Date: Wed, 7 Oct 2009 19:58:49 -0500
From: Patty Gowaty <gowaty@eeb.ucla.edu>
To: Peter Saundry <psaundry@NCSEonline.org>
Cc: Steve Hubbell <shubbell@eeb.ucla.edu>, Ron Pulliam <pulliam2@uga.edu>, David Blockstein <david@NCSEonline.org>, John Pickering <pick@www.discoverlife.org>
Subject: SMART and NCSE

Dear Peter,

Steve and I just had an incredible conversation with John Pickering....(we're in Panama so we were on SKYPE to cell phone). Pic's teaching an ecology and society course this term at UGA.

Some of the students in his class have coalesced into an action group who are interested in changing the mind set of users of common energy sources (students at universities, for example). Their idea - we suspect under Pic's inspiration - is to motivate students and faculty to modify their energy use in communal environments by convincing the powers that be that small incentives could provide huge payouts for the common good.

The students are calling their effort SMART, "Saving Money And Resources Together" or "Saving Motivating Adjusting Revising Thinking".

When Steve heard the latest from Pic, he said that it sounded perfect for Campus to Careers, and I thought the students would probably get a huge boost out of message or a visit from YOU suggesting to them that this should go national, perhaps through NCSE. Steve also suggested that if the students who are propelling this effort forward knew about NCSE internships, it might be a further avenue for pushing this effort nation-wide. Here is an example where a little effort on our part to make sure students know how powerful they might be, could make a huge difference. I hope you will take some time to visit Pic's class and tell them where their efforts might lead. Or, better yet, as Steve just suggested, invite the students to visit DC and you at NCSE to talk about their ideas.

Their local goal is a 10% reduction in energy usage at UGA in a year. If they did that, and if we could make the meme spread, they would achieve Kyoto-like goals from the grass-roots. This in an idea worth spreading. Someone with a lot of clout, like you, should tell them about how good their "small incentives" idea is.

The students are visiting the UGA provost sometime this week, so they are ballsy and very excited about their ideas.

Steve also said that given The Green Economy theme of the next national NCSE conference, it might be wonderful to have a student-run workshop on the SMART idea.

Steve said I should give you Pic's cell phone number, (706 254-7446), so you can hear from him about how excited, clever, and motivated the students are.

We hope you are well.

xo
Patty