So much attention has been paid lately to protecting consumers online that many have begun to complain that we are beginning to stifle e-commerce with regulations. New European e-commerce regulations passed to assist online business on that continent have been criticized for  being counterproductive. Shocking isn’t it? Can you imagine a major government bureaucracy doing anything counterproductive to businesses? Recent internet legislation in the US put forth by John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia and and Sen. Olympia J. Snowe of Maine, aims at bureaucratizing the entire internet within a federally mandated internet security office. To quote Rockefeller  and the Washington post: “People say this is a military or intelligence concern, but it’s a lot more than that,” Rockefeller, a former intelligence committee chairman, said in an interview. “It suddenly gets into the realm of traffic lights and rail networks and water and electricity.” So the internet has now become as essential as the roads, rails and wires we’ve built from coast to coast and the government intends to defend it as such with their full capabilities. But let’s step back for a moment and discuss consumer safety in the “real world” because the government has been largely unable to protect the consumer there as well. Though many are concerned about cyber- security and ecommerce safety , and rightfully so, there is a current outrage in Vancouver BC over a debit terminal fraud that has emptied the bank accounts of thousands of lower mainland residents.

The problem is widespread and consumers have been angered at the lack of transparency concerning the locations where cards were compromised. Unfortunately for those who have been scammed this is  the protocol for dealing with these kinds of bank card frauds. It’s considered the responsibility of the bank, not the government, to protect consumer’s who use the hardware that’s been compromised- but the criminal investigation relies on confidentiality.

Though the security of bank cards and their pin numbers have been the responsibility of the banks themselves, the Canadian government has taken the lead on  identity theft.  While banks maintain responsibility for cards and pins the government is responsible for those who use them. The passing of Bill S-4, An Act to amend the Criminal Code means that it’s now a criminal offense to obtain and possess identity information with the intent to use the information deceptively, dishonestly or fraudulently in the commission of a crime. It is also a criminal offense to transfer or sell information to another person without considering the possible criminal uses of that information and to unlawfully possess or traffick in government-issued identity documents that contain another person’s information. These steps effectively neuter identity theft operations before they’re able to gain momentum and do some serious damage, or at least that’s the hope.

In finding a balance between the freedom of business and the paternalism of bureaucracy we can create the systems we need to allow for flexible and secure ecommerce. But judging by what we see going on in the physical realm we need to have a co-operative approach. Government and institutions can only do so much- we as consumers need to be vigilant and cautious. Scammers will continue to find new and creative ways to completely screw us over and the more we let them do it (by letting our guard down)  the easier it is for bureaucracies to come tilting at windmills, for better or worse, with legislation and regulation. Suffocating us, and the internet, with their love.

As our global demand for energy and resources continues to climb, our traditional tried and true technologies will need to be replaced by a whole set of new ones, or alternately we will have to re-arrange our human environment to be vastly more efficient. The first option is much simpler and easier to facilitate and new companies have sprung up around the globe to deal with particular scarcity problems. Two of those problems are solved by an Ontario company that has created a process that transforms our garbage into energy. Landfill sites are a major challenge. With heavy metals and bacterias seeping into groundwater, they pose serious health risks for animals and humans. Our supply of energy, also a challenge, is crucial to our ability to produce both manufactured goods as well as to power the ever growing selection of gadgets and gizmos that we seem to need. By freeing up landfills to lie fallow and be reclaimed we also  create useable land for alternate uses. Like growing biofuel crops so traditional croplands can be used to create food staples for human consumption, reducing the threat of global food shortages and price spikes in staples caused by global biofuels demand. 

Plasco is potentially sitting on a goldmine. Landfill issues have become front and centre for major cities as we are fast running out of suitable areas to dump.  New York City particularly finds itself in a tough position regarding this issue. Plasco Energy Group Inc. of Ottawa Ontario may have the solution to both New York’s energy needs and garbage disposal needs. The company has created a plasma-gasification system that turns garbage into fuel without creating greenhouse gas emmissions when it’s burned to create electricity. The process also produces other usable goods like salt, fertilizer and even potable water. There’s a hurdle however. Much like every other startup Plasco needs funding, and thus far it’s recieved it from several sources but funding for greentech projects in general has been tricky. Venture capital groups tend to favour startups or projects that will have a high ROI, many of these greentech ideas are amazing concepts but will only yield low to medium returns. Conversely, a banking insitution will be more apt to lend to a low yielding business if the concept and technology is sound- somethething that denotes a proven track record. This is something that greentech companies often don’t have because they’re trying something new. So it puts many companies in an awkward position, but one that can be navigated as Plasco has done.  As the recession has taken its toll on credit and fluidity, government has become a major lender in the greentech sector. Funding is the major hurdle to the greentech sector but something that can be overcome as a recent Cnet article by Martin LaMonica illustrates. 

One trick is to balance where or who money comes from and at what stage in the technology or system’s development it comes. From  concept, development, product testing, market testing, beta version etc etc there are different levels of risk and different kinds of commitments a company needs. In the case of Plasco, the Sustainable Development Technology Canada Fund, was able to commit to nearly 10 million in grant funds at this most recent stage of its development. This is likely becuase Plasco has been able to improve its system and has proven that it works, it’s safe, and it will potentially be a game changer with massive profit potential. Not only that, but it helps to make the world a better place in the process. Some cities in particular have taken efforts to position themselves in preparation of an economic greentech boom.  Vancouver BC is leading the charge in attracting and nurturing greentech companies and by recently throwing down the gauntlet by stating its goal of becoming the greenest city on the planet. The Greenest City Quick Start Recommendations proposal released in 2009 by Vancouver city hall is a comprehensive and broad mission statement that examins and recommends a transition from traditional technologies and economies to emerging ones, with emphasis on reducing waste, pollution and other negative externalities and increasing positive ones. Plasco would feel right at home here, and I look forward to their garbage burning alchemy powering this laptop in the near future.