To diminish the city’s noise pollution, Mumbai is experimenting with traffic lights that last longer when drivers honk too much.…
What an Air Quality Index Really Measures
While the Air Quality Index (AQI) is a pollution yardstick, it also can signal if we are controlling the tragedy of the commons.…
A Big Shrimp Problem
Because of the holiday, our Wednesday environment blog will appear today. The post has been written by 2 Kent Place students, Megan Ganning and Madeleine Vance. “Sorry, Sir, but the ‘Bay Shrimp’ have …
Tragedy of the Commons: China's Genius Bars
When my MacBook Pro had a track pad glitch, I just booked a free appointment online for the next day at my local Apple Genius Bar. In Beijing, I might have had more than a 4 week wait. Trying to solve…
The Tragedy of the Commons: Improving Your Reputation
A small group of New Jersey winemakers has a problem. No one knows that they blend a gourmet product. After all, say, “New Jersey” and no one thinks vineyard. Most New Jersey wine, with st…
The "Problem" of the Commons
Located 30 miles from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the island of Nantucket has no traffic lights. Instead, drivers respond to stop signs, rotaries and courtesy. More often than not, if a walker or a biker…
Nobel Cash
If you win a Nobel Prize, you get a cash prize of approximately $1.5 million. The size of that prize relates to how well the foundation that manages Alfred Nobel’s endowment has fared. Acc…
Utilities Included
In NYC, there are 250,000 housing units that use more electricity than most others. The reason? Buildings without meters for each apartment have leases that say “utilities included”. So, w…
More on the Tragedy of the Commons
Good discussion of the Tragedy of the Commons in three podcasts: 1. 2009 Nobel Laureate, Elinor Ostrom, discusses her ideas in the 10/23 Planet Money podcast. In a 15 minute interview, she uses her de…