Solar power dominance, is a Green MBA worth it?, and the case against Google
Some news clippings from off my desk this past week. Have a great week.
Why Solar is on a Path to Dominance (Green Tech Media)
Image credit: Green Tech Media
In the next year, the solar industry will develop, construct and finance $25 billion to $30 billion in solar assets. It will build 20 to 25 percent of the country’s new electricity capacity, and will continue to employ hundreds of thousands of people. The core drivers for this success are 1) public support; 2) rapid technological evolution that drives cost reduction and increased efficiency; and 3) significant and increasing support for the solar asset class by institutional investors.
By 2022, we fully expect solar to be the dominant source of new electricity generation in the United States. Here’s why.
The new report found that the average US resident lives near about five emissions sources. But, the authors noted, “Blacks in particular are likely to live in high-emission areas.”
Compared to the average American:
Black US residents are exposed to 1.54 times more fine particulate matter, a pollutant that contributes to haze and has been linked to heart and lung diseases.
Hispanic US residents are exposed to 1.2 times more fine particulate matter.
People below the poverty line were exposed to 1.35 times more fine particulate matter.
Is a Green MBA worth it? (GreenBiz)
Image credit: GreenBiz
These programs are not without caveats — they’re costly and time-intensive, to start, and vetting them can be overwhelming — but the best programs also have proven beneficial to many looking to break into the growing green-jobs market, or to bring a sustainability tool kit to their existing career.
We spoke to former and current students, as well as industry leaders, to find out if green MBAs are worth your time. (Hint: There’s no one, simple answer.)
Taking Measure of Experiential Learning (BizEd)
Image credit: BizEd Magazine
Business schools around the world are showing dramatic growth in the project-based learning initiatives they offer students. While educators have gotten good at assessing compliance and completion in experiential courses, they have found that assessing students’ learning and mastery of the material is a trickier proposition.
The Case Against Google (NY Times)
Google has succeeded where Genghis Khan, communism and
Esperanto all failed: It dominates the globe. Though estimates vary by region, the company now accounts for an estimated 87 percent of online searches worldwide. It processes trillions of queries each year, which works out to at least 5.5 billion a day, 63,000 a second. Regulators in Missouri, Utah, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere have called for greater scrutiny of Google and others, citing antitrust concerns. At the core of this debate is a question that is more than a century old: When does a megacompany’s behavior become so brazen that it violates the law?
How GM, Mars and Timberland are cultivating smallholder farmers (GreenBiz)
Forward-thinking companies — including Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), Bayer, General Motors, Kellogg, Mars Wrigley and Unilever, to name just a few — that see a link between thriving agricultural communities and their sustainable, future supply of natural commodities.
Overconfident Students, Dubious Employers (Inside Higher Ed)
College students may believe they’re ready for a job, but employers think otherwise. At least, that’s according to data from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, which surveyed graduating college seniors and employers and found a significant difference in the groups' perceptions.
The association surveyed 4,213 graduating seniors and 201 employers on eight “competencies” that it considers necessary to be prepared to enter the workplace. This information comes from the association’s 2018 Job Outlook Survey.
What caught your eye this week?