In high school and college I got really upset about efforts to increase diversity. Myself not being in any special group I’d always see everyone else getting extra help. I’m all for equal opportunity, but rigging the contest to get equal results was unfair in my mind. I had one heated debate in college with a fellow student who insisted the University had to do more to reduce the drop out rates of minorities. My response was asking if she expected the University to hire tutors for all minorities?

Many years later I think I’ve become less offended about people wanting to increase diversity. Maybe I’m just more confident in myself. The best analogy I’ve heard in support of these efforts was to compare it to Mario Kart. The person in first place only get the lame power ups like bananas while the people at the end of the race get all of the good power ups like mushrooms and rockets.

I think efforts to increase diversity are good. But they’re more widely accepted if the program is base on their position in the race rather than the color of the racer. Help every student that is at risk of failing rather than only students of color. Remove the pay structure of Universities that get money from the states based on the number of freshmen enrolled rather than the number of students. This is why so many Universities have drop classes like Chemistry 101 to flunk out lots of people quickly. Increase awareness of opportunities to minorities by focusing your marketing at your target audience.

You could be on to something,
You could be on to something, David. Have some demonstration houses. Maybe move the conference to Las Vegas. Schedule it for the same week as the Shooting and Hunting show and the Adult Entertainment Expo… Oh wait. The International Builders’ Show beat us to that idea.

Seriously though, I like the idea of demonstration houses. Maybe the organizers will look into it. I’m just not sure that something like insulation, air sealing, and mechanical systems will ever compete with granite countertops and closet organizers. And million dollar homes often get the same crappy work as entry-level spec homes.

Mike, in addition to the
Mike, in addition to the scholarships, there’s a discount if you’re a member of Efficiency First. (Here’s the link to the EF site: http://www.efficiencyfirst.org/welcome.) I don’t know if they still do it, but I believe they used to have a low-cost (or free?) way of going if you volunteered to help at the conference. And of course, registering at the Early Bird rate saves you $100.

I suggest you contact the Home Performance Coalition directly to find out more. Here’s the link:

http://www.homeperformance.org/contact

Hi Allison,
Hi Allison,

I am just a home owner looking to build an afforadable, energy efficient home that won’t take 30 years to pay off. This conference looks very interesting, and I’d like to attend, but it appears $775 a persons? Or is that just for vendors? I’d just like to attend and learn, is there a more affordable way to attend?

Moke

Spencer, you are free to feel
Spencer, you are free to feel disappointed if you like, but let me see if I can help you see this from a different perspective.

First, no gender, race, or ethnicity is being singled out. If you look at the application for the scholarship, you’ll see that questions for gender and race are indeed included, but they’re optional. Yes, the goal is to achieve greater diversity in gender, race, and ethnicity, but as far as I can tell, they’ll make the decisions based on how much conference attendance will help the applicant or their business and on the person’s financial need.

In a broader context, let me suggest that one of our big biases as humans is seeking out only people who confirm what we already believe. If you don’t like Van Jones, that’s fine. I didn’t say I agreed with everything he’s ever said or done either. What I did say is that he gave an amazing keynote speech.

I certainly have a hard time listening to people whom I think are trying to destroy the country or the planet or aggrandize themselves. But I also know I need to expose myself to people and ideas that I don’t agree with. It helps me see flaws in my thinking or understand another person’s perspective, even if I don’t agree with it.

My guess is that you responded quickly because the article triggered a fear of yours. I would encourage you not to jump ship before considering what I’ve written here.