• Mark Troppe, US Dept of Commerce, wants public to know they have services available to help companies and utilities.... working with CPS to provide energy audits to large consumers of energy to help them meet emissions reductions goals.
• Colin Rowan, Rowan communications, working on messaging for utilities in transition to clean energy... working with Pecan Street Project, looking to expand beyond initial group involved to much bigger audience
• Bill Sparks, Austin Energy, works with small to mid size commercial customers on Resource Generation Plan... has seen lots of passion on both sides, people are worried about cost, particularly non profits that work with fixed income citizens.
• Satyenda Rama, TIE, works to connect start ups with capital, large global network designed to facilitate collaboration.
• Gulshan Kapoor, Net Impact Austin
• Amber Sprague, Net Impact/Rainforest Partnership
• Anonymous, works with companies to facilitate cooperation in companies that are competitors, where cooperation can benefit all involved.
• Duncan Stewart, TxDot, gives researchers at UT and A&M money to figure out how to meet the needs for the state... one study they're working on is if power lines to carry wind energy can go along state rights of way.
• Doug Lewin, Senator Ellis, transitioning to Good Company to work on green jobs training, making sure businesses and utilities have workers they need to grown and transition to clean energy economy.
• EcoSmart Answer, trying to spread message of sustainability to businesses
• Brandi Clark, Austin Eco Network, trying to tie together government and non profits, businesses and the public... help non profits get their messages out.

Themes (in no particular order):
Reasons for Collaborations:
(1) Awareness of services and opportunities
(2) Overlapping mission/duplication
(3) Formats for engagement - expert roundtable, dialog and deliberation schema, community outreach, media
(4) Research and sharing best practices
(5) Funding, scarce resources to move the needle to sustainability... what gets the focus.
(6) Need to explain that collaboration and moving to clean energy is not really an option... it has to be done... part of the difficulty is that behavioral economics is driving policy... there is a lack of understanding that this traditional model doesn't cut it anymore.

Leadership Collaborations - big picture thinking - coordination and collaboration at the top is extremely important. Colin pointed out that he did a report highlighting all the clean energy activities in the state and so many people didn't know what other entities were doing. Governor's office, House, Senate, state agencies, businesses, utilities, need to get together to share experience. Colin also pointed out need of energy and water entities, at the very least, to work together. Dave of Fish and Wildlife Service pointed out that biodiversity must also be included.

Some online programs could help. Brandi pointed out MindMeister is an online tool that can be used to connect the dots of who's working in what area so people have that awareness. These tools can help spread the word, keep media informed too. http://www.mindmeister.com/maps/show/26116972

Satyenda thought that we need to point out collaboration but also conflicts... like between water and power competing for scarce resources... suggested that academia could play role in that effort, as could non-profits, etc.

City of Austin Sustainability Officer will help with all of this, point of leadership, collaboration and pointing out conflicts.

Brandi: Take aways for collaboration - before you go to meet with an elected official, funder, or when producing a conference or meeting, see if you can bring others along, with their expertise and knowledge.

Dynamic mapping to find unusual or unexplored collaborations.

Colin: Based on last legislative session, there is a big need for articulating what everybody agrees on. There was no common vernacular or vision which led to failure of major clean energy initiatives.