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Why State Land Use Reform Should Be a Priority Climate Lever for America
This technical supplement describes the methodology used by RMI to analyze how state-level land use reform in the United States could reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2033. The analysis compares a 'business as usual' scenario against a 'low VMT' scenario where new housing is concentrated in dense, walkable, and transit-oriented areas.
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Document type: Report
U.S. Transformational Trucking Environment and Efficiency in Freight Mobility
This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) examines the inefficiencies within the U.S. heavy-duty trucking industry, specifically Class 7 and 8 trucks. It identifies a fragmented value chain and cultural barriers as primary obstacles to efficiency, while asserting that existing technology could double trucking efficiency through improvements in platform, operations, and regulation.
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Document type: Report
rmi_document_repository_public-reprts_20090204092929740-c70e03b8b6e3d581.pdf
The document, titled "The Origins of the Nuclear Power Fiasco," is a critical analysis of the failure of the U.S. civilian nuclear power industry. It argues that the industry collapsed due to a combination of structural and conceptual errors, including the promotion of economic myths, a failure to account for the real costs of safety and waste management, and a federal energy policy that prioritized hardware development over energy efficiency and market reality.
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Document type: Research paper
Pre-Read for BEM Innovation Summit
This pre-read document, authored by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), provides a comprehensive overview of the building energy modeling (BEM) industry in the United States to prepare attendees for the BEM Innovation Summit. It details the history of BEM, identifies systemic barriers to quality and credibility, analyzes the current state of simulation tools and practitioner training, and explores market drivers such as LEED certification and federal energy regulations.
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Document type: Report
REINVENTING FIRE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
The provided text consists of fragmented pages from a Rocky Mountain Institute report titled "REINVENTING FIRE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA," containing primarily headers and two data visualizations regarding emergency energy savings and solar PV costs.
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Document type: Report
LOW INCOME SOLUTIONS IN A HIGH DER FUTURE
This report outlines the risks and needs of low-income (LI) and fixed-income (FI) electricity customers during the transition to a distributed energy resource (DER) and renewable electricity system. It identifies financial and social concerns, maps existing and unmet needs, and examines case studies to determine how these segments can be equitably integrated into a high-DER future.
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Document type: Report
The Greening of Human Settlements
The document argues that a new industrial revolution is emerging, driven by 'natural capitalism' and integrative design, which aims to increase resource productivity by 10- to 100-fold. The author posits that market-driven green design in human settlements—characterized by high density, pedestrian-centric transport, and resource-efficient buildings—can align commercial profitability with environmental restoration, potentially making traditional government spatial planning obsolete.
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Document type: Report
Paying for Growth, Prospering from Development
The report argues that community growth often creates fiscal deficits and social problems, whereas 'sustainable development'—focused on efficiency and local resource optimization—can create prosperity without expanding a community's size.
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Document type: Report
HOW NOT TO PARACHUTE MORE CATS
The report 'HOW NOT TO PARACHUTE MORE CATS' by Hunter and Amory Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute argues that global resource crises—including energy, water, and climate change—can be solved by understanding interconnections and prioritizing resource efficiency over the expansion of supply. The authors advocate for a 'least-cost' approach, demonstrating that energy efficiency and renewable technologies are often cheaper and more effective than fossil fuels or nuclear power. They suggest that these technical solutions can simultaneously improve economic health, reduce nuclear proliferation, and enhance global security by reducing dependence on volatile resources like Mideast oil.
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Document type: Report
Harnessing Corporate Power to Heal the Planet
The report introduces 'natural capitalism,' a business framework that argues the current economic model is deficient because it liquidates natural capital and ecosystem services. The authors propose four principles—increasing resource productivity, eliminating waste, shifting to service-and-flow models, and investing in natural capital—to align corporate profit with planetary health.
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Document type: Report
NATURAL CAPITALISM
This report chapter examines the ecological and economic failures of industrial agriculture and proposes a transition toward 'natural capitalism' in food production. It argues that while industrial methods increased raw output, they did so by depleting natural capital—specifically soil health and genetic diversity—and creating a chemical dependency that threatens long-term food security and climate stability. The text advocates for a shift toward biological farming, perennial polycultures, and ecosystem-based livestock management to restore soil carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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Document type: Report
Natural Capitalism
This report chapter argues that the solution to global freshwater scarcity is not increasing supply through costly and environmentally damaging infrastructure, but radically increasing water productivity through efficiency and demand-side management across agriculture, landscaping, buildings, and industry.
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Document type: Report
NATURAL CAPITALISM
This report chapter argues that while market economies are powerful tools for resource allocation, they are frequently dysfunctional due to theoretical misconceptions, capital misallocation, and organizational or regulatory failures. It proposes 'natural capitalism' as a framework to extend market principles to all forms of material value, including natural capital, by identifying and turning market imperfections into business opportunities for resource efficiency.
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Document type: Report
Natural Capitalism—Chapter 2: Reinventing the Wheels
This report chapter outlines the 'Hypercar' concept—an ultralight, hybrid-electric vehicle designed to drastically reduce resource consumption and environmental impact. It argues that by combining carbon-fiber composites, aerodynamic streamlining, and hydrogen fuel cells, the automotive industry can move beyond the 'Iron Age' of steel-based manufacturing. The text further asserts that technological efficiency must be paired with urban planning and land-use reforms to reduce overall dependence on driving and mitigate social costs like congestion and sprawl.
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Document type: Report
NATURAL CAPITALISM
This report chapter explores 'green development,' demonstrating how the integration of resource efficiency, environmental sensitivity, and human well-being can lead to superior financial performance in real estate. Through various case studies of commercial buildings, residential developments, and hotels, the text argues that intelligent design reduces operating costs, increases labor productivity, and enhances property value while restoring community and ecological health.
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Document type: Report
THE ECONOMICS OF BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE
This technical appendix from RMI provides a detailed overview of thirteen services that battery energy storage can provide to customers, Independent System Operators (ISOs), Regional Transmission Organizations (RTOs), and utilities. It categorizes these services by stakeholder benefit and time scale, providing definitions, technical backgrounds, and estimated value ranges for each. The document also details the valuation and dispatch methodologies used in four specific use cases across the U.S. and includes a meta-study of six influential energy storage valuation publications from the past decade.
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Document type: Report
Top Federal Energy Policy Goals
This briefing by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) outlines 17 federal energy policy goals designed to reduce U.S. oil use and greenhouse gas emissions by 50% each within 10 years. The strategy prioritizes reducing energy demand through efficiency in buildings, transport, and industry before substituting supply with renewables and a 'Smart Grid'. RMI estimates these goals could create over three million jobs by 2012.
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Document type: Briefing
Truck Efficiency and GHG Reduction Opportunities in the Canadian Truck Fleet
This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) analyzes opportunities to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Canadian Class-8 truck fleet through the adoption of aerodynamic retrofits, low rolling-resistance tires, and auxiliary power units (APUs). It argues that government leadership, technical guidance, and financial incentives are necessary to overcome industry inertia and the fuel-efficiency losses caused by emissions regulations.
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Document type: Report
24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact GUIDEBOOK
The 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) Compact Guidebook outlines a global effort to decarbonize electricity systems through five key principles: hourly time-matching, local procurement, technology inclusivity, additionality of new generation, and maximizing system impact. It provides a roadmap for energy buyers, suppliers, and governments to transition from annual carbon-free claims to a more granular, hourly matching system using tools like Granular Certificates and smart metering.
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Document type: Guide
a-new-tool-helps-water-managers-consider-ecosystem-needs-dfdc0d46f582f260.pdf
The Stockholm Environment Institute has developed a tool based on the Water Evaluation And Planning (WEAP) system that allows water managers to model the impact of various management options on aquatic habitat and species viability. By analyzing daily hydraulic, substrate, and temperature conditions, the tool helps balance human water needs (urban, industrial, agricultural) with ecosystem health. It has been applied in California's Santa Clara Valley Water District and the South Fork Eel River to manage salmon habitats and evaluate the impact of policies, including cannabis cultivation and groundwater management laws.
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Document type: Fact sheet