Changes to Oregon's BETC

The Oregon Legislature, in an effort to address budget issues and to fine tune the Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC) program, has made changes that local readers may want to know about.

The attorneys at Lane Powell have done an excellent job summarizing the changes including the new limits. You can read their summary here.

Samurai X Reflection

This anime told us another story of Hitokiri Battousai, the story of this Japanese animation movie of Samurai X happened before the anime tv series started.

Famous trough out all Japan as the Hitokiri Battousai (sword bearing master assassin), Rorouni Kenshin is now a lost soul cursed to seek atonement for his bloody past. Even the peace that now exists as a result of Kenshin sword brings him no solace, driving him to wander far from those he loves. His wife, Kaoru, steadfastly awaits his return as she mourns his absence. Will Kenshin come home before she dies of grief ?

Chaos is the New Normal

Last night I attended the Illahee Lecture Series featuring Richard Heinberg, Senior Fellow at the Post Carbon Institute. I wish I had time to comment on his lecture but this is busy season at TriLibrium so I'll be brief while providing you some interesting links.

Richard's main point was that there will be no return to normal. Global economic output as measured by GDP probably peaked in 2005/2006 and that we'll never again return to that level given the direct connection between energy and our economy. The solutions are varied and diverse but the key point is that a return to "normal" is impossible given limiting factors and the sooner we embrace this fact and transition to the new paradigm the better. A movement he mentioned and that I intend to explore further is called "Transition Towns."

I'd also like to point readers to Richard's publication "Searching for a Miracle: 'Net Energy' Limits & the Fate of Industrial Society." This report explores whether any combination of known energy sources can successfully supply society's energy needs up to the year 2100. I won't give away the answer but they explore the different solutions against 10 criteria. The report is available as a free PDF download.

I'd also like to point those interested in accounting and innovation to a recent blog post by Gifford Pinchot. Gifford discusses Intrapreneuring in Accounting and the need for innovative accountants to help provide the understanding, metrics, and systems for the economy of the future.

Our Sustainable Purchasing Decision Matrix

Last week we moved into new offices. Our new office naturally reflects the culture and values we are developing at TriLibrium. With our move, we’ve recently made a flurry of investment and purchasing decisions. I’d like to explain how we make our decisions.

The old purchasing paradigm was a two dimensional decision seeking to optimize the competing tradeoffs between price and quality. Given equal quality, one would simply shop for a better price or, given the same price, one would opt for higher quality.

With every purchase decision at TriLibrium, we introduce a third factor -- Triple bottom line performance (TBL). Accordingly, we look at price/quality/TBL performance and seek to optimize these sometimes competing factors.

TBL performance is enhanced by:

• Supplier relationship
• Supplier location
• Materials
• Environmental impacts
• Life cycle assessment considerations
• Social impacts
• Reduce, reuse, recycle mentality

The first consideration was location. This single factor alone will have a huge impact on our footprint. We opted for a centrally located building with excellent public transit access.

Our desks were made out of doors reclaimed from the Heathman Hotel and repurposed for us by Endurawood. Our conference table was also made for us by Endurawood out of a technical material made from sunflower seed husks, recycled paper and natural resins.

We purchased two new employee desk chairs. One made locally and the other manufactured using cradle-to-cradle design.

We purchased numerous used items including our conference room white board, conference room chairs, refrigerator, filing cabinets, reception area chairs, and more.

Most of the subs and vendors we used were clients helping us re-circulate more money in the green and sustainable community.

Samurai X The Motion Picture

This Anime tells the story about Hitokiri Battousai (sword bearing master assassin) named Kenshin, he tried to bury his past but now his past returned to bury him. A decade ago the deadliest assassin of the Meiji Revolution swore that he had killed for the last time. Peace doesn’t last forever, however, and as the flames of revolution rise once again, Kenshin must take up his blunted sword to protect the innocent. Will he save the Meiji government that so many died to establish, and his newfound friends, from their own mistakes ? Or will he fall victim to his bloody past, slain by demons of his own creations ? This Japanese animation also known in Japan as Ishin Shishi e no Requiem or Requiem for the Ishin Patriots.

B Corporations and the New Economy

My company, TriLibrium, is a certified B-Corporation. I believe B-Corp certification to be the current gold standard for firms dedicated to doing well by doing good.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to participate in a "State of the B Community" update. The B Corporation community is maturing and expanding. There are now more than 250 certified B-Corps total. The community has expanded to Canada and just this week, the first one will appear in Europe. On January 1st, B Labs released the new benchmarking tool, Version 2.0.

Whether or not you want to pursue B-Corporation certification, I highly recommend using the B Corporation survey to benchmark your environmental and social performance. This is a free service that will help you assess where you stand, and how you might improve. Getting a baseline benchmark is critical for performance improvement and to measure and report on your progress.

Because it is worth sharing, here is the B Corporation Member Declaration:

Declaration of Interdependence

We envision a new sector of the economy which harnesses the power of private enterprise to create public benefit. This sector is comprised of a new type of corporation – the B Corporation™ – which is purpose-driven and creates benefit for all stakeholders, not just shareholders.

As members of this emerging sector and as entrepreneurs and investors in B Corporations™,

We hold these truths to be self-evident:

• That we must be the change we seek in the world;
• That all business ought to be conducted as if people and place mattered;
• That, through their products, practices, and profits, businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all.

To do so, requires that we act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon another and thus responsible for each other and future generations.

Other Green Incentives for Business

In my last blog post I covered IRC Sec. 179D and the deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings.

Today, I'm going to highlight some of the other energy and efficiency related incentives that you might want to know about. Due to the complexity and the narrow applicability of many of these tax incentives, I'm just going to list them out today and I'll decide later whether to delve deeper into any of them.

1. Accelerated Depreciation for Qualified Smart Electric Meter and Qualified Smart Electric Grid System (IRC Sec. 168(e)(3)(D)(iii) and (iv));
2. Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credit (IRC Sec. 48C);
3. Energy Efficient Appliance Credit (IRC Sec. 45M);
4. Credit for Carbon Dioxide Sequestration (IRC Sec. 45Q);
5. Qualifying Advanced Coal Project Credit (IRC Sec. 48A);
6. Qualifying Gasification Project Credit (IRC Sec. 48B);
7. Alcohol Fuels Credit (IRC Sec. 40);
8. Enhanced Oil Recovery Credit (IRC Sec. 43);
9. Renewable Electricity Production Credit (IRC Sec. 45);
10. Biodiesel Fuels Credit (IRC Sec. 40A);
11. Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel Production Credit (IRC Sec. 45H)
12. Advanced Nuclear Power Facility Production Credit (IRC Sec. 45J); and
13. Nonconventional Source Production Credit (IRC Sec. 45K).