Climate ChangeArticles about events, policies and people related to climate change.‘Green Paths to Economic Recovery’ in SacramentoRon Nabityheadline-494412011-04-21T17:44:01Z2011-04-21T17:44:01Z<p> The Green California Summit and Exposition returned to Sacramento for its fifth year at the Sacramento Convention Center on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The summit featured classes, keynote speakers, exhibits and product demonstrations. Exhibits and keynote sessions were open to the public.</p>
<p> This year's theme was "Green Paths to Economic Recovery" and the keynote speakers focused on the economic aspects of green technology. Mayor Kevin Johnson said on Tuesday that Sacramento was the leader in California for green job growth over the last decade.</p>
<p> "We really want to transform Sacramento into the Emerald Valley,” Johnson said.</p>
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<p> Tuesday's keynote speaker was Terry Tamminen, the founder and president of 7th Generation Advisors. Tamminen recently wrote his second book, "Cracking the Carbon Code: The Keys to Sustainable Profits in the New Economy," and spoke about the costs of our country's fossil fuel use.</p>
<p> "When we measure the true cost of our oil addiction, we realize that the green path to economic recovery makes a lot more financial sense than the path to wars or digging ever deeper into the earth for more fossil fuels," Tamminen said.</p>
<p> Tamminen gave examples of large buildings that retrofitted their structures to save up to 80 percent in energy costs.</p>
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<p> <br /> Keith Miller, the publisher of <a href="http://www.green-technology.org/" target="_blank">Green Technology</a>, said the summit was "an opportunity for leaders in state and local government as well as the private sector to come together and do planning and strategies to help create clean and sustainable communities."</p>
<p> The exhibit hall featured displays by over 150 vendors and organizations. Attendees inspected electric, fuel-cell and hybrid vehicles, played with various LED lighting products, learned about conservation methods and saw a number of construction materials that are made of recycled materials.</p>
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<p> More photos of the Green California Summit and Expo are available <a href="http://www.nabityphotos.com/GCSE_2011/index.htm" target="_blank">here </a>.</p>
<p> Photos by <a href="http://www.nabityphotos.com" target="_blank">Ron Nabity</a></p>
<p> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="285" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cFcgEpg8m04" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe></p>Ron Nabity2011-04-21T17:44:01ZGreen Summit Opens TuesdayRon Nabityheadline-233882010-03-17T23:29:43Z2010-03-17T23:29:43Z<p>The 2010 Green California Summit and Exposition opened on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 for two days at the Sacramento Community Center. Pre-Summit workshops were held on Monday. This year's theme is Committed to Sustainability and features education programs, awards and over 175 exhibitors. Admission to the exhibits and keynote presentations is free. </p>
<p>Tuesday's expo opened with comments from Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and expo co-chair, Linda Adams, Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency. Senator Fran Pavley, author of AB 32, was the first keynote speaker. Pavley spoke about the current campaign to set aside AB 32 and defended the provisions of the Act with a Top Ten List of reasons to support AB 32. </p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Senator Fran Pavley, Tuesday keynote speaker</strong></em></p>
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<p>The second keynote speaker was 15-year-old Alec Loorz, founder of the non-profit organization, Kids-vs-Global Warming. Loorz spoke passionately about his generation's interest in fighting global warming. He developed an interest in climate change when he was 12 years old after viewing Al Gore's movie, An Inconvenient Truth. Loorz described his attempts to register as a trainer for Al Gore's organization, only to be turned down because of his age. He eventually met Al Gore and was invited to become an official trainer. Loorz has spoken to over 25,000 people and received a standing ovation from the audience when he finished his presentation. </p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Alec Loorz, Tuesday keynote speaker</strong></em></p>
<p>Wednesday's scheduled keynote speakers will be Karen Douglas, Chairperson of the California Energy Commission, and F. Noel Perry, founder of Next 10. </p>
<p>The exhibit hall featured booths and demonstrations of a variety of environmental products and services. Some of the technologies on display included electric motorcycles and scooters, fuel cell automobiles, recycling services, electrical and water conservation products and landscaping alternatives. </p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>The Green Expo exhibit hall</em></strong></p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Chris White from the California Fuel Cell Partnership shows off a fuel cell vehicle</em></strong><em> </em></p>
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<p>Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger toured the exhibit floor on Tuesday morning, stopping at several booths as he walked around the expo. After his tour, Schwarzenegger defended AB 32 and said green technologies were one of the few areas producing new jobs. </p>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>Governor Schwarzenegger greets students from Paradise Intermediate School</strong></em></p>
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<p>A multimedia presentation of the Green California Summit and Expo <a href="http://www.nabityphotos.com/GreenExpo2010/" target="_blank"><strong>can be viewed here. </strong></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.nabityphotos.com" target="_blank"><em>Photos by Ron Nabity</em></a></p>Ron Nabity2010-03-17T23:29:43Z