VERGE
There is a coming convergence of four technology platforms: energy, information, buildings, and transportation. We call it VERGE. This convergence is fundamentally transforming cities, companies, campuses, and communities, providing a wide range of opportunities for companies across a range of sectors. GreenBiz has launched a series of VERGE conferences around the world, in addition to a free, year-round virtual conference, focusing on the implications of convergence for business and sustainability.
- How the extraordinary convergence of computing and human potential is creating a collective intelligence shaping the future of sustainability, from the 2012 VERGE DC conference.
- Day one of the VERGE DC was filled with conversation, insights and ideas about the converging world of energy, information, vehicles and buildings. Here are some of the pictures from the event.
- As it invests $1 billion in energy-efficiency retrofits, the U.S. Department of Defense is working to figure out how to incorporate new technologies it hasn't used. Meanwhile, Google has been...
- ACORE president Dennis McGinn talks about how green energy and rechargeable batteries have saved lives, why we're unlikely to see better federal renewable energy policies in the near future, and...
- Can you have a healthy company in an unhealthy city? Arguably, no. And vice versa.
- A look at how a new generation of IT is powering the next wave of industry growth -- a surge that's likely to outstrip cloud and mobile computing in its impact.
- Sustainability needs cities as much as cities need sustainability. What will it take to unleash their potential and what role can business play?
- The seven characteristics or "states" for cities that show how the sustainability of cities and business are inextricably linked.
- A look at how the Silicon Valley juggernaut strives to make its buildings a hotbed for creativity and innovation.
- Green is growing deep roots in the auto industry, as this year's Geneva event waves fewer eco flags but shows big improvements in fuel efficiency and auto innovation.
- In spite of the energy-saving promise of smart meters, many homes still have the regular ones. GE this week unveiled a new set of products that will enable consumers to manage their energy use --...
- Creating sustainable transportation networks requires a holistic approach. Public-private research partnerships provide a chance to bring together a diverse array of experts to tackle the problem.
- The vision for a sustainable future is being brought to the public via a virtual world showcasing existing technology, innovations and best practices that can deliver the world of tomorrow today....
- Who would have thought that Bill Ford, the executive chairman of the Ford Motor Co., and GM Ventures, the venture capital arm of General Motors, would invest in peer-to-peer car sharing companies?
- Europe's most-visited museum, the U.S. Air Force and the country's second largest school district might not seem to have lots in common, but each is now using Smarter Buildings solutions.
- What will it take to make energy as distributed, ubiquitous and efficient as the Internet?
- Two big trends in energy generation -- shifting to renewables, and evolving to smaller, decentralized systems -- will have a profound impact on utilities and almost every energy-using company. Here...
- The European capitals are among a handful of towns that can serve as models for the smart cities that will be needed as urban dwellers grow to 70 percent of the global population in coming decades.
- Today, improving buildings' energy efficiency is a rapidly growing industry blossoming with new business ideas and models. Here are some ways business can profit.
- Although an energy audit is an extremely useful tool in the sustainability toolbox, it is also usually a labor- and cost-intensive process. But these four firms are helping to make them affordable...
