ML - Aspen Peak

2015 - Issue 1 - Summer

Aspen Peak - Niche Media - Aspen living at its peak

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Perched atop the roof of his Snowmass home—a t hree-decade-old mar vel of eco-eng ineering that still sets the standard for sustainable desig n—Rocky Mountain Institute cofounder, chief scient ist, and chairman emeritus A mor y B. Lovins stands nestled bet ween the solar panel arrays that help power the house below. It is a fitting setting in which to wax poetic about R MI's new and nearly completed facilit y just downst ream from Aspen, on the banks of the Roaring Fork R iver, in Basalt. The 67-year-old bespec- tacled experimental physicist and MacA rthur Fellow says the new net-zero-energ y Innovat ion Center will generate as much or more energ y than it uses, and will be one of t he most efficient buildings in the world—a huge departure from the admittedly inefficient current site, in the former home of John Denver, on Snowmass's 957-acre Windstar Land Conser vancy. But the real benefit, and the one most befitting the 33 -year-old R MI's role as a think-and- do tank dedicated to driving the efficient and restorative use of resources, is that the new facilit y will ser ve as a replicable model of so-called deep g reen building around the count r y. "This building will create delight when entered, health and productivit y when occu- pied, and reg ret when departed," says Lovins. The 15,610 -square-foot Basalt campus—one of four R MI sites, along with New York City, Washing ton, DC, and Boulder—comes four years after Lovins and R MI published "Reinventing Fire," a rigorous, data- driven analysis and action plan that maps a plan for manag ing the 2050 US economy (which is expected to g row 158 percent by that time) without the availabil- ity of oil, coal, or nuclear energ y. In December 2014, R MI bolstered its commit- ment to action by merg ing with Sir R ichard Branson's Carbon War Room, another nonprofit creating market-based solutions to climate change. All three initiatives— "Reinventing Fire," the new campus, the merger—were planned as a response to increased national and international interest on curbing the planet's use of fossil fuels. "Our job has certainly gotten more urgent," says Marty Pickett, RMI's managing director, who's been with the nonprofit since 1998. "Amory is a true visionary, and like all true visionaries, he was well ahead of his time. Thankfully, the rest of the world is finally catching up." As is typical of Lovins's forward-thinking nature, his focus has already extended well beyond his own country's borders. "There is no discussion of energy efficiency or climate change without talking about the elephant in the room," he says. "I've been focusing on China for 30 -odd years. Now, we're helping the people who will write China's next five-year plan that will guide their develop- ment." Now, on to the rest of the world…. rmi.org AP Mr. Clean Amory B. Lovins Has Been Trying To Build a greener World for nearly 40 years. THe World Has finally caugHT on. by damien alexander williamson "Amory is A true visionAry, And like All true visionAries, he wAs well AheAd of his time." —marty pickett Lovins atop his Snowmass residence. Completed in 1984 and named the Lovins GreenHome, it is so energy- efficient that it actually places more energy back onto the grid than it uses. right: The net-zero-energy RMI Innovation Center will open later this year. PhotograPhy by Shawn o'Connor; rendering CourteSy of Zgf arChiteCtS LLP 78  aspenpeak-magazine.com PEOPLE Thought Leader

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