in their home. Last year, they switched from oil to gas heat.
Work life: In the 1990s, initiated World Resources Institute’s effort to go carbon-neutral. “My argument was that we needed to walk the talk, and it became a full organizational commitment, with a lot of great team effort.”
Bonus thought: “I’d love to retrofit my house with geothermal HVAC and controllable RBG LEDs, but that’ll have to wait a while.”
JADE
Jay Fiske, formerly general partner, Mass Green Energy Fund (now at Wakonda Technologies)
Car: Mini Cooper. “I’m also waiting for the electric Mini to be rolled-out in volume. And if we’re really successful, I’ll get on the waiting list for a Tesla. Or perhaps a Fisker would be more appropriate for me.”
Home life: Picked house a walkable distance to schools, restaurants, and shops. Keeps home thermostat at 63 during day and 55 at night. (“My family complains a bit during the beginning of the cold season, but once everyone figures out how many layers they need to keep warm, everyone’s happy again,” he reports.) Minimizes red meat consumption, tries to buy local organic produce and purchase in season fruits and vegetables. Installed dual-pane windows, compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs.
Work life: Bikes to work most days (about 7 miles each way). Wife takes train or carpools. Wakonda, where Fiske is VP of operations, is developing low-cost high-efficiency solar modules easily for easy integration into building products.
Bonus thought: “Once my company does what we say we can do, however, it will be cheap enough for me to install our building-integrated solar roofing shingles, so that should bring me to a net-0 monthly electric bill.”
Paul Maeder, general partner, Highland Capital Partners
Car: Toyota Highlander hybrid
Home life: Installed CFLs throughout house. “I keep the house at 62 at night and 65 during the day, despite our babysitter’s blue lips. I insulated the basement myself, and was itching from the fiberglass for a week. I turn out more lights every night than Churchill during the blitz—and I lecture my kids about the blitz (and about how my mother’s family of 9 had one stick of butter per month in Switzerland during the war).”
Work life: Highland started an energy-saving program in June. Most changes kicked into effect in the fourth quarter, so far resulting in $4100 savings on electric bill. Highland also got rid of bottled water in favor of tap.
EMERALD
Jim Matheson, general partner, Flagship Ventures
Car: Toyota Prius
Home life: Buys carbon offsets for his plane, just did extra insulation at home and rental properties, always uses canvas bags when shopping, mostly buys organic, uses biodegradable pet clean up bags, and only employs environmentally appropriate cleansers. Has also replaced most lights with CFL and put timers on some lights and computers.
Bonus detail: Active in raising community awareness about energy matters.
Chuck McDermott, general partner, RockPort Capital
Car: Toyota Highlander hybrid
Home life: Uses programmable thermostats in his home, which also has high-efficiency heating and air conditioning. House also boasts some solid-state lighting from a portfolio company.
Work life: “We have not done things like offset our air travel with carbon credits,” but McDermott and some partners try to rent hybrids when traveling.
Bonus (and not entirely serious) thought: “I don’t let the water run while I brush.”
David Prend, managing general partner, RockPort Capital
Car: Not one, but two hybrids—a Prius and a Ford Escape
Home life: “Standard things.” Keeps the heat way down, efficient boiler, CFLs on half his lights, recycles.
Work life: Rents hybrids when visiting California office (spends about half his time in CA). RockPort is thinking about leasing a Prius for the firm.
Bonus thought: Thinking about a wind turbine for his place in Vermont
Andrew Friendly, principal, Advanced Technology Ventures
Car: Audi A3
Home life: Had full energy audit done of house, changed out light bulbs, sprayed new insulation in attic, installed flow restrictors on showerhead and toilets, upgraded to
