This blog is written by Andrew Williamson, a Partner at Physic Ventures. At Physic, Andrew works with companies that are developing technologies, products and services to enable consumers to adopt more sustainable lifestyles. Among the portfolio company investments managed by Physic Ventures, Andrew is on the boards of Chromatin, EnergyHub, Gazelle, Impinj, Novomer, RecycleBank, and WaterSmart.
Prior to joining Physic Ventures, Andrew spent 10 years leading materials science research and development projects at the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. At NREL, Andrew developed computational models for predicting the opto-electronic properties of next generation photovoltaic materials. At LLNL, Andrew was the project leader for computational nanomaterials research. His group’s research activities included nanomaterials, hydrogen storage, thermoelectric materials and battery technology.
Andrew has published over 50 peer-reviewed academic articles and 2 patents. He holds a BA and a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Cambridge and a MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Investing in Sustainable Living 
Hi Andrew:
I read your blogs with interest, share a background in materials science, and a passion for sustainability. My company 500 Gallons is focused on driving restaurant profitability through sustainable actions. We have taken a platform approach to this vertical (extensible to others with a focus on the SMB space) as we believe restaurants stand to gain the most by employing sustainable practices (cost savings – energy, water, waste reduction and recycling).
Our web based application will provide restaurants the right tools to become sustainable as well as leverage such behavior in driving restaurant traffic upwards.
Currently we have signed up about 50 restaurants for a private beta in January 2012. I would like to engage with you (if there is interest), show you our work so far and get your advise/input as we go ahead.
This is a very passionate space for us and we are doing all to leave behind a better planet for those who follow. I am hopeful we can engage professionally and we could benefit from your wise counsel.
Sincerely,
Mahesh Kumar
Co-Founder
500 Gallons
http://www.500gallons.com
(Sunnyvale, CA)
mahesh@500gallons.com
Twitter: 500gallons
blog: http://www.500gallons.com/blog