Dr. Brokenleg Lecture - Belonging, Mastery, Independence, Generosity

On Tuesday, Dr. Martin Brokenleg, in Anchorage through the work of a new coalition of groups including Healing Racism in Anchorage, called Anchorage Community Diversity Project, began his week of work in Anchorage with a breakfast talk that I covered here.

During the day he worked with school district folks and in the evening there was a long session at UAA. For me there wasn't anything startlingly new, but I appreciated his way of presenting it. He was extremely open and supportive and his approach offered model of what young people need to grow up whole that was based on his own Native American heritage, yet also had hints of Maslow, Covey, Myers-Briggs, and other models of behavior used, say, in mainstream management programs.

I'll offer a few things he said that I found useful and then post some slides of his basic model.

He repeated some key ideas from the morning session:

"We meet on the basis of our sameness and grow on the basis of our differences."

"No one can grow up in America and not be taught racism. Whites too are negatively influenced. If you are white and you feel you have to be careful about what you say so as not to offend someone of a different race, then you are a victim of racism." (somewhat paraphrased)

In the evening he focused on how people need lots of people to be raised right. In his culture, all his parents brothers and sisters are considered his parents. All his cousins are considered brothers and sisters. And all his nieces and nephews are considered his grandchildren. The nuclear family - mother, father, and children - living alone and seperated from the rest of the family is a unique development of the modern world, spurred on by capitalist system's need for consumption. With each nuclear family, you need a separate house, separate washer and drier, stove, televisions, cars, etc.

But you lose the support of all your family in raising your children, in helping out when you're ill, and in supplying wisdom and diversion. A husband cannot fulfill all his wife's emotional needs and vice versa. Sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles, all offer unique forms of social and emotional support. Sure, we can recreate such communities, but we need lots of people for our emotional growth and health.

My wife has observed that whatever strange behaviors one has, there is at least one other person in the family who shares those traits and understands you and can offer you support.

Dr. Brokenleg went on to talk about what a person needs to be spiritually strong. He
identified four factors we all need:

• To be important, Significance
• Competence
• Sense of Personal Power
• Knowing one's own Goodness

He then said that in the modern world these factors had been substituted:

Significance substituted by Individualism
Competence substituted by Winning
Power substituted by Dominance
Goodness substituted by Affluence

He himself offered a slightly different terminology for the four and put them around a medicine wheel. (I didn't get a picture of his medicine wheel, this one I got from Cherokee Indian Art. Dr. Brokenleg is Lakota I believe.)


First, one must belong, must have significance. He gave a story about how his aunt walked four miles through a snow storm to see him and say goodbye to him when he was leaving for college. An act like that was a demonstration to him of his significance, his belonging.






Mastery (competence) comes after the belonging. It gives you the skills you need to function in life.





Mastery makes it possible for independence (power). At this point you know who you are and are not susceptible to peer pressure. In getting to independence, he said there is a difference between discipline and punishment. Punishment doesn't work. Punishment simply leads to obedience, you do it because you are forced to and someone is watching. Discipline gives one choices to learn and improve. Discipline leads to an ability to make good choices. (I should have taken better notes here so I could better explain the difference.)



Finally, when you have mastery and independence, you must share that with others. This is generosity (knowing one's goodness.)




I think there is a lot of wisdom here. I believe that raising children is the most important place we can put our energy and attention. If we raise them right, all the interventions we have created (police, drug rehabilitation, etc.) would be unnecessary. And this is as good a guide for raising children well as any I've seen.

Healing Racism in Anchorage Discussion Group Tonight

A compass piece by Grace Jang, a journalist at KTVA, was published in today's ADN. She wrote about being at a local talk radio show.

As part of the discussion, the talk show host brings up race and begins to imitate an Asian accent: "Ah, you like, ah, you know, you like a rice."

Both his guests, neither of whom is Asian American, groan disapprovingly.

Seconds later, he interrupts his guest with another Asian imitation.

And then again:

"I can dog Koreans because I'm married to one."

She goes on to write that the manager apologized to her (she's Korean-American) and she told him it was no problem. But later...

I discuss the issue with my co-workers and the response is almost unanimous: Why didn't you say something right then and there?

My response: I'm a reporter. I was there to observe. Never in my decade-long career in journalism have I ever been the story, been in the story or been part of the story -- nor do I wish to be.

But wasn't I offended as a Korean American? The host disrespected you personally and professionally.

Honestly, I respond, I hear that kind of stuff so much, it becomes white noise. Especially from a conservative radio talk show.

Later, at home, I wonder: What would I have done had I been a listener in my car? Would I have said something? Was I hiding behind my profession?

This the sort of incident that requires us to have organizations like Healing Racism in Anchorage (HRA) where people have studied the issue of racism and understand the various forms of denial. Where we have searched for techniques to gently, but seriously, explore the issue and help people learn skills to interrupt racism. (I have been on the steering committee of HRA for a number of years.) HRA was one of the sponsors of Dr. Brokenleg's week here in Anchorage.

Tonight, HRA is beginning one of our six week courses. It will meet

Thursday nights from 6:30pm - 9:30pm

at UAA's Rasmuson Hall 207A

until July 2. If you are interested you can register at the door, subject to space.


It will look at the word racism and the various meanings people attach to it. It will look at how racism in American history - from slavery to the displacement and slaughter of Native Americans to the internment of Japanese Americans in WWII - all leave a legacy that affects not only the descendants of victims, but also of the perpetrators.

The discussions are hard, but the ground rules require everyone to be respectful, and encourage everyone to honestly explore their beliefs and feelings on this topic. There is a structured curriculum based on research done on racism and the healing of racism.

The charge is $25 for members of Healing Racism Anchorage and $50 for others. (Membership costs $25)


I tend not to read the ADN online because the comments are so uncivil. I went there today to get the link. In this case though, the comments help make the point that racism is alive and well in Anchorage. People have strong beliefs and don't even realize that what they are saying reveals an ignorance about people who are different from them. There are also some more enlightened comments. Here are a few of the comments:

#
jjmichaels wrote on 05/28/2009 01:15:14 PM:

I'm very offended by these comments, because who, who, who will speak for the rice. Maybe it was offended for being likened to a Korean. And what about the Chinese? They love rice. And how can you "dog" Koreans without a barking buffet? Maybe if people weren't so thin skinned when it comes to satire and the mere use of words, there would be no racism. Your wounds are all self inflicted. Perhaps you should spend you time concerning yourselves with things that actually HURT people. I think you would have more than enough to keep your simple minded selves busy.

A little blaming the victim here. It's your fault that you're so thin skinned. Where's your sense of humor?

cafeina wrote on 05/28/2009 01:22:05 PM:

I grew up in multi-cultural neighborhoods, went to diverse schools and have always had friends from diverse backgrounds (both ethnic and social). As a child, I thought that people viewed others as individuals not as stereotypes. I didn't really know what racism was. Then I grew up.

There are many people who understand that there is only one race: human. There are people who respect and celebrate cultural diversity. Then there are those who see skin color and stereotypes only. There are those who make racist remarks without remorse. And most frighteningly, there are those who fully believe the stereotypes, racist beliefs and preconceived notions.

You absolutely have to pick your battles in order to survive in this world. But as humans, we need to speak up whenever we see injustice. That is the only way that this world will become a better place. Racism is a learned behavior. It is spread from generation to generation. The only way to end racism and hate is to spread a new message for

aabco7 wrote on 05/28/2009 01:26:10 PM:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all."

The concept of Americans being first and foremost something else "_(fill in the blank here with say Martian--American is divisive. We are all Americans. Or not.
Americans are indivisible according to the pledge of allegiance, not divided by color, origin etc. To continue to use this terminology is in itself horribly damaging and offensive. Stop with the hyphenated name calling!

valleydrummer wrote on 05/28/2009 01:33:03 PM:

Just to set a few things straight, the Korean people, as wonderful as they are, are not a "race". They are a nationality and have their own distinct culture. I lived there for three years and learned to love and respect their culture. I also learned during that time that they, as a group, are some of the most racist people on the planet.

The idea that cultural diversity is somehow good is nonsense. We have a culture here in the USA. We developed it by taking things we liked from many, many others. When people from other countries view us, they do not make comments about race, they just say, "american", it's too bad we don't do the same.

My experience is that most minorities in the US would be more than happy to blend in. But as Grace Jang says, " I hear that kind of stuff so much, it becomes white noise." The point is that others insist on the difference, that you aren't as American as white people.

And on the positive side, maintaining one's cultural heritage adds richness to the mix that is the United States. Certainly Italian-Americans, Scandinavian-Americans, German-Americans all can be both American and can remember their ancestry as well. I find that it is often people who have no knowledge of where their ancestors originally came from who resent those who do.

It's such a shame that people still harbor such distrust and sometimes even hate for people they don't know or undertstand.

Men Jerry Prevo Would Ban from Anchorage Schools

[Note: The pictures in this post are NOT mine. To see the source of the picture, click on the picture.]

In his ADN letter opposing the addition of "sexual orientation" to Anchorage's anti-discrimination ordinance, Reverend Jerry Provo wrote:

Maybe, worst of all, this ordinance would allow a man who teaches a second grade class or any grade to show up as a woman in the classroom and the School District could do nothing because of this ordinance.

I confess that I laughed when I read this letter last Friday. Phil had an overview of some of the blogs that showed how each point in the letter was dead wrong. The letter is ludicrous. His biggest worry was about men dressing like women. Where are his public crusades against drunk drivers? Against redlight runners? Against heterosexual adulterers? It seems to me that murder and adultery are both prohibited in the Ten Commandments, not in some obscure passage in Deuteronomy along with other obscure prohibitions that we no longer observe. After all, what is the big deal about men who want to dress like women?

Men have a long tradition of wearing clothes that are more like women's clothes than the "pants of the family" we associate with men in the US.

Religious men, particularly, seem to like to wear gown like clothing. Probably foremost is the Pope who wears some of the most elaborate clothing of anyone in the world. But this trend of dressing in garments more like women's clothing isn't confined to Catholics. Protestants also find this appropriate for the leadership.


Like these Episcopalians.



















And Russian  Orthodox.









Muslims clerics don't wear trousers either.

Nor Buddhist monks. They wear robes.

Nor Hindu priests

Even rabbis.

All the religious leaders I know of are also considered teachers. Would Rev. Prevo protest any of these people teaching in an Anchorage school wearing their work clothes? (I know some people are thinking "separation of church and state," but it's ok. If they are teaching ABOUT their faith and NOT teaching their faith, it's ok. And most such religious leaders also have expertise in other areas they might teach.)

And it's not just religious leaders who wear clothing that would be more closely associated with women than men.

Surgeons wear gowns at work.

And academics also have a tradition of wearing gowns. Even our former President whom Rev. Prevo supported so strongly.






And would Rev. Prevo prevent these two gentlemen from coming to class dressed this way to talk about Scotland?


OK, these men aren't exactly dressed as women, but my assertion that what they wear is more like women's garments than men's is much closer to the truth than Prevo's various assertions about the 'horrible' things that would happen if the ordinance passed.

And what should we do about all the women teachers who come to school already wearing pants? Prevo doesn't raise this 'serious' problem. My belief is that in our society it's less of a problem for a woman to dress like a man, because it's natural for people to want to be mistaken for the people who have the most power. But it seems perverted, to some people, for people with power, to try to be like those with less power. So men shouldn't dress like women. It's giving away their male based privilege.

Sorry I can't let go of this quite yet. I suspect Prevo knows this is ludicrous, and he probably knows that those who introduced the ordinance did so because they think they have the votes to pass it. Last December, Frank Schaeffer was interviewed on National Public Radio. You can hear the interview at the link. From the NPR page:

Frank Schaeffer's parents, Francis and Edith, were best-selling authors who were instrumental in linking the evangelical community with the anti-abortion movement.

But after coming of age as an evangelist and helping to organize religious fundamentalists politically, Schaeffer had a crisis of faith: Though he is pro-life, he decided that abortion should remain legal.

One of the things he says in the interview is that abortion and gay issues were no big deal with his father when Frank (the son) was little. They became big issues for evangelicals because whenever they talked about them, they got lots and lots of donations.

So, I'm guessing that Prevo has a knee jerk reaction to the word 'gay'. It's less about stopping the ordinance than it's about raising money. This letter isn't aimed at the vast majority of people in Anchorage. It's far too silly. It's aimed at the rabidly ignorant who will open their wallets to fight the 'perverts.' So when Prevo writes:

It would allow any man to dress like a woman and use any public women's restroom. Ladies, do you want that to happen?

it's to alarm those folks who don't think into supporting Prevo's high lifestyle.

Of course, thinkers would shake their heads in disbelief. What's to stop men from dressing up as women now and going into women's bathrooms? The law? It's illegal to go through red lights, to litter, to beat up women, yet people do these things every day. And when the ordinance has passed and is law, I promise you that it won't prevent the police from arresting men who dress as women to get into women's restrooms.

First, the ordinance says:

The assembly finds that invidious discrimination in the sale or rental of real
property, financing practices, employment practices, public accommodations, educational institutions, and practices of the municipality, based upon race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, marital status, age, veteran’s status, or physical or mental disability, adversely affects the welfare of the community. Accordingly, such discrimination is prohibited.

Only the bold is new language. It is already illegal based on sex. So using Prevo's logic, men already can't be prevented from using the women's room. But simple practical logic tells us that since men already have an equal, alternative place to wash their hands, they aren't being discriminated against. In fact at big events, the lines are usually longer at the women's restrooms, not the men's. Sexual orientation doesn't change the fact that gay men are still men. So the same logic that applies to "sex" will apply to "sexual orientation." If it didn't happen when 'sex' became a protected class, it won't happen now.

Second, even if the ordinance did what Prevo asserts, the sexual orientation clause wouldn't save men who dress up as women to get into the women's room. Why not? Simple. Gay men aren't sexually interested in women. It is only straight men who would try to see women's private parts exposed. And they couldn't claim they were being discriminated against because of their sexual orientation.

There is one serious issue here though. Transgender folks. Despite what we've been taught, the distinction between men and women is not as clear cut as we tend to believe. This topic is far too complicated to start after I've already written so much here. My advice is for people to read Eugenides' Middlesex. Wikipedia says:

Middlesex is a novel by Jeffrey Eugenides. It was published in 2002 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2003.
The narrator and protagonist, Calliope Stephanides (later called "Cal"), an intersexed person of Greek descent, has 5-alpha-reductase deficiency. The bulk of the novel is devoted to telling his coming-of-age story growing up in Detroit, Michigan in the late 20th century.

I'm not an expert on this topic, but this novel gives at least one view of the topic in a way that makes the issue understandable to people who otherwise might dismiss people having a sex change as crazy. And it is a well written and interesting story. I would say this is the easiest way to get a good understanding of the topic.

I raise this because there are people who, as they are transitioning from one gender to another, will be using new restrooms. (I notice that Prevo isn't worried about women coming into men's rooms.) If someone reads Middlesex, and their mind isn't totally shut down, they will understand that these people pose no threat at all to women in the restroom.

I'm not satisfied with what I've found on the topic online for those who want to know more, but are not ready to get Middlesex from the library. Here's the Mayo Clinic's take on ambiguous genitalia.

Dr. Brokenleg Breakfast

Dr. Martin Brokenleg spoke at a breakfast meeting (ugh) this morning, and I managed to get there in time. I'm writing this because

• He was a very good speaker
• He lived the tolerance he talked about - at least the way he talked
• He has an important message about race (and class) that I think is the best approach I've heard about (and is closely related to the Healing Racism in Anchorage approach)
• He was funny.

And because he is going to talk again tonight for free at UAA from 5:30-8:30pm. Even if you can't get there on time, I'd say come anyway. There will be some light refreshments first. It will be at Wendy Williamson Auditorium.

I'd note, he did mention that he told the deaf interpreter that he wouldn't watch her, because his brother is deaf and watching her is like hearing an echo and totally distracting.

A note on the quality of the photo above. My pocket sized Canon allows me to take the camera anywhere unobtrusively. I've found a number of hotels do a terrible job about lighting for speakers. Dr. Brokenleg spoke in a dark spot in the room. I like the more natural feel of not using a flash. And I also feel as a blogger, I want to get an audience eye view of things and I don't usually want to go up in front of everyone to take a picture.

Morels are Back

Our backyard seems to produce more morels each year. Or maybe we're better at finding them. I spotted a total of about ten this morning.
Alaska is a great place to find mushrooms, many delicious. When we first discovered the wide array of mushrooms in Anchorage (a particularly rainy summer) we also discovered mushroom field guides. So I would warn that there is something called a false morel that you shouldn't eat. I'm not sure they grow here but know your mushroom before eating. From the Missouri Department of Conservation:

Every mushroom hunter should be familiar with the three most dangerous groups of fungi. These are the amanitas, the false morels and a catch-all category known as little brown mushrooms (LBMS). Mushrooms in these groups cause virtually all the fatal mushroom poisonings in the United States, with amanitas alone accounting for 90 percent of mushroom-related deaths. The pictures and descriptions on the following pages will help you avoid them.

But we also learned that summer, that "poisonous" in mushroom books is often a euphemism for "halucinagenic". But even they can make you pretty sick if taken in too large a dose. For two different recommendations on Amanitas, check out a post from two summers ago. It's down in the middle of the page. You can't miss the bright red mushrooms.

It seems morel hunting is becoming a popular sport. Here's a northern Michigan site with lots of morel information.

And here's a morel recipe page. Some of these recipes would seem to totally hide the flavor of morel with batter. I agree with the "less is more" approach. Saute some onion and garlic in little olive oil, then add the morels.

Dogs, Therapist, and Autustic Kids

I think the last post was called "Catching Up." It's not going to happen. I'm back from Seward, J1 should be in LA by now, meaning she felt J was going to survive without her around. I know that various nearby friends of his, of ours, of his sister have volunteered to help out.

So I'll break these down into discrete posts. I called the therapist Thursday to see if I could get my exercises before the long weekend. She squeezed me in and it's a short walk from home. So I have a page of exercises and the splint is gone. Just this minimal way to keep the two finger buddy system working, and I can slip it off for washing, typing, etc.

Therapist has two dogs in the office. They checked to see if I was ok with them - after I was sniffed. I am ok with them. I asked something about dogs and therapy and sensing the injuries of the patients. What I got in response was stories about how the dogs work wonders with autistic kids in for physical therapy. The dogs know immediately that these kids are different and instead of playing with them as they do with other kids, they just lie down and get real calm, often with a head in the kid's lap.

And the kids who normally are off the wall suddenly calm down too. Seems there is some research to do here. The news had stuff about dogs demonstrating moral thinking last week, so when will this come out?

Of course I can't ask that question without going to google. Here's the first thing I found at Pet Palace: (Pet Palace is also paying for at least part of the study)

Program Uses Dogs to Help Autistic Kids

By: Susan Rubinowitz

Dr. Francois Martin sought parents who wanted to place their autistic children in a program of therapy sessions with a counselor and a dog. Martin is a doctor of ethology (someone who specializes in studying behavior) who also studied human psychology. He wanted to see if a close rapport with an animal and a therapist would help the children learn to express their feelings and interact spontaneously with another being – socialization traits that are lacking in children stricken by the devastating neurological disorder.

The article goes on to describe the research that is in progress with 12 kids. You can get to it at any of the the links above.

And North Star Foundation has service dogs for autistic children.

Creating a service dog placement for a child with autism differs from creating placements between service dogs and physically challenged adults. From puppy hood on, the philosophy of training the dog and the timetable for placement has to be tailored to the unique needs of the child and move in tandem with the dog's natural development. [more at the link]

Catching up again - Broken Ribs and Dislocated Finger Mending, Dr. Brokenleg Coming

I've been a little unfocused. I had another post to put up from the Energy Conference Monday, but the video wouldn't work right. But here's a picture of the Chester Creek Bike Trail, somewhere between New Seward and Lake Otis.Going places by bike has given me some much needed outdoor, exercise, and nature time.

J1 did get to San Francisco from Seattle to take J home from the hospital Monday and to look after him for a while. Local friends there have come by and offered help. As of this evening he can walk up and down the stairs, he walked a bit outside today, but he has a lot of abrasions all over and a few missing chunks that the doctor said would heal themselves eventually. The police report won't be available for ten days, but we can talk to the police officer who took the report on Saturday. I think J1 said she has a name and a commercial license plate. Apparently no word from the person who hit J, but then I suspect he may not be easy to track down. No, I'm being generous, you can get his blog easily through google.

I woke up too late Tuesday to go to the second day of the conference and so I took advantage of the continued good weather (it's clouded over somewhat tonight) and ran and did garden stuff. Then in the afternoon I went to my Thai class. These started at Wat Alaska (the Thai Buddhist Temple near C and Fireweed) on Tuesday afternoons soon after we got back. I'm hoping to not only keep where I am, but make some progress. It's been a lot of fun. And I'm learning a lot more about monks and Thai temples and words that go with that as well as other things. We're also going back and doing some basics I skipped when I started learning to read Thai.

My regular teacher said he would be in Juneau this week and I would have a substitute - a visiting monk from Thailand. Long story short, I'm taking him to Seward tomorrow and Friday we'll try to see whales. He can't eat after noon, just drink. But he doesn't have to get up at 4 am to chant when we're in Seward.

After Thai I went to the steering committee meeting of Healing Racism Anchorage. Dr. Martin Brokenleg will be in Anchorage on Tuesday - HRA is one of the sponsors. There will be a community discussion Tuesday night at Wendy Williamson Auditorium from 5:30 to 8:30 - yes there will be some snacks, and it's free. Here's UAA's announcement.

Tuesday, May 26, 5:30-8:30 p.m.
Wendy Williamson Auditorium

The community is invited to participate in a meaningful and authentic dialogue about race and diversity. Participants will also gain an awareness of the ethnic and cultural experiences that are in Anchorage and explore how to interrupt racism. For 30 years Dr. Brokenleg was a professor of Native American studies at Augustana College of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He has consulted and led training programs throughout North America, New Zealand, and South Africa. Dr. Brokenleg will present and facilitate the participatory, community dialogue. How can Anchorage as a community comfortably explore, interrupt and address racism?

Light refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public.

Healing Racism's next six week seminar, "Building Alliances to End Racism" will begin May 28 and go through July 2 on Thursday evenings. You can
email me for more details.




This afternoon I had new x-rays and the physician assistant said they were good and now the buddy finger is free and the splint is just on the recovering finger. I'm even typing normal, or somewhat normal. You can't touch type if you can't feel and the splint is over the tip of that finger. I'm supposed to call a physical therapist tomorrow. I think that's overkill for the finger, but she's a two minute walk from the house, so I'll do it. but it is straight and normal looking.

Business of Clean Energy in Alaska Conference 2

1:30-3:00pm
Industry Perspectives: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Capital Investments
A look at the capital market for the EE/RE sectors. panel will include industry and investment experts. Panelists will discuss how policy incentives impact their business decisions.

• Moderator: Justin Klure Pacific Energy Ventures

• 
  Ed Feo Partner, Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy, LLP, Los Angeles CA
• Alan Kirn Director-Renewable Energy Solutions, Johnson Controls, Inc, St. Louis MO
• Dorthe Nielsen Manager of Government Relations, Vestas-American Wind Technology, Inc, Portland OR

Dorthe is reading her company's commercial. Very disappointing after two info rich presentation. But she will have succeeded in making people aware of wind company Vestas.

But my impression from the earlier panel was reinforced by the first two speakers. The first, an attorney, talked about the radically changing financial market and incentives that support energy efficiency, renewable energy sources, and cleaning the environment. The model, according to his talk, is definitely changing toward green, in fact has changed.

The second speaker, from Johnson controls, also emphasizes how fast things have changed in just the last year. "I've never seen as much change as in the last year." He went on to talk about things like how decision making on projects used to be 90% based on economics, and now often more than 50% of the decision making criteria relate to social and environmental impacts.



Alan Kirn had this slide showing Alaska to be the be the highest energy using state per capita in the US. But a questioner at the end pointed out that the oil production on the North Slope had a lot to do with that level of consumption yet that oil isn't for Alaska's consumption, but everyone else's. He also said that our high carbon production was associated with all the cargo jets that merely stop here to supply others in the world.

It would be interesting to separate that out and to see how much Alaskans consume in a more appropriate comparison to other states.

[Click on pictures to enlarge.]

And Kirn also offered this slide suggesting ways Alaska could improve its record.

If it wasn't clear before, it is now, that our Governor is so lacking in understanding of these issues. I don't know where she is today (for all I know she opened the meeting when I wasn't here). But it's a shame she hasn't been here listening.

Business of Clean Energy in Alaska Conference 1 -

I came into as the panel had just started:

10:45-12:15pm
Attracting Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Businesses: Effective Policy and the Impact On the State’s Economy
A discussion of the means by which Alaska can attract EE /RE businesses to the state through policy design.

• Moderator: Larry Flowers National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

• Lori Bird Senior Analyst, NREL, Golden CO
• Noah Long National Resource Defense Council (NRDC), San Francisco CA
• Thomas J. Tuffey Director, PennFuture Center for Energy Enterprise and Environment, West Chester PA

The pictures show the speakers in order. The moderator is on the right of the podium.


Here's what I got out of this session:

Three key terms we should know:
Feeding Tariffs
Net Metering
Decoupling

I'll try to put links up to these later.







The basic issue is mental. People are so used to the old way of doing things, plus large traditional energy companies have set up regulatory environments that favor themselves and the status quo. But these panelists convinced me that there are very feasible alternative futures if we can let go of the old models.





And that's happening everywhere. California was Noah's subject. He said his presentation was online, and I'll try to link to it later.





Tuffey impressed me the most. He talked about the nitty gritty work of getting organized, getting credibility through expertise, and working with the key players, including businesses to help them understand their opportunities. Go to all the utility rate setting meetings and be involved in all work on regulations and lawmaking. He spoke without slides and spoke with conviction and with connection to the audience the other two speakers didn't have.

As always, this is just a snapshot to give you a sense of what is going on here at the Denaina Center in Anchorage. Given my bandaged together fingers I decided to had write my notes (right hand is ok).

J's Bike Accident Update

J was hurt more than the first call indicated, which I didn't learn till his roommate called after 9pm here. He spent last night in the hospital for observation. Everything should heal fine, but he's got some adjusting to do. Broken clavicle, four broken ribs and lots of abrasions. But he had his helmet on and his head and neck are fine. It turned out a car swerved onto the highway shoulder and hit him from behind. He went onto the hood and ended up about 20 feet away. But there were lots of people around. And help apparently was there fast. Then I had to find my wife - J1 - in Seattle and then I worked on changing J1's ticket from Seattle to LA into Seattle-SFO-LAX.

I won't bother you with details, but I had to call AK airlines at 4am when they open, but their solution was about $250 more than I eventually could do myself online. And my body is numb with the possibilities of what could have happened. As it is he could go home today or tomorrow. He'll just have sling so his arm doesn't weigh down on his clavicle.

So, knowing J1 should be with J this afternoon, I'm here at the "Business of Clean Energy in Alaska Conference" now, later than I intended. And if you ever wanted to visit Alaska, today is the day. The weather is spectacular. And I was glad I could bike downtown away from traffic here in Anchorage.