number of case studies where biomimicry has been successfully applied.
Snowmass, Colorado, December 07, 2004—Winning the Oil Endgame: Innovation for Profits, Jobs, and Security, released September 20 by Rocky Mountain Institute, has received rave reviews from a wide range of constituencies (See: Comments & Reviews). The book's authors are now available for broadcast interviews via telephone for interested members of the media. They are especially interested in speaking about the state-level benefits of the book's recommendations, as well as the national advantages.
Snowmass, Colorado, December 03, 2004—Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) announces the release of its updated Home Energy Briefs, a series of nine publications that provide energy and money-saving tips for homeowners (See: www.rmi.org/sitepages/pid171.php#LibHshldEnEff). The series includes Briefs on lighting, space cooling and heating, water heating, cleaning appliances, electronics, kitchen appliances, the building envelope, and whole system design. RMI’s updated Home Energy Briefs offer immediate suggestions to help homeowners properly weatherize their homes and cash-in on other energy-saving measures for the upcoming cold season. Originally written in 1994, the Briefs remain an extremely popular tool for consumers to learn where and how they can save energy and money in the home. The updated versions of the Briefs contain new statistics, expanded tables, and up-to-date tips on how to apply energy efficiency at the residential level.
Snowmass, Colorado, September 20, 2004—Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) today released Winning the Oil Endgame: Innovation for Profits, Jobs, and Security (www.oilendgame.org), a Pentagon-cofunded blueprint for making the United States oil-free. The plan outlines how American industry can restore competitiveness and boost profits by mobilizing modern technologies and smart business strategies to displace oil more cheaply than buying it. Winning the Oil Endgame proves that at an average cost of $12 per barrel (in 2000 dollars), the United States can save half its oil usage through efficiency, then substitute competitive biofuels and saved natural gas for the rest—all this without taxation or new federal regulation.
Snowmass, Colorado, July 28, 2004—Rocky Mountain Institute announces the third event in its 2004 speaker series, “RMI’s Quest for Solutions” (RMIQ), designed to bring exciting, forwardlooking solutions to the Roaring Fork Valley. The series confronts the world’s most pressing issues and brings them into perspective for local residents and visitors. The series wraps up August 5 with a presentation entitled “Winning the Oil Endgame” by CEO Amory Lovins, and colleagues Nathan Glasgow and Kyle Datta. The trio will present RMI’s most recent recommendations on how to get the U.S. completely off oil.
Snowmass, Colorado, July 26, 2004—Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) announces that it has joined the Chicago Climate Exchange®, Inc. (CCX), a market created for companies to buy and sell credits to achieve cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Snowmass, Colorado, June 15, 2004—Bill Browning, founder of Rocky Mountain Institute's Green Development Services group, has been named an RMI senior fellow. Browning has assumed a part-time status with RMI beginning July 2004 in order to pursue development of Haymount, Virgina—a "new urbanist" town that he helped pioneer.
Snowmass, Colorado, May 11, 2004—
Rocky Mountain Institute is pleased to announce that its newsletter, RMI Solutions, has received three Communicator Awards. RMI received Awards of Distinction in the newsletter writing and newsletter non-profit categories, as well as an Honorable Mention in the newsletter interior design category.
Snowmass, Colorado, April 19, 2004—Rocky Mountain Institute announces the publication of “Hypercars®, Hydrogen and the Automotive Transition” in the acclaimed International Journal of Vehicle Design. In this invited technical review paper, RMI’s CEO Amory Lovins and Hypercar, Inc.’s VP Engineering David Cramer explain why lightweighting is the key to making vehicles superefficient and safe.
Snowmass, Colorado, March 09, 2004—Rocky Mountain Institute announces the second event in its local speaker series, "RMI’s Quest for Solutions" (RMIQ), designed to bring exciting, forward-looking solutions to the Roaring Fork Valley. The series confronts the world’s most pressing issues and brings them into perspective for local residents. The series continues March 24 with a presentation by scientist John Todd, PhD, the creator of "EcoMachines"—compact biological wastewater treatment systems. These systems clean water by taking advantage of natural organisms that do their work without the chemicals and energy inputs associated with traditional water treatment.
Snowmass, Colorado, March 08, 2004—Rocky Mountain Institute announces the launch of the Community Energy Opportunity Finder, (www.energyfinder.org) an interactive website that calculates potential energy and dollar savings, air pollution emissions reductions, and potential jobs a community could create by implementing an energy efficiency program.
Snowmass, Colorado, February 09, 2004—Rocky Mountain Institute is pleased to announce the 2004 schedule of its local speaker series, “RMI’s Quest for Solutions” (RMIQ), designed to bring exciting, forward-looking solutions home to the Roaring Fork Valley. The series engages the world’s most pressing issues and brings them into perspective for local residents. The series kicks off February 17 with a presentation entitled, “Big and Green,” a current trend in which large development projects are built using environmentally sustainable design and materials.
