Our future now 2009 kicks off in the morning

So I'm a little unsure of what to expect in the a.m. My good friend was unable to join me at the conference so I'll be flying solo. Aside from leaving my business cards in my valet-ed car, I'm ready to see what the conference has to offer. In reviewing the agenda tonight I saw jeff rickert I slated to talk green jobs monday. Also will be lloking forward to sen harkin's panel on efca tuesday am.

All in all, I have an open mind and expect to leave here with no less than 50 new national connections.

That's all for tonight.
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Being the Nexus

Everyone assumes the new energy economy will take hold easily - like dandilion seeds kicked up by the neighbor kid trapsing through the yard. That we won't have to help it along or force the market to change. Not so.

The transition for the American economy from a high carbon, high waste, high consumption model to a lean, efficient, and low carbon one will take incredible heat, pressure and persistence. Imagine lacing your shoes with steel shoe laces. Yeah, sort of like that.

Tilde Herrerra calls this a New Era of Climate Thinking in a post today on Greenbiz.com.  Tilde sites the recent remarks of Mary Nichols of the California Air Resource Board about the immense opportunity that carbon cap and trade presents for American companies

“So obviously companies that can figure out ways to cost-effectively create products that people want to buy, or things that people need, and do it with the lowest overall lifecycle impact on climate are the big winners in this new economy,” Nichols said Thursday during a keynote speech at the West Coast Summit of the Women's Network for a Sustainable Future in Santa Clara, Calif."

Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to be that easy. Here's why.

First, a majority of the businesses in America are small businesses, which tend to have owners and managers that are so consumed with operations and survival in their area of impact they have neither the time or energy to commit to understanding "the greening" of their business.

Second, a misconception exists that carbon management and sustainability only really applies to the Wal Marts and US Steels of the world. The little guy or gal has no need to change his or her ways to reduce net imacts. (Meaning, they'll wait until the bloody last minute to act).

And therein lies the OPPORTUNITY. Businesses that can serve as the nexis between the greening industry (solar, wind, biomass, high efficiency, green roofs, and the lot) and the existing industry (pizza shops, grocery stores, pharmacies, doctors' offices, municipal buildings, and a host of so many others large and small) could stand to be the BOOM of the new energy era. 

Think of it this way. Millions of small, medium and large business owners are going to need someome to help them make a fast transition, and it won't be someone they can afford to hire, train, and be on staff full time. But they certainly would team up with industry partners, business neighbors, or vendors they do business with to hire consultants to help them make the transition to sustainability.

Ultimately what spells success in this arena? Understanding that to be successful the approach has got to be about how to make the existing business more profitable and less impactful. Each step towards sustainability must be towards the core competencies and strengths of the business.  Technology should be utilized to maximize energy monitoring power. And most of all, focus on the three highest net impact areas first. For many businesses, the low-hanging fruit will be reducing electricity waste, implementing electricity efficiency, and exploring a sustainable local supply chain. 

What are you doing to build the new energy era? Get off your carbon emitter and get to action because the opportunities are passing you by.