Amory and Hunter Lovins: Spokespersons for a Sustainable-energy Future
(Page 2 of 15)
July/August 1984
By the Mother Earth News editors
With this issue, Amory also becomes the first person to repeat as subject (or co-subject) of MOTHER's Plowboy Interview. Staffer Pat Stone attended an intensive three-day energy workshop that the Lovinses gave last February at nearby Warren Wilson College ... interviewed them at his home in Western North Carolina ... and then flew out with staffer David Schoonmaker for a three-day visit to their beautiful new house. As Pat reports, "Any longtime readers who recall this magazine's talk with Amory back in 1977 won't have to worry that this article will be a rehash of old material. In fact, the Lovinses have so many new and worthwhile things to say that — to cram as much information as I could into these pages — I've had to 'cheat' and run most of this interview as a monologue rather than a discussion! Even then I left out as many topics as I squeezed in and omitted most of the figures that substantiate their statements. (You can, however, find such evidence in their books.)
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"So imagine, if you will, that you're attending a special lecture in which the Lovinses lay out some of the key areas they're working in today. Although frequently one takes over speaking for the other, in general, Amory — whose parable of the refrigerator starts things off — does most of the talking on the topics of energy and utilities, while Hunter dominates the discourses on water and communities. Afterwards, you'll get to sit in on a short — but revealing — interview session.
"Before you get started though, Id like to slip in a couple of personal impressions of the pair. For one thing, they're both astoundingly intelligent and knowledgeable. Amory, in particular, can punch a calculator faster than most writers can type ... explain extremely complicated concepts in simple, humorous, financial, or (if need be) complicated language ... and instantly recall a vast barrage of technical facts and numbers.
"The Lovinses are also two of the most sincerely nice people I've met in a long time. Actually, they're quite a contrasting twosome. Hunter retains enough of her cowboy heritage to enjoy good dancing, wild mountain roads, and a free-for-all snowball fight ... while Amory has a peaceful, almost Buddhist, calmness that he shares through great back rubs and gentle humor. Together, they're an amazingly warm and considerate couple. It was a very special pleasure to work with both of them.
"I hope reading their words will inspire — and more important, motivate — you as much as meeting them has me.
A PARABLE
Do you remember the pre-World War II refrigerators that had the motor on top? Those motors were close to 90% efficient. These days, refrigerator motors are more like 60% efficient. They're also underneath, so the heat rises to where the food is. Thus, with the blessings of modern technology, refrigerators now can easily spend half their effort taking away the heat of their own motors!
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