From April 7-9, thousands of representatives from California government and the commercial real estate sector will gather in Sacramento for the 2008 Green California Summit and Exposition. The event, developed under the leadership of an advisory board chaired by Secretary of State and Consumer Services Rosario Marin and Secretary of Environmental Protection Linda Adams, is designed to support statewide efforts to build clean and sustainable communities.
“If you want to understand what California’s state and local governments are doing to create healthy communities and a vibrant, green economy, you can’t miss the Green California Summit,” said Secretary Marin. “This is the event for anyone who wants to be part of a green revolution that is changing the world.”
Keynotes for the event, which will take place at the Sacramento Convention Center, will be Rick Fedrizzi (April 8), founding chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council and Hunter Lovins (April 9), co-author of Natural Capitalism and founder of the non-profit Natural Capitalism Solutions.
The exhibition hall will feature over two hundred companies providing green products and services, ranging from green cleaning supplies and energy efficient lighting to freeway-worthy electric vehicles. The floor will also feature an information center that highlights government sustainability programs, green economic alliances and private sector initiatives.
The Summit’s education program, which begins on April 7 with a series of pre-conference training sessions, will cover topics ranging from water conservation and green building to climate change and transportation planning. Presenters will include a wide range of state and local officials and national experts.
The Green California Summit and Exposition is an annual event, the only statewide forum that highlights state and local government initiatives. “Local governments throughout California have made unprecedented commitments to finding new energy sources, reducing environmental impact and building green businesses,” said Paul McIntosh, executive director of the California State Association of Counties. “The Green California Summit is the place to get the tools needed to reach these goals.”
This year’s Summit comes at a time when the potential economic benefits of green technologies have gained new importance for both the public and private sectors. The presence of incentives for implementing energy-saving technologies and vigorous investment in California-based green technology industries have not gone unnoticed.
“I see a new form of green capitalism emerging that is an area to do well and do good,” California Treasurer Bill Lockyer noted in a recent interview with Green Technology magazine. “We will accomplish just that by saving taxpayers money and by retrofitting existing buildings to save energy. We especially need to do that when belt tightening is necessary.”
“This response to this year’s Green California is unprecedented,” said Bob Graves, president of Green Technology, the non-profit group that is organizing the Summit. “Tight economic times have only created a greater demand for green solutions. In addition to the possibility for savings, this sector is seen as a primary source for economic growth – and California is leading the nation in speeding the implementation of sustainable products and services.”
The keynote presentations and the exhibit hall at the Green California Summit and Exposition are free to registered attendees. To register, or to obtain information about the education program, visit www.green-technology.org/gcsummit.