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Going Smart Green Now - that was the focus of the Ecosummit that wrapped up in Berlin on March 25, 2011. Exploring ways to develop smart green companies, smart green consumers, smart green cities, and smart green societies, Ecosummit was a fantastic opportunity for thought leaders, industry experts, investors, and start-up business owners alike to come together and discuss how to live in harmony and balance with the rest of the planet. It was also a tremendous networking opportunity for green entrepreneurs to build connections with potential funders and partners. In attendance were over 27 cleantech start-ups, and included in the speaker content were talks on how new disruptive models in the cleantech space can help transform the world. The conference topics centered on future mobility, sustainable cities, renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainability management. The conference featured many notable speakers (87 in all). Professor Dr. Michael Braungart is an intrepid industry leader and co-founder of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBCD), founder of the Environmental Protection and Encouragement Agency (EPEA) in Hamburg, Germany, and scientific director of the Hamburger Umweltinstitut. He’s best known for his work with William McDonough on the Cradle to Cradle concept. His keynote address covered the Cradle to Cradle Economy concept and was particularly inspirational. Thomas Noonan, president and CEO of Joulex, was also on hand to talk about smart green IT and enterprise energy management. Joulex has a very cool offering in the smart building space, and I am sure we will see more of them in the future. I also had a chance to speak at the conference, where I presented Sefaira’s vision for information technology innovation in the world of green building design and construction. If you were not at the conference, be sure to check out the website as it is now full of conference videos and other inspirational resources.
