As part of the strategy planning effort for the Innovation Exchange we've been working on refining a clear statement of what it is we will produce and how. Here's the most recent version of our "elevator pitch" though, as Gwen points out, it would have to be a pretty long ride…

Goal: The goal of the EDF Innovation Exchange is to facilitate rapid and widespread adoption of environmental innovation in business. The network we create will be used by businesspeople and entrepreneurs around the world to solve environmental problems and create new standards for corporate environmental performance.

Approach: EDF has a 20-year track record of helping the world's largest corporations create simultaneous environmental and business value. The Innovation Exchange will build on this success to create a problem-solving system which will encourage environmental innovation. Its members will develop and spread innovations that encompass both business operations and processes, as well as new technologies, products and services with environmental benefits. We will focus first in sectors that are closely linked to EDF's current 5-year plan, and where we have a proven track record, including fleets, consumer products/retail, and finance, information technology, real estate, and agriculture.

Tactics:

1) Content. We will capture and package our learning and experience for widespread reuse. From quarterly website updates and practically real-time twittering, we will discuss and share our learning with a focus on the process of innovation as well as the outcomes. The primary vehicle for content will be the http://innovation.edf.org website, and we will leverage other websites and services.

Examples: green dining materials, Innovation Review, Fleets Driver training workshop, Fleets GHG calculator, blog posts, open licensing of content

2) Networking. We will actively plug into and help galvanize a large, inclusive network of actors (people and organizations) who will share their experiences and talk about ours. We will engage in person (through events we organize, events we participate in, and direct meetings and conversations) as well as online (through our web properties and via a variety of social media, and other collaborative platforms). The network will include large and small businesses and well as academia, government, and NGOs.

Examples: Conference calendar for speaking, attending, twittering. Unconferences. Memberships in Justmeans, SBNoW. Implementation of CRM.

3) Systems. We will identify specific offerings — software, data, facilitation, training — that will enable members and users of the broader Innovation Exchange network to systematically improve their ability to develop, spread and adopt environmental innovations. We will partner, promote, fund, develop, and define these products as necessary.

Examples: (all notional thus far) – carbon footprint calculator for small business, Patent Exchange, ARPA-E program for energy & conservation innovation, energy efficiency curriculum development.

We will continue to refine and evolve our ideas as we go. If you'd like more detail about our thinking and activities, please visit the strategy and planning website and join the mailing list there.