Third Planet is a Florida-based 501(c)(3) non-profit operating foundation.
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UnitedStates Activities
Third Planet is involved in a wide range of activities, including in-depth climate and energy technology and policy research, and education, training and public awareness on these issues. We carry out our work through public speaking, seminars, workshops and meetings, and have built excellent working relationships with important stakeholders throughout Florida and the United States.
Over the course of our ten years of operation we have established our organization's reputation as a reliable source for balanced information, creative thinking, and expertise on community-level energy planning and development.
1. Capacity-Building
Third Planet views institutional capacity-building at both the local and regional level of government as critical building blocks toward progress on national goals of greenhouse gas reductions, climate stabilization and sustainable energy development.
Our institutional capacity-building work extends beyond government leaders and planners to the energy industry and manufacturers, engineers, architects, environmental groups, public interest groups, the media, and more.
Through personal meetings, presentations, public speaking, stakeholder facilitation, and occasional television appearances we offer our knowledge and expertise to all those who seek to understand the opportunities, trends, choices, barriers, and solutions to community-level energy planning and development.
The following is a list of our participation and presentations:
May 21, 2009: Robert Farmer was invited and participated in the “Reality Check First Coast” visioning exercise. Created by the Urban Land Institute this exercise brought nearly 300 public, private and non-profit sector leaders together from the seven-county First Coast region to begin planning for the year 2060 to accommodate 1.6 million new residents and 650,000 more jobs. The invited participants were from Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns counties.
March 16, 2009: A Fresh Approach for Developing New Cogeneration Markets in a Carbon-Constrained World presentation to the 2009 EGSA (Electrical Generating Systems Association) Annual Spring Convention in San Antonio, Texas.
January 11th, 2008: Moderator for breakout session Climate Change and Sustainable Energy Development in the Everglades at the 2008 Everglades Coalition Annual Meeting on Captiva Island.
April 14th, 2007: Fossil Carbon Emissions and Mitigation presentation and moderator for Step It Up 2007: Jacksonville Public Forum on Climate Change event. PowerPoint Presentation PDF - (207KB)
March 2007: Public Comments Presentation and Recommendations to the Florida Energy Commission News Release PDF - (94KB)
April 2006: Florida’s State Energy Plan, a "Comcast Newsmakers" television interview by Spero Canton. Aired throughout April and on Earth Day on CNN/HeadlineNews. "Featuring elected officials, community leaders and people making a difference in your community and across the country."
June 2005: Energy Efficiency and Conservation, a "Comcast Newsmakers" television interview by Spero Canton, aired throughout June 2005.
March 22nd, 2005: Panel participant and wrap-up speaker for The City of Fort Lauderdale Energy Roundtable: Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation You Can Use Now.
January 19th, 2005: The Energy Implications of Growth in South Florida presentation to the South Florida Chapter, Florida Association of Environmental Professionals. PowerPoint Presentation PDF - (93KB)
October 29th, 2004: Power Plants, Fuel Supply & Florida's Energy Future presentation to the Southeast Air Coalition for Outreach.
April 20th, 2004: Power Plants, Fuel Supply & Florida's Energy Future keynote presentation to joint meeting of the local chapters of the Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), International Facility Managers Association (IFMA), and Association of Facility Engineers (AFE) at the Annual South Florida Buildings and Facilities Management Show, Broward Convention Center. PowerPoint Presentation PDF - (575KB)
December 4th, 2002: Renewable Power: Earth's Clean Energy Destiny lecture to Environmental Science students, Broward County Community College
October 2002: Thinking creatively about energy and climate change: Energy after Kyoto and Johannesburg presentations to the Southeast Florida Society of Energy Professionals and to the Southeast Air Coalition for Outreach.
August 12th, 2002: We the People a Fort Lauderdale community television discussion with Stephen Goldstein about energy policy and Third Planet's activities. Aired August 15th.
October 26th, 2001: Energy Supply & Usage presentation at the Sustainable South Florida Design Colloquium 2001; an event of Design + Architecture 2001, sponsored by: Florida Atlantic University College of Architecture, Urban and Public Affairs and AIA Fort Lauderdale at the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art
September 28th, 2001: Power Generation and Fuel Supply - An Alternative Resource Provider Perspective presentation to the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council's Symposium on Potential Deregulation of Florida's Electricity Market.
September 26th, 2001: A Recommended Action Agenda for Local Governments presentation at the workshop session Merchant Power Plants in Florida? during the 2001 Annual Conference of the Florida Local Environmental Resource Agencies (FLERA).
September 26th, 2001: Global Warming - Coming to Your Neighborhood? presentation during a workshop session of the 2001 Annual Conference of the Florida Local Environmental Resource Agencies (FLERA).
June 12th, 2001: As a matter for Florida energy policy: Are peaker plants right? Or are they wrong? Prepared statement before the Broward County Board of County Commissioners.
May 3rd, 2001: Enron Town Hall Meeting invited panelist, Pompano Beach Civic Center
April 26th, 2001: Energy Crisis in California: Could it Happen Here? presentation to the South Florida Green Design Council.
January 19th, 2001: Inside the Climate Change Negotiations: A First-hand Report from The Hague presentation to the Southeast Air Coalition for Outreach
December 20th, 2000: Inside the Climate Change Negotiations: A First-hand Report from The Hague presentation to the Southeast Florida Chapter of the Association of Energy Engineers, Annual Awards Meeting.
November 30th, 2000: Briefing on Third Planet's participation in the Sixth Conference of the Parties (COP-6) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in The Hague presentation to the South Florida Green Design Council
September 18th-20th, 2000: Invited participant to the Future of Florida American Assembly, Tampa, Florida.
July 25th, 2000: What you need to know about electric power plants: fuels, efficiencies, emissions and the future presentation to Sierra Club, Broward County Chapter
March 29th, 2000: Renewable Power: Earth's Clean Energy Destiny presentation to South Florida Green Design Council.
March 20th, 2000: Facilitated Evaluation of Transit Technology Options memorandum of understanding and convened inaugural meeting between Broward County Department of Planning and Environmental Protection and University of Miami-College of Engineering
2. Urban Design
As part of our ongoing global climate change work in North America,Third Planet has initiated a program in urban design to bring world class lecturers in the field to cities searching for ways to reduce their overall carbon production. To bring these lecturers to the widest possible audience, we are partnering with local governments and institutions of higher learning in different cities around the United States.
Dr. Matthew Carmona , Professor, Architect, Planner, and Head of the Bartlett School of Planning, UniversityCollege, London was our first lecturer and made presentations to audiences in BrowardCounty and Cleveland, Ohio, in May 2006.
The Broward County lecture, "Sustainable Urban Design, Definitions and Delivery" took place at the City of Lauderdale Lakes Commission Chambers, see Broward County News Release (75 KB PDF)
His Cleveland lecture, "Designing and Planning for Sustainable Communities: The Processes, Design Content, and Policy Options", took place at Cleveland State University.
Slides of Dr. Carmona's lecture can be viewed online, courtesy of Cleveland State University, by clicking on the following link: Carmona Lecture PowerPoint Presentation.
3. Ecological Restoration and Water Resources
Energy conservation is closely linked to water conservation, and nowhere are water resources, and our drinking water more threatened than in Florida.
Third Planet has been involved in outreach and public awareness by hosting seminars, public lectures and legislator briefings on the potential adverse impacts on our water resources due to migration from groundwater mining and fertilizer run-off, structural surface mining, and deep well injection of wastes.
The major thrust of our current water program involves supporting scientific research into the economic and environmental challenges facing Florida water resources for both human and ecosystem use.
Recently completed ecological restoration and water resources projects include:
The Economics of Everglades Restoration: Missing Pieces in the Future of South Florida (2005) — Richard Weisskoff, Ph.D.
Third Planet provided financial support for Dr. Weisskoff’s book “to support educational outreach work in South Florida concerning sustainable development” (from the Acknowledgments). The Table of Contents and the Introduction—The Professor and the Corps are presented for viewing as PDF files on our Downloads page. The book can be ordered online from www.e-elgar.com with a site search on the title: The Economics of Everglades Restoration.
Richard Weisskoff, Ph.D., is a Professor teaching economics in the Department of International Studies at the University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida.
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Adverse Environmental Impacts of Artificial Recharge Known As "Aquifer Storage and Recovery" (ASR) In Southern Florida: Implications for Everglades Restoration (2005) — Sydney Bacchus, Ph.D.
A scientific review and analysis commissioned by Third Planet. Published as an electronic book, this is presented for viewing as PDF files on our Downloads page. A CD of the book can be obtained from AES Publications (aes.publications@mindspring.com) for the cost of shipping and a donation to support similar future publications.
Sydney Bacchus, Ph.D., is a Hydroecologist who specializes in the evaluation of adverse environmental impacts associated with alterations in the natural fluctuation of ground and surface waters.
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4. City of Fort Lauderdale Utility Advisory Committee
Consultants to the City of Fort Lauderdale’s Utility Advisory Committee concerning format and recommended presenters for their inaugural energy roundtable. Robert Farmer was also a panel participant and wrap-up speaker for the event titled: The City of Fort Lauderdale Energy Roundtable: Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation You Can Use Now. In 2006 we were asked to provide additional insight and input for their follow up event: Energy Roundtable II held in April.
5. Florida Transit Feasibility Organization-East
Third Planet was the initial funder of the FTFO-E, which secured $500,000 in Federal funding to perform a cost/benefit analysis of the Florida East Coast Railway corridor as a site for public mass transit in South Florida.
Our partnership with the FTFO-E has helped to ensure the public benefits in the South Florida Transit Analysis Study of 2003.
6. Sustainable South Florida Design Colloquium
In partnership with Florida Atlantic University and the American Institute of Architects, Third Planet brought together international luminaries such as solar designer Steven Strong, landscape architect Michael Hough, and green architect Dan Williams, to interact in an open forum with local professionals, politicians, and the lay public, in October, 2001.
7. United States Energy Policy
Third Planet prepared an energy policy briefing paper in 2001 at the request of then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, providing the philosophical basis for the development of a sound energy strategy. The paper (U.S. Energy Policy 2001) has been circulated to leading members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.
8. Sustainable Energy in South Florida
Third Planet initiated a program of outreach and training for public officials related to planning a sustainable energy future.
Third Planet participated in City Commission meetings for several area cities, and briefed City Commissioners in Pompano Beach on the relative merits of various methods of energy production and delivery.
9. South Florida Green Design Council (SFGDC)
Third Planet formed the SFGDC as a forum for outreach on sustainable development to all stakeholders in South Florida.
Monthly public lectures were held on a diverse range of development topics and provided cross-disciplinary networking opportunities for academics, professionals and the public.
Continuing into 2003, Third Planet Board member David Benjamin was elected to the Steering Committee of the newly formed South Florida chapter of the United States Green Building Council.
Based on Third Planet's presentation at the Electrical Generating Systems Association (EGSA) Annual Spring Convention.