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Arthur Rosenfeld spent his first career studying elementary particles of our universe
while working in the labs of renowned physicist Enrico Fermi
and Luis Alvarez.
Fast forward to 1973
Well, I didn't know anything specific about energy
when the oil embargo hit.
Energy here was dirt cheap
and what's dirt cheap gets treated like dirt.
So Rosenfeld decided to switch careers and he dedicated the next forty years
to energy efficiency research and public policy.
I picked buildings because nobody realized how leaky energy-wise
and equipment-wise our buildings were.
So I decided to set up the Center for Building Science at Lawrence Lab.
The center was a hotbed of innovation for energy efficiency,
jump-starting the compact fluorescent lamp.
Rosenfeld created the widely used DOE2 software
that brought building standards to California and around the world.
The professional achievements I'm proudest of
actually have to do with the record of California,
which my friend Steve Chu calls the "Rosenfeld Effect".
Art Rosenfeld, one of my local heroes, the Energy Commissoner of California.
Rosenfeld, I love his energy stuff.
That was playful about it seems to me that it does describe my focus,
and my interest, and my persistence for many years.
As a nation we are plugged in and wired up,
yet the "Rosenfeld Effect" demonstrates that
California's energy use per capita
has remained constant since 1973
while the U.S. has increased fifty percent.
Rosenfeld's current research focuses on urban heat islands
and advocacy for white roofs.
It seems to be an easy idea people tend to slap their forehead and say
"Shoot, why didn't I think of that?"
And so standards have to take into account
the severe risk that we're all facing now from global warming.
And we must take into account the carbon footprint of every car
and every building
and every new factory.