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GIBN: Duke – Wrap-up Session

1. Can it be both green and green? (Robin, EDF)
- Yes. Keys: Engage top management; create awareness and collaboration – create network; firm commitment to sustainability; acknowledge it’s a step by step process; show people through actions; engage culture and create willingness to change; realize there is a continuum of green – everything along that represents improvement.

2. Sustainable Enterprise Fieldbook (LivingFieldbook.net)

3. Exploring the sustainable knowledge commons.
- How did CC get started? MIT’s courseware used CC and so did Beastie Boys. Incentive structures (i.e. music industry wants people to listen to and share music but not sell it); have to get deep into the market;

4. Making action easy/inaction painful.
- One key issues: need actionable, credible, standard info available
- Make action happen, and make it automatic so people don’t have to think about it for both consumers and business; if can’t make it automatic, how do we have the carrot and the stick?
- Finding alignment between awards and incentives

Innovations, questions, best practices throughout day:
  • Ecolabels and value chains – insight = many leverage points buried within that need analysis; may be buyers that have greater leverage but little info to make decisions; intersection between value chain and point of leverage is key factor to driving outcomes discussed
  • “Rethinking policy…” – important to explore how business sees contribution to policy making; advocacy speaks different language then policy folks, so we need to align the two; develop unified language and work with different messengers (i.e. Duke could work with business community to create voice between two); have tangible product outline and goals/models; will have roundtable with Robin at EDF and Christen _______(?) to help business and policy makers understand each other better
  • Silicon Valley – words to mind? Semi-conductors, innovation, VC funding… What tangible steps to tie ideas together in terms of collaboration? Can we create a place for social enterprise (as Silicone Valley is) – for green business innovation? Physical location in addition to virtual hub. Access to ideas, capital, universities…
  • Innovative financial options for start-up companies and existing businesses in the green market place: challenges of raising capital and what can be done to ease challenges (i.e. investor circle with high net-worth individuals who want to build the network of how we get successful entrepreneurs involved and connected with start-ups and renewable energy companies in the RT area); lenders’ and their financial needs…
  • People/companies need to have information in order to make things happen, especially consumers; how can we use the internet and open-source info to get the data out here?
  • Alyssa (SAS): game changing techs – what game are we in? to move to a low carbon economy
    • What is a game changing economy? The things that get us there are not new… talked about what Google is already doing, etc.
  • Common theme: acknowledgement of culture in America regarding sustainability; reality TV and other marketing tactics to achieve sustainability
  • Water: NC, drought and need for education both current and future; educate people about what is the best way to manage water use; population pressure
  • Influencing consumer behavior – energy use and transportation: 1. Consumers need trusted source of info (which validated work already happening); 2. New financing mechanisms needed; 3. Updating building codes --- no monopolies, regulating industries, new means of production
  • Can capitalism survive? (“Rethinking consumption and happiness” session): rethink GDP as a measure of economic well being; rethinking environmental indicators and indicators of happiness; move away from consumption as happiness; business has a lot of materiality to it, so how do we dematerialize; role of faith-based communities?; reframe mental models to something truly more sustainable.

  • How do we create a “green triangle” and really focus on green and not just the tech side; full spectrum from K-12 and beyond… People interested? Michael, Katherine, Jill… interested in this topic and will be leaders to putting this together.
  • Issue with sustainability in general, from an issue standpoint, it’s highly fragmented – we need to know what “sustainability professionals” are; need a national standard and elevate the professional credentials of the profession; should be driven by higher education (since that’s where we currently are)
  • What is the potential role of the NC government in the area of sustainability? (Issue can be discussed on state and federal levels)
  • Any other actionable issues to follow up on? (Policy, greening culture/economy, etc.)
  • Extension beyond the Triangle… intersection between NC policy group and regional group (for follow up)
  • Other next actions?: 1. Get more industries involved; 2. Talk about groups people are involved in (i.e. LinkedIn groups)
    • Sustainable NC
    • NC Sustainability (LinkedIn)
    • Green Taskforce
    • Local Society of Women in…. (?)
    • CEN
  • Collaborative effort needed between non-profit and educational institutions; non-profit doesn’t have the funding, so how can they and businesses collaborate to educate the public about what sustainability means
  • FEEDBACK and next steps:
    • Take time to stay engaged with the GIBN network, blog, wiki
    • Markers for success re: event (transactions, jobs, connections, etc.)
  • Comments:
    • Engaged all day
    • More triage – a lot of overlap to streamline discussions
    • People had to leave early, so some energy lost – perhaps 2 sessions instead?
    • Offer (?) credits
    • More time wanted by some b/c there’s a lot of interesting stuff happening
    • Could have a little structure to start out… could get into discussion a bit more quickly since there are general themes that arise at each conference – perhaps a few previously suggested topics should be made available ahead of time to create some general direction (so people have topics/points in mind)
    • Communication about what is/isn’t provided w/regard to food, drink
    • More representation from private sector; have some presentations from corporate sector
    • Opening speaker? Good idea? YES!


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lilliasmedf 		Latest page update: made by lilliasmedf , Feb 2 2010, 5:29 PM EST (about this update About This Update lilliasmedf Edited by lilliasmedf


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jilln oops! Branding the Triangle as a Sustainable Enterprise hub 0 Mar 25 2010, 10:32 AM EDT by jilln
Thread started: Mar 25 2010, 10:32 AM EDT  Watch
Let me know. There are several groups and organizations in the Triangle working towards this same general goal -whether it be under Green, or a specific town/region or Innovation.

Thanks!
Jill
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jilln Any interest in continuing on with "branding the Triangle 0 Mar 25 2010, 10:31 AM EDT by jilln
Thread started: Mar 25 2010, 10:31 AM EDT  Watch

One outcome of our day together in late January was:
How do we create a “green triangle” and really focus on green and not just the tech side; full spectrum from K-12 and beyond… People interested? Michael, Katherine, Jill… interested in this topic and will be leaders to putting this together.
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