Opened with an intro from Dave Muyers. Then Heidrun talked about sustainability and gave an overall introduction to the speakers of the day. There has been a lot of talk in the past year, and while this has been good, it has resulted in a lot of noise. The speakers today are meant provide relevant information from credible sources.
Joel Makower talked about business and sustainability, comparing it to teenage sex. Everyone says they're doing it, and only a few are. He ended by saying that there is a dysfunctional conversation going on out there. Environment has a different meaning to different people and we have to work on defining meanings.
Stuart Cowan talked about systems large and small. It provided an interesting perspective on how to view sustainability. There was something intangible and inspiring about how he spoke though. I will sum it up by his comment that "the biosphere is a thin shell upon this iron ball" we call earth.
Rob Thompson spoke about the economics of energy. The most poignant part of his lecture was the invisible effects our actions have, such as energy efficient cars leading to more energy consumption.
Scott Bernstein talked about the pursuit of sustainable cities. He provided an interesting anecdote to the humble start of Lloyds of London, and inverse relationship of buying cars and personal savings. The end of his lecture had great information on the concept of Local Efficiency.
Erin McConahey talked about the mini, micro and macro. She used a case study from a past project, a San Francisco Federal Building. She also showed work from a current project, Dontang Eco-City.
