Welcome to David Hirst's Home Page

Welcome to My Home Page

Introduction

This Home Page offers links to all the material David has made public, as well as to ventures with which he is associated.

My interests

David Hirst

I now find myself to be an Inventor and Consultant. I suppose also, an enterpreneur, as I founded RLtec, (originally as ResponsiveLoad). Its focus is the electricity supply industry. I have now left RLtec after an engineered change of senior management, but continue to support patent preservation and some research activities. I remain active in the field.

As a Consultant, I can assist in Sustainability and IT, with particular strengths in Emissions Trading (or Permit Trading generally), particularly for Shipping. I am fortunate to have as a client Shipping Emissions Abatement and Trading, or SEAaT, which is a campaign and projects to form and see implemented sensible and effective schemes to reduce the pollution from shipping. I am, part time, their Sustainability Adviser.

So various interests and pursuits include:

  • Road Traffic. A recent interest, as optimising traffic flows over time is a very similar problem to leveling electricity load, and it looks as if there is scope to apply similar solutions.
  • Community Heat and Electricity. An effort to encourage and show the virtues of a heat distribution infrastructure for sustained and sustainable improvements in energy efficiency.
  • Ecameter, a system for continuous emissions monitoring. Particularly designed for shipping.
  • ePacks and eLarder. A set of concepts for radically reducing, even removing, packaging waste, while enhancing aspects of urban living.
  • RiverSimple, a project by friendfs to design and build an advanced, highly efficient fuel cell car, and also to build an orgnisation that has sustainabiliuty built in to its structure.
  • Campaign against CO2 sequestration. Storing huge quantities of CO2 will create risks and hazards substantially greater than any we have so far faced, including nuclear waste.
  • The Independence Bureau is an aspiration for access to intelligent support from a P.A. and or secretary.
  • CarbonSense is a group aiming to help organisations and people more actively understand the issues of climate change and what they can do about it.
  • Contraction and Convergence, as developed by the Global Commons Institute (www.gci.org.uk).

I am interested in all aspects of sustainability, including Gaia, Deep Ecology, Natural Capitalism, Business and Sustainability at Schumacher College, and IT. I follow, with some scepticism, Corporate Social Responsibility issues, as, despite being an enterpreneur seeking investment funds, I cannot wholly buy in to the Friedman concept that "stockholder value is all". Too simplistic and too easy to disconnect from ethical considerations.

I am able and willing to contribute time and effort (such as remains) to worthwhile projects that contribute to sustainability. Fees (if any) will reflect the social value. Do call (+44 7831 405443) or email if you think I can help.

Not much of what I write gets formally published, but I am working on getting some of it on the web:

  • The Environmental Case for Seawater Scrubbing has a "home" page, with the latest version, here.
  • "A Drive through the West" is an account (and pictures) of a trip across America in May 2000.
  • WebMemorial, Deathsalert and Bereavement are business concepts that followed some work with the Co-op and their funeral service.
  • Seoul & Korea: thoughts and pictures following a trip to Seoul in early 2000.

I live with my wife Alison and daughter Eleanor in Brighton, and we share some aspects of our lives here.

Last updated DRH 26th December 2008.