America’s Finest News Service does it again. Here’s an excerpt from The Onion:

… Florida State University researchers released a report Wednesday revealing that the only circumstance in which Americans would ever pay any attention at all to the issue of climate change would be if film actress Julia Roberts were killed in a hurricane.

“Our data suggest that Julia Roberts will either have to drown in rising floodwaters or be crushed to death as 170-mile-per-hour winds demolish her home before the country even acknowledges global warming,” said the study’s lead author….

“Even if millions are killed and entire cities are washed away, only the sight of Ms. Roberts’ pale, lifeless corpse lying amid storm wreckage will convince Americans to have open and frank discussions about the disastrous effects of greenhouse-gas emissions….”

Related Humor:

• Major new report finds “Global warming issue from 2 or 3 years ago may still be problem”
• The Onion: Planet Earth Doesn’t Know How To Make It Any Clearer It Wants Everyone To Leave
• Republicans vote to repeal Obama-backed bill that would destroy asteroid headed for Earth

by Walter Frick, via BostInno

Remember how your Little League jersey sported the name of a local business? Well, the Framingham Jr. Flyers football team has an unconventional sponsor: energy efficiency.

Through a partnership with Boston-based Next Step Living, for every energy assessment completed using the Flyers’ referral link, the team earns $10. The alliance may seem unorthodox – and it is – but it’s consistent with Next Step’s unique vision for spreading the energy revolution. The key to selling energy efficiency in the residential market, according to Next Step CEO Geoff Chapin, isn’t fancy technology, sleek web apps, or colorful fliers. It’s building trust within the community.

While high profile cleantech startups continue to go bankrupt, Next Step has done work in 20,000 homes and grown to over 400 employees, hiring for a wide range of skill and education levels. Though the luster of green jobs may have vanished at the national level, it’s alive and well at Next Step. It’s a success story built around strong execution rather than exclusive IP, and potentially a model for venture capitalists looking to reset their approach in the energy space.

How To Pick Up One Dollar Bills

There’s a famous joke, if you could call it that, among economists that goes like this: two economists are walking down the street, and one of them spots a dollar bill on the street. “Look, a dollar bill!” one says. “Impossible,” replies the other. “If that were true, someone would have picked it up by now.”

Energy efficiency is sort of like the dollar bill. Free market types are puzzled as to why homeowners haven’t already invested in improvements, if doing so would save them money, as is often the case (especially once state incentives are taken into account).

But anyone in business knows it doesn’t work that simply. You might have a great idea for a product or service, but getting people to take time out of their busy days to even learn about it, much less buy it, can be a daunting task. It’s hard enough to get users to download a free mobile app; imagine convincing them to replace all their windows.

That’s where community groups and local sports teams come in. Back when Next Step was founded four years ago, it was selling energy audits and efficiency improvements to environmental types, the true believers who wanted to do the right thing. But that only gets you so far. And a lot of potential customers motivated purely by ROI frankly won’t believe you if you just show up and promise them huge savings, Chapin told me. They’ll only listen “if they’re approached by groups they trust,” he said.

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