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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.

This report chapter argues that climate change can be mitigated profitably through a 'resource productivity revolution.' It details the science of the greenhouse effect and asserts that energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable land-use practices are more cost-effective than continuing fossil fuel reliance or investing in nuclear power. Using examples from the U.S., Sweden, and India, it demonstrates that reducing carbon emissions can lower costs and improve living standards.

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.

This report chapter explores the concept of "human capitalism," using the city of Curitiba, Brazil, as a primary case study to demonstrate how integrated, whole-system design can solve multiple social, economic, and environmental problems simultaneously. It argues against single-problem, single-solution approaches, advocating instead for a philosophy that treats citizens as a precious resource and leverages synergies between urban planning, transportation, and social services.

This document, a chapter from 'Natural Capitalism', argues for a fundamental shift in business and economic models to prioritize resource productivity and the preservation of natural and social capital. It critiques the polarized nature of environmental debates and proposes a 'whole-system' approach that integrates diverse worldviews to ensure long-term economic and ecological viability.

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.

This report chapter examines the 'industrial metabolism' of the United States, arguing that the current industrial system is characterized by massive waste of natural resources, human potential, and financial capital. It contends that conventional economic measures like GDP are misleading because they count the costs of waste and social decay as economic growth, masking a decline in actual quality of life and the depletion of natural capital.

This report chapter explores how industrial production can transition from a linear 'depletion to pollution' model to a circular system based on biological principles. It argues that significant reductions in energy and material use are possible through a combination of smarter design, new technologies, distributed controls, corporate culture shifts, and the adoption of remanufacturing and recycling.

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.

This document, a chapter from 'Natural Capitalism', argues that traditional design often relies on compromise and diminishing returns, whereas 'whole-system engineering' can 'tunnel through the cost barrier' to achieve massive resource savings at lower capital costs. By optimizing systems as a whole and thinking 'downstream to upstream,' designers can eliminate expensive equipment and create synergies that reduce both operating and construction expenses.

This document is a letter or statement arguing against the proliferation of nuclear power reactors, asserting that they facilitate the production of plutonium for atomic bombs and that the global community should instead focus on energy efficiency and renewable energy transitions.

This document details the electricity sector methodology used in the 'Reinventing Fire' analysis, focusing on the application of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL) Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) and RMI's internal electricity dispatch model to evaluate four future scenarios for the U.S. electricity system from 2010 to 2050.

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.

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.

This executive summary analyzes the economic threat of 'grid defection' in the U.S., where solar-plus-battery systems allow customers to bypass utilities. The report finds that grid parity is already occurring in Hawaii and is imminent in California and New York, potentially stranding utility assets and rendering the traditional kWh-based cost recovery model obsolete.

The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) conducted a fact-check of a report by CNW Research/Marketing titled 'Dust to Dust,' which claimed the Toyota Prius has a greater environmental impact than the Hummer H3 SUV. Using the GREET life cycle model developed by Argonne National Laboratories, RMI found that the Prius consistently has a lower environmental impact in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, even when manipulating variables to favor the Hummer.

This research paper by Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) argues that the automotive industry's failure to adopt advanced composite materials in the body-in-white (BIW) is due to a reliance on incremental, component-based substitution. The authors propose a "leapfrog" strategy: a whole-system redesign using an all-advanced-composite monocoque BIW integrated with a hybrid-electric "hypercar" concept. This approach aims to overcome cost, manufacturing, and cultural barriers by maximizing mass reduction and simplifying assembly.

This research paper by Amory B. Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) proposes the 'hypercar'—a vehicle combining ultralight mass, ultralow aerodynamic drag, and hybrid-electric drive to achieve fuel economies 4–10 times higher than conventional cars. The author argues that by using advanced composites and recursive design, manufacturers can reduce costs and mass simultaneously, bypassing the incremental improvements of the traditional automotive industry to create a more efficient, safer, and cheaper vehicle.

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.

This briefing argues that energy efficiency programs are unlikely to necessitate rate increases for utilities and that, even if rates were to rise, customer bills would still decrease. The author contends that focusing on rates rather than total bills is an economic error that ignores the joint production of electricity and efficiency.