Jumpstarting the New Green Economy

Conference Program Keynotes & Plenary Sessions

Please note:

• This information is current as of 5/13/09; information is being updated daily with panel descriptions and speaker bios.
• All conference sessions will be audio recorded, and recordings will be available at the conclusion of the conference. Some sessions will also by videotaped. Speakers and panelists will be asked to sign releases for both. In addition, the organizers encourage live blogging and twittering, and may use materials provided as the basis for subsequent publications.

Tuesday, May 19

Noon-5 p.m. – Expo Setup

5 p.m. Conference Registration, Green Expo, and Networking Reception

We encourage all attendees to pre-register, and then to check in on Tuesday, May 19, at 5 p.m. to pick up their badges and conference packets, visit the Green Expo, and attend our Networking Reception (which included in the conference registration fee – including free hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar).

- Gym, Ferguson Recreation Center

7 p.m. Opening Keynotes and Conversation

7 p.m. Bob Willard: The Business Case for Sustainability (Videoconference Live from Toronto, Canada)

Bob is a leading expert on the business value of corporate sustainability strategies. In the last five years, he has given hundreds of keynote presentations to corporations, governments, academics, and NGOs. Bob applies business and leadership development experience from his 34-year career at IBM Canada to engage the business community in proactively avoiding risks and capturing opportunities associated with sustainability issues.

This unique interactive videoconference presentation sets the framework for the conference by presenting the multiple dimensions of sustainability, and inviting participants into the dialog on establishing and sustaining the green economy. Click here for more information on Bob Willard.

8 p.m. Assemblyman Upendra J. Chivukula: New Jersey at the Forefront of the Green Revolution (in person)

Assemblyman Chivukula, Deputy Speaker of the NJ Assembly, and Chair of Utilities and Telecommunications Committee, has notified us that he can be at the luncheon on Thursday, because it will be a voting day in the Assembly. So we have asked him to say a few words on Tuesday evening, to help us kick off our 2009 Green Ventures Conference.

Assemblyman Chivukula is a foremost supporter of clean energy, CO2 reduction, and entrepreneurial development in New Jersey, and will be happy to take questions from the audience.

– Dreyfuss Theater

Wednesday, May 20

Green entrepreneurship, corporate sustainability, government programs, current state of green business, green building, renewable energy, green collar jobs

8 a.m. Breakfast, Late Registration

– Gym , Ferguson Recreation Center

9 a.m. Welcome and Opening Session: Jumpstarting the New Green Economy

Welcome from: Campus Provost Ken Greene, local mayors, other dignitaries and Conference Chair Jonathan Cloud

– Dreyfuss Theater

9:30 a.m. Keynote Address: The Power of Enough

Miriam Hawley: Opening a Sufficiency Conversation: The Foundation for Sustainability

“We now have the opportunity to live the most meaningful lives any generation of humankind has ever lived.

The halls of power have managed thus far to keep the climate change crisis at bay, the species extinction crisis at arms’ length, and the social justice crisis as an afterthought. Now we can see that the financial crisis is dramatically different. It is lodged in the hearts and minds of citizens, and is in the face of leaders in all sectors of society.

The opportunity in this global economic crisis is that it’s forcing us to rethink our relationship to money and life, and to confront not only the financial crisis, but also all other crises which stem from the same root – Scarcity.”

– Lynne Twist, author, The Soul of Money and co-founder, The Pachamama Alliance

In this keynote address, we will distinguish sufficiency as the underpinning of sustainability and any successful green venture.

• Examining the indelible link between sufficiency and sustainability
• Awakening from the trance of scarcity and choosing to live in the truth of sufficiency
• Launching green and sustainable ventures grounded in the practice of sufficiency
• Creating a just, compassionate and sustainable future for you, your organization, your community and the world

– Dreyfuss Theater

9:45 a.m. Green Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Invention2Venture Track – continues until 12:30 before rejoining other conferees for the luncheon panel) – For more information on this special program, see Invention2Venture.

– Rothman Institute Forum

10 a.m. – Regular Concurrent Conference Sessions (Coordinators in parentheses):

For details on these panel discussions, please see Concurrent Sessions: Wednesday, May 20, 10 a.m.

– Dreyfuss Theater Classrooms

12 noon: Visit Expo

12:30 p.m. – Lunch Panel on Green Venture Opportunities – Moderator: Jim Barrood

Panelists

• Shihab Kuran, Petra-Solar
• Leslie Joy, Joy Organics
• Robert Wisniewski, Lincoln Park Coast Cultural District
• Brad Neilley, Green Planet Group
• David Wigder, RecycleBank

Moderator: Jim Barrood, Rothman Institute

– Gym, Ferguson Recreation Center

2 p.m. Financing Your Green Venture (Invention2Venture Track – continues until 5 p.m. before rejoining other conferees for the Expo and Awards Dinner) - For details on this track, see Invention2Venture.

– Rothman Institute Forum

2 p.m. Regular Concurrent Conference Sessions:

For details on these panel discussions, please see Concurrent Sessions: Wednesday, May 20, 2 p.m.

– Dreyfuss Theater Classrooms

– Rothman Institute Forum

5 p.m. I2V Wrap-up and Look Ahead to Advanced I2V (Invention2Venture Track)

– Rothman Institute Forum

4-6 p.m. Visit Expo

– Gym, Ferguson Recreation Center

6:30 p.m. Awards Dinner

Co-sponsored by Morris County SHRM, the dinner will recognize exceptional accomplishment by individuals and by companies. Awardees include Phil LaRocco of E+Co, Knute Jensen of NJDEP, and Randy Solomon of NJSSI; Lighting Science Group Corporation (Govi Rao), Alcoa Howmet, and BASF.

– Gym, Ferguson Recreation Center

Thursday, May 21

Beyond the current economic growth paradigm. New business models and new businesses for a new green economy. Action-learning workshops, new initiatives, building blocks for a sustainable future.

8 a.m. Breakfast

– Gym, Ferguson Recreation Center

9 a.m. – Plenary Session

Beyond the Current Economic Growth Paradigm – Expanding Sustainable Prosperity

David Grant, President and CEO, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation

– Dreyfuss Theater

10 a.m. – Concurrent Conference Sessions:

For details on these panel discussions, please see Concurrent Sessions: Thursday, May 21, 10 a.m.

– Dreyfuss Theater Classrooms

12:00 - Visit Expo

12:30: Luncheon Panel on Government Policies and Programs affecting the Green Economy

Panelists:

• Dr. Peter Reczek, NJ Commission on Science and Technology
• Ralph Avallone, International Green Energy Council
• Anne Hoskins, PSEG Services Corporation
• Kathleen Coviello, NJ Economic Development Authority

Moderated by Dr. Elizabeth Kujan, County College of Morris 

– Gym, Ferguson Recreation Center

2 p.m. Action Learning Workshops (Capstone)

For details on these workshops, please see Action-Learning Workshops: Thursday, May 21, 2 p.m.

– Dreyfuss Theater Classrooms

5:45 p.m. Concluding Keynote – Open to All

Six Things You Must Know to Land a Professional Job in the Green Economy

Carol McClelland, author, Green Jobs for Dummies (forthcoming) (live videoconference from Menlo Park, CA)

– Dreyfuss Theater

5- 8 p.m. Green Jobseekers Networking and Entrepreneurial Opportunities Fair

Concluding Reception and Green Recovery Event  - open to all with separate VIP Reception

– Gym, Ferguson Recreation Center