alandon's Profile

Todd, thank you! “Research and understand blockchain” has been on my to-do list for months, and you did such a great job explaining the basics clearly! I’d be really interested to understand what other business are popping up around the blockchain technology. I am interested in how it could be used for student data in schools – it looks like some folks are starting to look into this: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/05/09/schools-are-recording-students-results-on-the-blockchain.html.

Really interesting and important topic – thank you! This seems like a great use of technology. It seems like there are some good studies to back up the effectiveness of education systems like Edovo. I wonder if the fact that Edovo is a digital educational program can help with the collection of even more data that will help make future programs more effective in helping people find jobs after prison and avoid returning. Are there legal issues that get in the way of Jail Education Services collecting data on their participants’ paths after prison? Do they have a system in place for improving their offerings on the basis of the data that they collect?

Thanks for the great post! I’m really excited about the potential for demand-side management – it’s really important in decreasing total energy usage but also in reducing the carbon intensity of our energy usage. Typically, power systems are connected to a broad array of power plants. The lowest cost resources run almost constantly, but there are some more expensive forms of power generation that are only run in the highest demand hours when wholesale electricity prices are really high. These resources are typically very carbon intensive (inefficient gas/petroleum plants) – if consumers are able to shift that peak demand to off-peak hours, we can avoid switching on these carbon-intensive plants and decrease the carbon intensity of our energy. The problem is that wholesale power prices that reflect demand in each unit of time are not transparent to the end consumers so individuals don’t have the price signals they need to shift demand. If electricity providers implement dynamic pricing for consumers, SSN will be even better positioned to make cities smarter and greener. For an example of the dispatch curve of a typical power system, click here: http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=7590.

Totally agree with Orly – this was a really interesting topic and I loved reading about it. Thanks, Joy! I hadn’t thought about how much the Girl Scouts’ operating model would be impacted by more women working. Do you think that having parent volunteers is essential to the Girl Scout model going forward? I was also really interested in your comment on data; I totally agree that the ability to measure and demonstrate outcomes will be a huge boon to fundraising. How do the Girl Scouts think about identifying and measuring key outcome metrics?

As an Aaptiv user, I loved this! I’ve been really impressed by Aaptiv so far – they create workout classes that can be accessed on any schedule. One thing I’ve wondered about is how Aaptiv will incorporate sensors and feedback into their product. Right now, their running coaches tell you to speed up and slow down at various points during the workout, but the feedback is “dumb” (i.e. it isn’t linked to your actual running speed). I’ wondering why Aaptiv hasn’t added this feature or if it has plans to in the future.

I agree completely with your concern that it will be easy for companies like SoulCycle to copy Aaptiv’s model. Do you think there is anything that Aaptiv can do to differentiate?

Will, great choice of organization! US FWS plays such an important role in protecting habitat and they will certainly be majorly impacted by climate change. As they seek to implement SHC with limited resources, are they thinking about which habitats/species they will priortize? Do you think they will be forced to make tough tradeoffs – if so, how should they think about which habitat/species are the most important?

BM, I thought it was so interesting how you pointed out that changing weather patterns could actually change the demand patterns for different types of clothes. How do you think that Levi’s should modify its operations to be prepared to deal with that variability?

Tim, thanks for the inspiring post. I really appreciated that you took time to interview the founder. One thing that struck me while reading your post is that climate change will not only exacerbate the problem Edesia is trying to solve, but it could also drive supply chain issues for Plumpy’Nut. This article (https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-and/climate-peanut-butter) talks about how climate change-induced droughts could reduce peanut yields. Is this something you think Edesia should be thinking about and/or planning for?

Thanks for the interesting post! Insurance is such an interesting industry to examine – as you point out, they will definitely be impacted as they recalibrate their models, but I also wonder if their customers will be more willing to buy certain types of insurance or pay more for insurance as they start to see others impacted by extreme weather. Apart from their insurance for clean energy and involvement for carbon risk management, has AIG identified any other insurance products for the impacts of climate change? Can you think of any that they should focus on? If climate change is expected to hit different parts of the country differently, can AIG use that variance to diversify its risk?