Richard Munson

Last updated
Richard Munson
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of California, Santa Barbara,
University of Michigan
Genrenon-fiction, biography

Richard (Dick) Munson is an American author and clean energy advocate. His latest book, "Tech to Table: 25 Innovators Reimagining Food," was released by Island Press in September 2021. His previous book, Tesla: Inventor of the Modern, was published by W.W. Norton in May 2018. Author of five other books with topics that range from U.S. government energy policy to profiles of tycoon George Fabyan and oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, and a lobbyist for clean energy initiatives in Illinois and Ohio.

Contents

Early life and education

Born and raised in Southern California, Munson earned a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an M.A. from the University of Michigan. He lived in Michigan and Washington, D.C., before moving to Chicago, where he is based.

Munson was inspired to battle pollution while in college, when in early 1969 an oil spill in Santa Barbara, California, blackened beaches, killing thousands of sea birds and other marine life. [1]

Career

Munson has been the Midwest Director of Clean Energy for the Environmental Defense Fund, a global organization whose mission “is to preserve the natural systems on which all life depends.” [2] EDF works in conjunction with business, government and communities to solve environmental problems affecting climate, ecosystems, oceans and health. Previously, Munson was senior vice president of Recycled Energy Development (RED), an Illinois-based industrial waste-to-energy company.

He was also executive director of the Northeast-Midwest Institute and coordinated with the Northeast-Midwest House and Senate Coalitions, [3] bipartisan caucuses that conduct policy research and draft legislation on issues pertaining to agriculture, economic development, energy, the environment, and manufacturing. Other clean energy and environmental groups he has held leadership positions with include the Center for Renewable Resources, Solar Lobby, Sun Day, and the Environmental Action Foundation.

Munson sat on the boards of Hinsdale Public Library, [4] Elevate Energy, [5] Center for Neighborhood Technology, [6] Illinois Environment Council [7] and Greenleaf Advisors. [8]

Munson is frequently cited in media [9] [10] and serves on panels as an authority on energy policy and electricity markets. [11] He has received public service awards from the Great Lakes Commission, American Small Manufacturers Coalition and the U.S. Clean Heat and Power Association.

Published works

Munson's latest book "Tech to Table: 25 Innovators Reimagining Food (Island Press, September 2021), has been called "a book we've been waiting for, documenting the entrepreneurial creativity now sweeping through out food and farming space."[ citation needed ]

His previous book, Tesla: Inventor of the Modern (W.W. Norton, May 2018), follows Nikola Tesla from his childhood in Southern Europe to the United States, working for titans Edison and Westinghouse and exploring the frontier of electrical transmission, to dying alone in a New York hotel. Munson draws on Tesla's letters, technical notebooks, and other primary sources to piece together the personal life and habits of the enigmatic inventor. A Kirkus starred review calls Tesla: Inventor of the Modern “A lucid, expertly researched biography,” and affirms that readers “will absolutely enjoy his sympathetic, insightful portrait.” Booklist says it is a “celebratory, comprehensive profile . . . A well-written, insightful addition to the legacy of this still-underappreciated visionary genius.”

Munson's first book, The Power Makers, was hailed as “a sober and thoughtful analysis of the troubled electricity business” by Washington Monthly, [12] and ranked by them as one of the best political books of the year.

Bibliography

Publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zero-emissions vehicle</span> Class of motor vehicle

A zero-emission vehicle, or ZEV, is a vehicle that does not emit exhaust gas or other pollutants from the onboard source of power. The California definition also adds that this includes under any and all possible operational modes and conditions. This is because under cold-start conditions for example, internal combustion engines tend to produce the maximum amount of pollutants. In a number of countries and states, transport is cited as the main source of greenhouse gases (GHG) and other pollutants. The desire to reduce this is thus politically strong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable energy</span> Energy from replenishable sources

Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Most definitions of sustainable energy include considerations of environmental aspects such as greenhouse gas emissions and social and economic aspects such as energy poverty. Renewable energy sources such as wind, hydroelectric power, solar, and geothermal energy are generally far more sustainable than fossil fuel sources. However, some renewable energy projects, such as the clearing of forests to produce biofuels, can cause severe environmental damage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Green vehicle</span> Environmentally friendly vehicles

A green vehicle, clean vehicle, eco-friendly vehicle or environmentally friendly vehicle is a road motor vehicle that produces less harmful impacts to the environment than comparable conventional internal combustion engine vehicles running on gasoline or diesel, or one that uses certain alternative fuels. Presently, in some countries the term is used for any vehicle complying or surpassing the more stringent European emission standards, or California's zero-emissions vehicle standards, or the low-carbon fuel standards enacted in several countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center for Neighborhood Technology</span>

The Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) is a non-profit organization, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, which is committed to sustainable development and livable urban communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peabody Energy</span> American coal company

Peabody Energy is a coal mining company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Its primary business consists of the mining, sale, and distribution of coal, which is purchased for use in electricity generation and steelmaking. Peabody also markets, brokers, and trades coal through offices in China, Australia, and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clean technology</span> Any process, product, or service that reduces negative environmental impacts

Clean technology, in short cleantech, is any process, product, or service that reduces negative environmental impacts through significant energy efficiency improvements, the sustainable use of resources, or environmental protection activities. Clean technology includes a broad range of technology related to recycling, renewable energy, information technology, green transportation, electric motors, green chemistry, lighting, grey water, and more. Environmental finance is a method by which new clean technology projects can obtain financing through the generation of carbon credits. A project that is developed with concern for climate change mitigation is also known as a carbon project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Environmental Law and Policy Center</span>

The Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC) is a Midwest-based non-profit environmental advocacy group, with offices in Chicago, Columbus (OH), Des Moines (IA), Duluth (MN), Jamestown (ND), Madison (WI), Sioux Falls (SD), and Washington, D.C. ELPC's mission is to advance environmental progress and economic development together throughout the Midwest through projects that advance clean energy, clean air, clean water and clean transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Energy poverty</span> Lack of access to energy services such as electricity and heating

Energy poverty is lack of access to modern energy services. It refers to the situation of large numbers of people in developing countries and some people in developed countries whose well-being is negatively affected by very low consumption of energy, use of dirty or polluting fuels, and excessive time spent collecting fuel to meet basic needs. Today, 759 million people lack access to consistent electricity and 2.6 billion people use dangerous and inefficient cooking systems. It is inversely related to access to modern energy services, although improving access is only one factor in efforts to reduce energy poverty. Energy poverty is distinct from fuel poverty, which primarily focuses solely on the issue of affordability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominion Energy</span> American energy company

Dominion Energy, Inc., commonly referred to as Dominion, is an American power and energy company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia that supplies electricity in parts of Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina and supplies natural gas to parts of Utah, Idaho and Wyoming, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Dominion also has generation facilities in Indiana, Illinois, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pembina Institute</span> Canadian energy think tank

The Pembina Institute is a Canadian think tank and registered charity focused on energy. Founded in 1985, the institute has offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, and Vancouver. The institute's mission is to "advance a prosperous clean energy future for Canada through credible policy solutions that support communities, the economy and a safe climate."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exelon Pavilions</span> Four buildings in Chicago, Illinois, US

The Exelon Pavilions are four buildings that generate electricity from solar energy and provide access to underground parking in Millennium Park in the Loop community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The Northeast Exelon Pavilion and Northwest Exelon Pavilion are located on the northern edge of the park along Randolph Street, and flank the Harris Theater. The Southeast Exelon Pavilion and Southwest Exelon Pavilion are located on the southern edge of the park along Monroe Street, and flank the Lurie Garden. Together the pavilions generate 19,840 kilowatt-hours (71,400 MJ) of electricity annually, worth about $2,350 per year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plug-in electric vehicles in the United States</span> Overview of plug-in electric vehicles in the US

The adoption of plug-in electric vehicles in the United States is supported by the American federal government, and several states and local governments. As of December 2021, cumulative sales in the U.S. totaled 2.32 million highway legal plug-in electric cars since 2010, led by all-electric cars. The American stock represented 20% of the global plug-in car fleet in use by the end of 2019, and the U.S. had the world's third largest stock of plug-in passenger cars after China (47%) and Europe (25%).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wind power in Massachusetts</span> Electricity from wind in one U.S. state

The U.S. state of Massachusetts has vast wind energy resources offshore, as well as significant resources onshore. The 2016 update to the states's Clean Energy and Climate Plan had a goal of reducing 1990 baseline greenhouse gas emissions levels by 25% by 2020. Current goals include installing 3,500 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind power in the state by 2035. However, as of Q4 2021 the state had only 120 MW of wind powered electricity generating capacity, responsible for generating 0.9% of in-state electricity production. The state has awarded contracts to two offshore projects, the 800 MW Vineyard Wind project and 804 MW Mayflower Wind project. Construction began on the Vineyard Wind 1 project on November 18, 2021, after a long fight for approval. Commonwealth Wind was selected for development in 2021, but the developer has attempted to cancel the project due to increased costs. There are eight projects planned for off the southern coast of Massachusetts, though some will deliver power to Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electricity sector in Australia</span>

The Australian electricity sector has been historically dominated by coal-fired power stations, but renewables are forming a rapidly growing fraction of supply.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climate change in Texas</span> Climate change in the US state of Texas

The climate in Texas is changing partially due to global warming and rising trends in greenhouse gas emissions. As of 2016, most area of Texas had already warmed by 1.5 °F (0.83 °C) since the previous century because of greenhouse gas emissions by the United States and other countries. Texas is expected to experience a wide range of environmental impacts from climate change in the United States, including rising sea levels, more frequent extreme weather events, and increasing pressure on water resources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Energy poverty and cooking</span> Issues involving access to clean, modern fuels and technologies for cooking

One aspect of energy poverty is lack of access to clean, modern fuels and technologies for cooking. As of 2020, more than 2.6 billion people in developing countries routinely cook with fuels such as wood, animal dung, coal, or kerosene. Burning these types of fuels in open fires or traditional stoves causes harmful household air pollution, resulting in an estimated 3.8 million deaths annually according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and contributes to various health, socio-economic, and environmental problems.

The environmental effects of bitcoin are considerable. One such environmental effect is that it worsens climate change. This is because bitcoins are made using electricity partially generated by gas and coal-fired power plants. When burned, coal and natural gas emit greenhouse gases, which heat the Earth and change the climate. As of 2022, such bitcoin mining is estimated to be responsible for 0.1% of world greenhouse gas emissions. A second environmental effect is the air pollution caused by coal-fired electricity generation, and a third is the e-waste due to the short life expectancy of bitcoin-mining equipment.

References

  1. ↑ Mai-Duc, Christine (21 May 2015). "The 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill that changed oil and gas exploration forever". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  2. ↑ "Our mission and values". Environmental Defense Fund. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  3. ↑ "Northeast-Midwest Institute » Northeast-Midwest Coalitions". www.nemw.org. Retrieved 2018-05-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ↑ https://hinsdalelibrary.info.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  5. ↑ "Get to Know Elevate Energy's Greatest Asset - Its Team of People". Elevate Energy. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  6. ↑ "Board of Directors". Center for Neighborhood Technology. 2014-12-10. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  7. ↑ "IEC Staff and Board - Illinois Environmental Council". ilenviro.org. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  8. ↑ "Board of Advisors". Greenleaf Advisors. 2014-02-26. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  9. ↑ "What Can the Humanities Do For the Environment?". Chicago Review of Books. 2018-02-01. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  10. ↑ Mufson, Steven (2018-04-03). "This is a 'test case' for whether Trump is really serious about saving coal and nuclear plants". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  11. ↑ "Manufacturing and climate change". Vimeo. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  12. ↑ "The power makers: the inside story of America's biggest business and its struggle to control tomorrow's electricity. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  13. ↑ TESLA by Richard Munson | Kirkus Reviews.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.