Towns shaping future thinking

In Novato, CA, the Buck Institute for Age Research (left) studies how to delay the aging process and cure diseases. Its current research indicates that exercise reverses the molecular fingerprint of aging.

In Bellevue, WA, Intellectual Ventures is investing in an “invention economy,” where ideas are currency. Its scientists work in a lab that recycles equipment. Projects include a photonic fence that eradicates mosquitoes and a Strato shield that would lower global temps by increasing the amount of sulfur- bearing aerosols into the stratosphere.

In Boulder, CO, Rocky Mountain Institute seeks solutions to climate change that are both radical and realistic. By working with companies like Walmart to shrink corporate footprints, RMI is bringing the green movement into the mainstream.

NextEnergy-smart cities