Green Economy Now

Jeff Wolfe had a simple call to arms for SJF Summit attendees to wrap up the two-day event this afternoon: go develop and promote alternative energy in order to “save the planet.”

“We will win not by losing our senses, but by finally gaining control of them,” said Wolfe, CEO of Vermont-based groSolar. “This is the moment.  Let’s go do it.”

Our Green Economy Plenary, which was moderated by SJF’s David Kirkpatrick, featured five capital markets leaders who offered a multitude of useful nuggets as we look to invest in the new green economy.  The panelists were: Andrew Kassoy, of B-Lab; Ariane van Buren, of Ceres; Mark Pinsky, of the Opportunity Finance Network; Kathleen Starr of the F.B. Heron Foundation; and Don Shaffer, of RSF Social Finance.

Here are just a few of the points and takeaways from the plenary:

Self-Help Credit Union Founder Martin Eakes received a standing ovation from a packed ballroom of SJF Summit attendees this morning after giving a commanding and inspirational keynote about the need to embrace to trusteeship and sustainability.

Janet Cowell, NC state treasurer, kicked off the second day of the SJF Summit by reminding attendees that the Old North State is in a good place to tap into the emerging green economy.

“North Carolina’s a state that is well-positioned to take advantage of this movement,” Cowell said.

Cowell, a former SJF employee and state legislator who was elected as North Carolina’s first female treasurer last fall, praised SJF for organizing the Summit and convening a variety of leaders who want to collaborate to create good green jobs.

At the end of the SJF Summit’s first day, three concurrent sessions took place here at the Durham Convention Center.  Those sessions were a cleantech and green jobs policy and program update, workforce engagement strategies session and a panel on green building and green jobs.  The following blog post will touch on some of the information presented at the cleantech and green jobs policy and program update.  Be sure to come back here to read about the other sessions.

Four panelists explained to Summit attendees the afternoon of June 2 the viability of having zero waste enterprises that make money, promote reuse and ultimately keep significant amounts of materials out of landfills.

The Zero Waste CEO Panel featured leaders of Intechra, Thrift Recycling Management, Salvage Direct and CleanScapes Inc.  Panelists shared interesting anecdotes from their experiences in the green economy.

Melissa Bradley-Burns considers green jobs to be tools to rebuild communities, and she’s pursuing this mission with the nonprofit group Green for All.

“We truly see green jobs as an opportunity to lift people out of poverty,” said Bradley-Burns, Tuesday’s lunch keynote speaker at the SJF Summit on the New Green Economy.

On the morning of June 2, we had our first series of concurrent sessions here at the SJF Summit on the New Green Economy.  Attendees could choose from three options: Supporting Green Jobs Growth, Supporting Social and Green Entrepreneurship and Cleantech Investment Outlook.  Here is a brief report from the cleantech session, but check back later for updates from the other panels.

Early in the day on June 2, we heard from opening keynote Nicholas Parker.  Here is a post about his inspiring and informative talk:

Nicholas Parker, of Cleantech Group LLC, said there are in excess of 70 jurisdictions globally that say they want to succeed in the new green economy, but there are many barriers to turn visions into realities.

“We’re all green now, but I’m not sure we’ve all fully appreciated how big this challenge is,” said Parker, the Summit’s opening keynote speaker.

A Zero Carbon CEO Panel provided best practices and lessons learned from the burgeoning cleantech sector.  Here are some highlights from each of the four speakers:

Garald Cottrell said the recent change in his business is evidence of the quick speed of the cleantech world. Wellons Energy Solutions Group just this week purchased Cottrell’s Bio-Gen Energy Solutions.