Summit reflection

I attended the Sustainable Opportunities Summit today. There was a huge range of panel discussions, but they generally centered around the core focus of how companies can financially benefit from addressing issues in climate change. Between the keynote speakers, vibrant dialogue and "career fair-esque" ballroom of business exhibitors, it was the best Friday I've had in a while.

Highlights?
-- Governor Bill Ritter's welcome speech, which painted a very thorough and conscientious discussion of current initiatives in Colorado. Not only did he include a wide variety of promising aspirations on the horizon, but he also answered audience inquiries with poise, sensibility, and optimism.
-- The panel discussion of "The Future of the Car", which provided a broad comparison of the potential technologies (including hybrids, hydrogen, and plug-ins) while weighing the negative externalities of each. Specifically enlightening was the information on the (rather repulsive) process of excavating and refining tar/sand conglomerate.
-- Dr. Julie Fox Gorte's luncheon lecture concerning the finance and economics of sustainable development. This included a very exciting analysis of GDP, wealth, consumption and well-being. I was on the edge of my seat the entire 15 minutes that she spoke, and dashed up to meet her immediately afterwards. (Don't worry - I only mentally dashed. It was physcially more of a casual stroll.) I now hold a business card and a promise for a dialogue extension.
-- Her lecture could only be outdone by the panel discussion on "Greening the Built Environment", which was composed of professionals representing architecture, real estate development, and real estate investment. One of these men was David Linn, who spoke right to my heart with words on internal rate of return, net present value and portfolio diversification specifically related to green real estate.

I also ran into one of the directors of the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, whom I've been dying to meet for a few weeks now. We were friends straight off.

I feel like a child who has just come home from Disneyland. You want to talk about it for the next three days, but eventually exhuastion wins. After all that small talk and hand shaking, I need a nap.