Posts in 'Solutions Labs'

Last month, I attended my first Solutions Lab in Durham, North Carolina. For those that don't know, Environmental Defense Fund is hosting Solutions Labs around the country to bring together sustainability thought leaders from all walks of life. To be honest, I was a little skeptical that the "unconference"-style event (one where attendees choose the topics of discussion) would be a good use of my time. Fortunately, my concerns were unwarranted. Not only was this one of the best conferences I've attended in a long time, but it also tackled an issue that the sustainable business community has generally shied away from – CONSUMPTION. Read more »

I like structure. I like to know what my day will look like so I can plan ahead. Itineraries and calendars are my friends (especially when they are color coordinated). So when I decided to go to an "unconference" with no set agenda, I really didn’t know what to expect. All of these questions fluttered into my head: what the heck is an unconference? No agenda? How do I prepare? For those of you out there who have similar questions, this post is for you. Read more »

Tom Murray will be a panelist at The Dow Jones Private Equity Analyst Conference on January 26^th in New York City along with Kirk Hourdajian, Audrey Davenport and Julie Stofer from our Corporate Partnerships team.

Previously known as "Unconferences," we're launching a series of events known as Solutions Labs. The first of its kind will be the Solutions Lab 2010 at Duke University on January 28^th in Durham, NC. Expect to see Dave Witzel, Greg Andeck and Andrew Hutson.

Also, be sure to check out our EDFix Conference Call Series:

• #4- Open Data Principles for Sustainability: January 11^th featuring Dave Witzel and Andrew Hutson.
• #5- Will take place on January 25^th so stay tuned for more information!

You can find more information and listen to podcasts of previous calls here.

On January 20-22^nd in Washington, DC, Kirk Hourdajian will be speaking on a panel titled “Investments for a New Green Economy” at the 10th National Conference on Science, Policy and the Environment.

Look for us at these conferences – and let us know if you’ll be there so we can watch for you as well!

You can always see where we’re going to be – and what conferences we’re watching – on the Innovation Exchange Calendar.

Green Innovation in Business 2010

Earlier this year we teamed up with Ashoka to galvanize a series of Green Innovation for Business Unconferences affectionately know as GIBUs. Open space "unconference" events were hosted by Google here in Washington, DC; Microsoft in Cambridge, MA; eBay in San Jose, CA; and then 3M in Austin, TX. Through these events some 450 business, government, and non-profit professionals got together to discuss what they are doing and thinking about to improve and accelerate sustainability in business.

We had a great variety of participants including representatives of large companies such as Cisco, IBM, and Accenture; innovators such as B-Corp and Carbon Clear; government agencies including EPA, Fish & Wildlife and the Texas Dept. of Transportation; and non-profits such as Net Impact and 511 Rideshare. Of course, since these were open space events, the topics of discussion were chosen by the participants. They included issues like inspiring behavior change, the role of government, the role of the C-suite, game changing technology, and making sustainability competitive. Notes from these events are available in the Green Innovation in Business wiki.

Reviews were strongly positive as reflected by this quote from Lee Milligan at the US Business Council for Sustainable Development about the Austin event:  "The conference was a great networking opportunity. It is a great way of finding other people in the local community who are working towards the same goals."

Based on the encouraging results from 2009 we've decided to continue and expand in 2010. Read more »